Careers

Join a team that makes real change happen

Bevan Brittan is a UK-Top 100 commercial law firm providing a comprehensive range of legal services from offices in Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and London.

The firm advises businesses across construction, energy & resource management, higher education and financial services, complementing the firm's market leadership within housing, local government and health and social care.

We employ over 480 staff, including 82 Partners, and our award-winning teams provide construction, commercial, corporate, property, regulatory, employment and litigation (commercial and clinical negligence) legal advice.

Bevan Brittan was named among 'The Times Best Law Firms 2021'. The firm has also recently won several major industry awards, including 'Legal Advisor of the Year' for the third year in a row at the Health Investor Awards and 'Legal Advisor of the Year' at the Bristol Property Awards.

Bevan Brittan is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds.

Learn from the best

You will be joining a highly respected team who are at the forefront of commercial health work nationally.

The NHS has seen unprecedented levels of activity as a result of the pandemic and has had unparalleled access to capital to make changes to its buildings and to increase capacity. Nightingale Hospitals have been "built" from scratch in a matter of weeks and a national vaccination programme is under way. All of this urgent activity is underpinned by contracts and/or policy guidance that our Commercial Health team advises on.

In parallel with this short term activity we have had huge success in growing our Commercial Health practice to deliver:

• Advising on new NHS Hospital builds as part of the UK Government's 10 year programme to deliver 40 new hospitals across the country. We are currently advising: Hospitals of the future, the new Princess Alexandra Hospital, the new hospital in Hillingdon and Future Whipps - Barts Health NHS Trust.
• Best practice initiatives for health PFI contract management working with the Centre for Best Practice at Department of Health.
• Ongoing PFI and LIFT variations and forward planning for the expiry of early health PFI schemes.
• NHS key worker housing, in particular following Covid-19.
• A host of other developments including primary care centres; hospital car parks, hospital retail, patient hotels and NHS private patient units.

The team also advises NHS commercial transactions including: joint ventures, commercial ventures and partnerships; managed equipment contracts; new models of care provision in the NHS; outsourcing and shared services, contract renegotiation and termination. The team works closely with colleagues across the firm, including those in our construction, corporate, procurement, property and employment teams.

The broader department is involved in a wider variety of commercial and complex contracting work including PFI/PPP, joint ventures, construction and engineering, outsourcing and commercial work in a wide range of sectors including Education, IT, Waste and Energy, Housing and Local Government services.

Bevan Brittan has strong recognition in the independent legal directories - Chambers & Partners and Legal 500. In both guides we are consistently ranked in the top tier in the South West and across the UK for our Healthcare practice with multiple individuals in the team recognised as leading lawyers.

A very supportive firm with the depth of skills in its teams to provide a full service. - Chambers 2021

Rise to the Challenge

A vacancy has arisen for a Solicitor to join our vibrant and growing team in the Commercial and Infrastructure Department to focus on projects and commercial work in the Health Sector.

We are looking for someone who will work primarily with the Bristol team but who may also (remotely) assist colleagues in Leeds and London. Whilst the majority of us are working remotely at the moment, when feasible we would welcome applicants who will be able to spend time in the Bristol office and/or to split their time between the Bristol office and remote working. We also anticipate that we will attend meetings at our clients' premises or at other solicitors' offices, so a willingness to travel (when it is safe to do so) is a requirement of this job.

For this role, you will:

• Assist the team on the delivery of a range of complex projects and commercial transactions to both public and some private sector clients. These transactions will aid the delivery of new facilities or services for the NHS.
• Learn about existing PFI contracts and assist with variations and advice on contract management.
• Advise on shared services, new models/alternative delivery vehicles (including companies and limited liability partnerships).
• Be a valued member of the team, supported, trained and developed by senior members of the team in a supportive environment.
• Have the opportunity to engage regularly with clients, attend client meetings and work closely with other legal, financial and technical advisors.
• Have the opportunity to develop your practice and your career, have responsibility appropriate to your knowledge and expertise.
• Have the opportunity to develop your business development skills, network with other juniors across the firm, other firms in Bristol and intermediaries.

What we are looking for from you

• 2 - 5 years PQE.
• Experience of advising health bodies/other public sector organisations or the private sector.
• A passion to learn, enthusiasm and the desire to excel as a lawyer.
• Ability to, or experience of, working in a team and coordinating advice with fee earners across a team.
• The ability to deliver clear, precise advice.
• Strong technical skills and an ability to understand and work through complex issues.
• A demonstrable ability to adopt a practical and commercial approach to legal issues.
• Ability to liaise effectively with clients and build relationships.
• Ability to operate with a high level of self-sufficiency combined with an awareness of own abilities.
• A positive and flexible approach.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage time effectively.

Work-life Balance

We offer a substantial benefits package to all employees, which includes 25 days holiday, a generous pension scheme and private medical insurance through Vitality (including "phone a GP service", discounted gym membership and 'Vitality' Partner discounts).

All of our people are entitled to a biannual private health assessment through Nuffield Health and are included in the group life assurance scheme. We also have an Employee Assistance Programme (free telephone support and counselling service) and a cycle scheme (Save Tax & NI on a bike for cycling to work).

Due to COVID-19, all of our roles are currently home-based until it is safe to return to our modern office spaces. Our core operating hours are 9am - 5:15pm Monday to Friday, however we are open to considering requests to work more flexibly.

Being part of a responsible business

To us, being a responsible business is second nature; a core part of Bevan Brittan's identity, running through our culture and embodied by the clients we serve.

Bevan Brittan seeks to play an active role within its local office communities. Through regular fundraising events, support for local initiatives and annual charity donations at Christmas, we have established a culture of giving within the firm. This has laid the foundations for our Responsible Business strategy.

In December 2020 we donated a total of £40,000 to our four regional office charities, with each charity receiving £10,000 towards the causes colleagues support throughout the year. The donations went towards providing vital services after a particularly challenging year. Our current selected charity in Bristol is St Peter's Hospice.

We want to demonstrate our commitment to these causes through action rather than words; colleagues from across the firm are already heavily involved, living and breathing the four pillars of our Responsible Business strategy:

• Community Engagement
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Wellbeing
• Environmental Sustainability

Collectively, these four pillars ensure we look after our colleagues' wellbeing; offer an environment in which all can progress on merit, regardless of personal circumstances or background; give something back to the communities in which we work; and protect the environment.

Some recent initiatives include:

• Strava running club: a virtual firm-wide running club on Strava, with regular challenges to keep us all motivated to stay active.
• Live Cook Along for Black History Month 2020: We hosted a live virtual 'Cook Along' to share the connective power of food and community.
• UK Disability History Month: We supported the event with informative pieces and real life stories, reflecting our commitment to supporting those of our colleagues who have a disability or who care for someone with a disability.
• Each lawyer is encouraged to undertake several hours of pro bono legal work for local charities and not-for-profit organisations. This has seen colleagues support the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (Bristol), St Werburgh's City Farm (Bristol) and Moseley Road Swimming Baths (Birmingham).