Senior associate - employment

Senior Associate – Employment Law (Southwest, Hybrid)

Leading regional law firm | Strategic growth role | Clear progression pathway

Clear Wave Search has partnered with a highly respected regional law firm, who are enjoying a period of sustained growth.

The firm is seeking an experienced Senior Associate to join its expanding Employment team in the Southwest.

This is a strategic hire focused on strengthening and growing the firm’s employment offering across the region, with genuine scope to shape the practice and progress your career.

The firm offers a genuinely sustainable workload, with a billable expectation of around 5 hours per day, giving you the space to deliver high‑quality advice, build client relationships, and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

The role can be based in either of the firm’s Southwest offices, with hybrid working available.

The Opportunity

As a Senior Associate, you will play a central role in developing the firm’s employment presence in the local market. You will:

• Lead on a broad range of contentious and non‑contentious employment matters
• Support and grow key client relationships
• Drive business development activity and contribute to the team’s market profile
• Help shape the future direction of the practice as it continues to expand

This position suits an experienced Senior Associate or Director with a commercial, proactive, and entrepreneurial approach. A client following is beneficial but not essential.

A clear and supported pathway to Partnership is available for those seeking progression.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver high‑quality work on your own matters efficiently and profitably
• Build strong relationships with clients and referrers, consistently exceeding service expectations
• Agree clear scopes of work, pricing structures, and service levels
• Provide commercially focused employment law advice with strong sector awareness
• Contribute to the team’s business plan and demonstrate success from BD initiatives
• Expand your network of clients, intermediaries, and referrers
• Support senior colleagues in pursuing and converting new business opportunities
• Develop internal relationships to increase cross‑referrals across the firm
• Supervise, mentor, and delegate work to junior team members
• Understand and contribute to departmental KPIs and performance targets
• Stay up to date with legal and sector developments, feeding ideas into team strategy
• Take ownership of elements of the team’s growth and development plan

About You

• 4-7+ years’ PQE in employment law
• A clear business plan or growth proposition for the Southwest market
• Experience of Employment Tribunal litigation (desirable but not essential)
• Strong client management skills and a commitment to excellent service delivery
• Proven ability to win new work through effective business development
• Experience supervising or mentoring junior lawyers
• Commercial, collaborative, and motivated by the opportunity to help build a growing team

What’s on Offer

• Competitive salary with regular reviews
• Hybrid working
• Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy/sell
• Healthcare benefits
• Pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Income protection
• Enhanced family leave
• Bonus scheme
• Cycle to work and season ticket loan
• Access to mentoring, leadership programmes, and ongoing professional development

The firm is known for its supportive culture, high‑quality work, and commitment to developing its people. You’ll join a collaborative team with the autonomy to build your practice and the backing to progress your career.

Clear Wave Search welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We are committed to inclusive recruitment and encourage individuals to apply regardless of disability, neurodiversity, long‑term health conditions, career breaks, or non‑traditional career paths. If you require any adjustments during the application or interview process, we will support you to ensure a fair and comfortable experience.

Please note: The client is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates who meet this requirement.