Civil Litigation Solicitor

We’re looking for a civil litigation solicitor with one to three years’ post-qualification experience to join our busy litigation team. Based in Cardiff, with a Swansea base available for the right candidate. We are actively growing that office and there is scope to be part of it. Induction will be in Cardiff, with regular attendance there afterwards.

This is a fee-earning role. You will run a caseload of civil disputes from first instruction through to settlement or trial, with supervision proportionate to the complexity of the file. The work covers contract and debt claims, property and boundary disputes, landlord and tenant matters including claims under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, professional negligence, and contentious probate including Inheritance Act claims.

You will need to have worked in a busy litigation department already. We are looking for a sound working knowledge of the CPR, pre-action protocols, the track system and the fixed recoverable costs regime; experience of drafting statements of case and witness statements; and the commercial judgement to advise a client on merits, likely costs and when a case should settle. You will have direct client contact from the outset and will attend court on interim applications and court hearings.

Key Responsibilities

• Run your own caseload of civil litigation matters from first instruction through to settlement or trial, with supervision proportionate to the complexity of the file.

• Advise clients on merits, risk, likely costs and realistic outcomes at the outset, and keep that advice under review as matters develop.

• Draft claim forms, particulars of claim, defences, applications, witness statements, and instructions to counsel and experts.

• Manage cases in line with pre-action protocols, court directions and CPR deadlines, including disclosure, costs budgeting and case management through to listing.

• Conduct negotiations, make and respond to Part 36 offers, and prepare for and attend mediations and settlement meetings.

• Attend court on interim applications, CCMCs and small claims hearings, and instruct counsel where advocacy is delegated.

• Handle client care and funding, including retainers, costs estimates and updates, and compliance with the SRA Transparency Rules.

• Carry out client identification, source of funds and anti-money laundering checks, and maintain files in line with Lexcel and firm policy.

• Record time accurately and manage work in progress, billing and recoverability across your caseload.

• Contribute to the department: referrals, and relationships with clients, agents and local professional contacts.

Essential

• Solicitor qualified in England and Wales with one to three years’ PQE gained in a busy civil litigation department.

• Sound working knowledge of the CPR, pre-action protocols, the track system and the fixed recoverable costs regime.

• Experience of running files with a degree of autonomy, and the judgement to know when to escalate.

• Confident drafting, and the ability to put a case clearly in writing to a court, an opponent and a client.

• Commercial and costs judgement. An instinct for proportionality and for when a case should settle.

• Excellent communication skills, including with clients who are anxious, angry or hearing something they don’t want to hear.

• Proficiency with case management systems, e-filing, MCOL and the Civil National Business Centre portals.

Desirable

• Employment tribunal experience, claimant or respondent side.

• Experience of property or boundary disputes, contentious probate, or Inheritance Act claims.

• Advocacy experience beyond routine interim applications.

• Familiarity with Welsh-specific legislation, particularly the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.