Job Description

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 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.
We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.
Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 5th best law firm to work at in 2024.
With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 40% of our partnership.
The department
The Department:
Our vibrant, energetic Employment Team boasts some of the best lawyers in the region specialising in all aspects of employment law facing a company's board or the HR professional - from everyday operational challenges through to advising on strategic issues.
The team currently comprises over 30 specialist qualified employment law solicitors, including six partners, making us one of the largest employment teams in the East of England.
We have the strength and depth of expertise to ensure we deliver the service you would expect in respect of technical quality, practical approach and timeliness of advice.
The employment law team has experience in all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters, representing clients from a broad range of public and private organisations as well as individuals and senior executives and we are proud to act for sector leading clients nationwide and some of the East of England's most important businesses and institutions.
Sectors in which we work include education, health, energy, construction, transport and private client/agriculture. Particular areas of expertise include:

• Transactional corporate support work
• Wrongful and unfair dismissal
• Redundancy and restructuring
• Transfer of Undertakings
• Restrictive covenants
• Boardroom disputes and severance claims
• Employment litigation in the high court, county court and employment tribunal
• Discrimination (including sex, race, disability and age) and equal pay
• General employment issues ranging from maternity rights to general contractual issues
• Service agreements, contracts of employment and staff handbooks
• Employment policies ranging from performance, sickness and misconduct procedures to maternity and parental leave schemes.

Purpose of job
Birketts is looking for a dedicated investigator to join its growing workplace investigations team.
The role will suit those with experience of workplace investigations, in particular investigations involving senior individuals and complex matters, as well as the provision of written reports. The Investigations Team currently consists of qualified lawyers but the role would also be suited to an experienced HR professional who has conducted high level investigations and has a sound understanding of employment law as well as good drafting skills.
The candidate
You will have a solid understanding of employment law - including disciplinary and grievance matters, whistleblowing and discrimination - as well as the common sense and sound judgement to be able to apply that knowledge effectively. You will have experience of conducting and/or advising on complex workplace investigations, including the analysis of written and oral evidence. Communication skills are essential, as is emotional intelligence and the ability to conduct effective interviews with individuals at all levels of seniority. You will have the drafting skills required to produce clear and comprehensive investigation reports, and to distil complex issues into easy to understand language.
To join our Investigations and Employee Relations team we are seeking a candidate who is a qualified solicitor with ideally 6+ year's employment law experience. You will be particularly well versed in helping clients to determine the most appropriate incentive for their business and be able to structure bespoke and innovative arrangements to align with your client's business plans and objectives.
Equal opportunities
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. Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment, we offer the following core benefits:

• 30 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays
• Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• 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
• Agile/Hybrid Working Policy
• Dress for your Day Policy

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. 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.
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.
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.