Head of D&R Knowledge

We are recruiting for a senior Commercial Disputes Knowledge Lawyer, who will also head up our Disputes & Risk Knowledge Team.

Knowledge is at the heart of Osborne Clarke's strategy, and you will play the leading role in continuing to build out this key function within D&R, as well as being a senior member of our innovative and market-leading Firm-wide Knowledge Team.

The existing D&R Knowledge Team consists (in addition to this role) of a Property Disputes Knowledge Lawyer, an IP Disputes Knowledge Lawyer, a Regulatory Disputes Knowledge Lawyer and a Knowledge Paralegal. These roles report to the Head of D&R Knowledge.

Once appointed, the Head of D&R Knowledge will take the lead, working with D&R management and the Director of Knowledge, in assessing the future knowledge needs of D&R and leading further recruitments.

The D&R Knowledge Team is one of our four Practice Group Knowledge Teams.

The Practice Group Knowledge Teams are supported by two dedicated Senior PAs and a dedicated Training Administrator.

This is a permanent role, based out of either our London or Bristol office, ideally being recruited on a full time basis, but we are happy to consider applicants looking to work four days a week.

Our D&R Practice Group

The UK D&R Practice Group consists of 44 partners and approximately 160 other fee earners across our Bristol, London and Thames Valley offices.

Within D&R are the following service lines and specialist areas.

• Commercial Litigation
• International Arbitration
• Property Litigation
• Business Crime
• Contentious Financial Regulation
• Competition disputes
• Regulatory Disputes (including regulated procurement, health & safety, product and consumer regulation, food law, sustainability and compliance)
• Construction Disputes
• Intellectual Property disputes
• Restructuring and Insolvency (including insolvency disputes)
• Crisis and Reputation Management (including data protection, cyber security, and defamation)
• Mediation
• Investigations

Key responsibilities

• Leading the development of the D&R Knowledge strategy.
• Building technical excellence and driving best practice professional support in the D&R Knowledge Team.
• Keeping the D&R lawyer team abreast of relevant legal and regulatory change; preparing and distributing reader-friendly and relevant internal updates and client publications.
• Organising knowledge sharing, including collecting and storing external and internal knowledge.
• Developing and helping deliver the D&R team's legal training programme.
• Developing and maintaining an up-to-date and technically excellent collection of D&R precedent documents.
• Dealing with queries from lawyers across D&R, the wider Firm and clients regarding current law and practice.
• Assisting in the preparation of client seminars and client training sessions and speaking at such seminars and sessions.
• Working alongside others to support innovation in the delivery of legal services.

What we're looking for

• Strong theoretical, practical and up-to-date knowledge of Commercial Disputes law and regulation.
• We expect the individual to be or to have recently been an experienced professional support lawyer in a commercial law firm. However, we will consider exceptional candidates who have no previous professional support experience, provided that they have a demonstrable existing interest in knowledge best practice.
• A client-orientated approach with a good understanding of the use of knowledge to develop and support business development activities, preferably with prior experience of presenting to both individual client teams and at seminars and roundtables.
• Experience of managing a small team within a fast-paced and changing professional services environment is desirable but not essential; support on team management will be available to the individual.
• Demonstrable behaviour expected of a manager and team player, including pro-active leadership and the ability to generate enthusiasm with direct reports, and proficiency in generating the confidence of others, particularly at partner and senior Business Services level.
• Proven problem-solving ability on own initiative, together with the ability to make decisions and progress work and projects quickly without undue process or over-complication; confidence in own expertise; and a strong appreciation of fee earner needs and constraints.
• A good understanding of how technology, including products currently used by large law firms, can be used to drive productivity gains and cost efficiencies; and the importance of promoting efficient working processes.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, enthusiasm for presenting technical legal and regulatory issues in a clear, approachable and professional way and a good understanding of how knowledge is acquired by the lawyer and client audience.

About Us

Osborne Clarke is an international legal practice with over 330 Partners and more than 1,260 talented lawyers in 26 locations*. Our sector-based approach enables us to help our clients tackle the issues they are facing today, and prepare for the ones that they will face tomorrow. Advising them both comprehensively and commercially. We love working closely with our clients on new deals, products and solutions which will transform their businesses, markets and even sectors. And our unique approachable culture is not an added extra, it's fundamental to our success.

At Osborne Clarke we value difference and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. We want everyone to feel that OC is a place where you can be yourself and belong, and our range of interest groups and diversity networks - not to mention our great teams - are a part of making that a reality. We value the health and wellbeing of our people and our wide range of initiatives and benefits support this.

*Services in India are provided by a relationship firm]]>