Partner – Construction

Birmingham
Permanent
Full-time

2 months ago

Devonshires was founded in 1841 and has been based at Finsbury Circus in London since 1953. Over the
past decade, we have expanded outside of London having committed to developing the firm's presence
across the Midlands and the North, by opening offices in Birmingham and Leeds.
We are recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers UK as a medium-sized specialist firm with expertise in
construction, projects, real estate, litigation, housing management, corporate, governance, banking and
employment.
We are a growing firm and have seen our turnover more than double over the past decade. We have a large
and diverse range of corporate clients who come to us for our decisive and practical advice and our passion
in obtaining successful outcomes.
The firm is additionally ranked Tier 1 for our work in social housing for Registered Providers including the
majority of the G15 (a group made up of London's leading housing associations).
Job Role
We have an exciting opportunity for an individual with ambition and a passion for construction law to join our
busy Construction, Engineering and Procurement team to develop, lead and manage a Birmingham-based
construction team.
Successful applicants do not need to be a partner at their current firm but will have a minimum of 10 years'
PQE (England and Wales and gained as a construction solicitor), be self-motivated and have a demonstrable
enthusiasm for building and running their own practice.
We are open to applications from all construction law practitioners whether their practice is non-contentious,
contentious, or mixed.
Construction, Engineering and Procurement Team
With 39 fee earners, our Construction, Engineering and Procurement team has grown from strength-to-
strength over the past decade and has seen a 400% increase in turnover.
Recognised in Legal 500 as being “genuinely-partner led”, our team is recognised for our expertise in relation
to the Building Safety Act 2022 and the full range of construction procurement and disputes dealing with
issues ranging from those that are typical to those that are novel and uncharted.Our non-contentious team acts for developers, funders, investment vehicles, local authorities and registered
social housing landlords across the public and private sectors. We act in relation to all forms of construction
procurement, including traditional, design and build, modular, joint venture, management contracting and
construction management led projects. We frequently deliver non-contentious advice on the biggest deals
in the house building sector.
Our contentious team represents clients in mediation, adjudication, arbitration and in litigation. We act in
relation to traditional construction and engineering claims in relation to delay, payment and quality, including
some of the largest and highest profile latent defects cases in new build and refurbishment construction. We
additionally act on specialist claims involving insolvency, insurance, procurement and health and safety.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
This is not an exhaustive list and from time to time it may be necessary to vary these to meet the department
and business needs.

Developing, leading and managing a team, specialising in construction law, based at our Birmingham

office;

Undertaking business development activities to help secure and grow the firm's brand and presence

in the Construction sector across the Midlands, including speaking at conferences, writing articles and
promoting the firm via social media;

Drafting and delivering straight-talking advice which is decisive, practical and cuts to the chase;
Amending and advising on contracts (e.g. building contracts, development agreements and

agreements for lease, consultant's appointments, plus all supplementary documentation such as
security documents, warranties, novations and assignments);

Advising on every aspect of construction contracts (e.g. procurement, amendments, payments,

extensions of time, loss and expense, defects and insurance issues);

Fighting for clients and applying strategic thinking in relation to procurement, contract negotiations

and adjudication, arbitration and court proceedings;

Interacting directly with clients, managing their expectations, always meeting deadlines and delivering

on every promise;

Being responsible for the day-to-day running of files;
Providing support to other fee-earners in the team and sharing knowledge;
Being actively involved in the business development and management of the wider Construction

team;

Meet financial targets by ensuring accurate time recording and timely billing/cash collection;
Fol owing department procedures, the Solicitors' accounts rules and the firm's policies and

procedures as detailed in the Staff Manual, including Lexcel; and

Undertaking such duties and tasks that are appropriate for the role of Partner, such as changes in

information systems and new technology as may reasonably be required.Attributes and Skills Required

A minimum of 10 years' PQE (England and Wales) gained as a Construction solicitor;
A strong academic background, with at least a 2:1 at degree level;
A thorough understanding of the Housing Grants, Construction & Regeneration Act 1996, the

Scheme for Construction Contracts (England & Wales) Regulations 1998, the Building Safety Act
2022 (including all related secondary legislation) and the Civil Procedure Rules;

Proactive and used to working independently and developing and leading a team;
Demonstrable achievements in business development, obtaining new clients, referring them to

different practice areas as well as developing own practice area and cascading down as appropriate
to solicitors within the team;

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal;
Able to identify key issues in complex cases, understand the business parameters within a case and

reflect that in advice to clients;

Commercially aware, proactive and able to convey clear and concise information to clients and

external organisations, which will not compromise the practice or the firm;

Excellent attention to detail to produce work / documentation which is consistently of a high standard;
Demonstrate a flexible approach to work to ensure client deadlines are always met and clients are

communicated with on a consistent and regular basis;

Comfortable taking a collaborative and collegiate approach to matters, recognising that one can

always learn new skills as well as imparting knowledge to others;

Experienced in using Word, Excel, Outlook and Internet applications.

If you would like further details or wish to apply for this position please email your CV and covering letter direct
to and complete the diversity monitoring questionnaire which can be accessed
by
All recruiters must submit their candidates' CV via our HR team or using the recruitment inbox listed above.
Only HR can agree terms of business with third parties, provide the appropriate privacy notice to be shared
with candidates and ensure that the firm maintains its commitments to LEXCEL, ISO27001 and Equality
Diversity & Inclusion.
Devonshires Solicitors LLP is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and to providing a workplace
free from discrimination and harassment. As such all job applicants, employees, partners and third parties who come
into contact with us, will receive equal treatment, regardless of age, disability, gender re-assignment, marriage and
civil partnership, trade union activities, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We
welcome applications from groups where we are currently under-represented. For this reason, we ask that all
candidates complete the in complete confidence for statistical purposes in order that
we can effectively monitor how well our Diversity procedures are working. To review our policies on Diversity &

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