The role We are looking for an ambitious and conscientious Associate to join our Litigation team in Belfast. You will be part of a vibrant, local team with plans to develop - with the support of a large UK-wide infrastructure behind you. We are ambitious and passionate about the work we do and we will encourage you to develop your own skills alongside our experienced partners and legal team. We pride ourselves on working collaboratively in relation to our litigation caseload and across our different office locations as required. What do we need from you? A detailed working knowledge of litigation and advocacy in both the County Court and the High Court is required for this role and Chancery and Commercial Court experience would be an advantage either from your training contract or in your post qualification experience. We can offer you a varied commercial litigation caseload with a particular focus on professional negligence, corporate disputes, financial services and real estate litigation. You will have opportunity for significant levels of client contact and to build meaningful and rewarding relationships as a result. We hope you’ll share our commitment to putting the client at the centre of everything we do and work with us to deliver an exceptional service in a friendly, supportive environment. We place a lot of belief in culture and community, and genuinely think we have something different to offer you at Shoosmiths. This is reflected in everything we say and do from our use of technology to enable agile working, to the team spirit and culture. We place a lot of belief in culture and community and genuinely think we have something different to offer you at Shoosmiths. This is reflected in everything we say and do, from our use of technology to enable effective cross-office working, to our team spirit and culture. We strive to create an inclusive and supportive workplace where employees can be themselves at work. We are proud of our active employee networks; the establishment of our Shadow Board; and initiatives such as reciprocal mentoring and inclusive leadership training, to bring diverse perspectives and recommendations to our leadership team and the firm as a whole. We are a values-driven business – our values are at the core of the firm and we evaluate how we behave in accordance with these values through a competency framework and a formal recognition scheme where we celebrate and reward examples of living and exceeding our values. This role is considered to be at competency Level 2 in our internal framework, depending on experience. Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. These checks will include employment references covering the last 5 years, proof of ID, proof of address covering the last 5 years, Personnel Vetting credit search (which will only highlight insolvency or County Court Judgments - should any adverse data show on the Personnel Vetting search then any offer of employment made will be withdrawn). A DBS check (previously known as a Criminal Records check) and check of social media will also be carried out. The team Our Belfast Dispute Resolution & Litigation team specialises in all forms of commercial litigation, in particular disputes in the corporate, real estate, energy, tech and financial services spheres. Our state-of-the-art office provides space for a collaborative working culture and a fantastic environment to enable a mix of office and home working, as required by our caseload. We currently act for an impressive number of large national and multi-national corporations, High Street banks, financial institutions and FTSE 250 clients. We provide our clients with a wide range of advisory and litigation services covering all aspects of commercial litigation. The firm Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve ‘Platinum Standard’ Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm. We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits. To discover more about our benefits, please visit: Benefits Package LI-RC1 Equal opportunities Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues. This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.