Solicitor - agriculture (litigation)

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

The team you will join

The agriculture team sits within the wider Private Client Division. This role will sit in the Litigation sub-team.

The team is one of the best qualified and largest agricultural teams in the UK market, providing a comprehensive range of legal services to farmers, landed estates, landowners, developers and agri-business specialists.

Across Birketts, our award-winning agriculture and estates team includes almost 50 specialist lawyers across seven offices, and is consistently recognised in the legal directories, giving Bristol-based lawyers the support of a deep national bench and a genuinely full-service offering. Based in Bristol, the team comprises a Partner, a Legal Director, two Senior Associates, two Associates and dedicated secretarial support. We are a team of rural specialists with deep sector knowledge.

The team advises clients on a wide range of agricultural and rural disputes, including farming partnership and succession issues (including proprietary estoppel), landlord and tenant and agricultural tenancy disputes (AHA and ATA), rights of way and other property disputes, restrictive covenant and boundary issues, contract claims and judicial review challenges. We support clients from early case assessment and strategic negotiation through to mediation, arbitration and court proceedings.

The work you will be doing

You will be responsible for:

• Managing a varied caseload of agricultural and rural disputes, with appropriate supervision, from initial instructions through to resolution.
• Drafting statements of case and other key litigation documents (including witness statements and applications) and undertaking disclosure exercises.
• Advising on a broad range of rural disputes, including farming partnership and succession disputes (including proprietary estoppel), AHA/ATA tenancy issues, rights of way and other property disputes, boundary and restrictive covenant issues, contract claims and public law/judicial review challenges
• Participating in alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration, and assisting with preparation for hearings and trials
• Working closely with the wider Agriculture and Estates team.
• Participating in marketing and networking initiatives

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

What we are looking for

• Completion of a recognised training contract or equivalent qualifying experience
• 0-3 years' experience gained working in a reputable legal firm
• Demonstrable interest and foundational knowledge in Agriculture and Estates
• Strong attention to detail to produce work documentation which is consistently of a high standard
• Professional integrity and a commitment to providing excellent client service
• To be competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, time recording software, case management, Outlook and digital dictation

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. This role attracts a split of office and working from home days each week.

We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

• Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Dress for your Day Policy

You can find out more on our website: https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

Inclusivity and Culture

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.

If you require this advert in an accessible format, please visit https://diversityjobsgroup.com/company/birketts/

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

At Birketts, we recognise the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal profession and recruitment. We welcome innovation and understand that candidates may use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we expect all applicants to use AI responsibly and ethically.

Our expectations regarding AI use in applications:

• Your application should reflect your own voice, experiences, and insights. AI may assist in structuring or refining your responses, but it must not replace your personal input.
• Do not use AI to misrepresent your qualifications, experiences, or skills. Any form of exaggeration or fabrication may result in rejection from the process.
• If you have used AI tools to assist with your application, be prepared to discuss how and why you used them during the interview process.
• Do not submit content generated by AI tools that may include personal or sensitive data not intended for public disclosure.
• AI-generated content should be reviewed and edited by you to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the role and our firm’s values.

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment practices. The use of AI should enhance, not compromise, your application. We encourage candidates to demonstrate critical thinking, commercial awareness, and a genuine interest in our firm.

If you have any questions about our expectations or the use of AI in your application, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team via talent@birketts.co.uk