Senior Associate – For the Citizenship and Immigration Department

The Firm

Payne Hicks Beach is a 45 partner firm of solicitors based in offices at 10 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn.  In total the firm comprises about 200 staff.  The firm provides specialist legal services to private and commercial clients.  We are best known for our family and private client work and are widely regarded as one of the very best of the small number of firms in the UK who provide these specialist services at the highest level.  We also have an excellent reputation in many other areas of law (rated in both Chambers and Legal 500), including trust litigation.

Our offices are located in one of the finest squares in London, a building which the firm has occupied since 1770.

More information about the departments and the work of the firm may be found on our website, the address of which is www.phb.co.uk

The Citizenship and Immigration Department

The Citizenship and Immigration Department comprises 2 Partners, 3 Associates, 2 Immigration Managers, 1 Trainee, 2 in-house barristers and 2 Paralegals who offer a full range of immigration services including all visa categories, Indefinite Leave to Remain and British nationality applications. The contentious side of the team does the below described work and works closely with the firm’s reputation, protection and white collar crime teams.

The Role

The successful candidate must have broad range of public law, international protection, and immigration experience, with an emphasis on private political asylum (frequently with parallel extradition proceedings), Interpol applications, judicial review, First Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal appeals, as well as discretionary and human rights based immigration applications. Ideally you will have an interest in politics (international and domestic), business and commerce, be culturally sensitive, and have experience of working with high-net worth individuals.

The Individual

 Will possess 5-6 years’ PQE.

• Strong academics.
• High quality training and experience.
• You will be ambitious, technically strong, hard-working, and a good team player.
• You will be confident and sociable as well as discrete when dealing directly with clients.

Key Skills:-

• Flexibility – you are able to respond to new challenges, work under pressure and get up to speed very quickly with new factual scenarios. The great thing about this role is its breadth, you are never bored.
• Strong Research Ability – able to identify and advise on the legal position in the first instance, able to analyse complex legal and factual scenarios.
• Experience of preparing first drafts of substantive documents, such as Letters Before Action, Witness Statements, Expert Instructions and Legal Representations.
• Experience of court procedure, particularly in the First Tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, Westminster Magistrates Court, and the High Court Admin Division.
• Experience of drafting letters and emails to both the client, the Home Office, counsel (and clerks), and other intermediaries.
• Project management – to include financial management, provision of estimates, billing, and a thorough understanding of Solicitors Accounts Rules.
• Highly organised including ability to run document management within wider teams and for large cases being prepared for court.
• Good people skills and managerial ability with juniors to include trainees, paralegals and junior associates.
• The role will include taking an active part in marketing and business development

Personal skills

• Self-motivated
• Strong communication skills
• Team player
• Ability to be proactive and reactive in addressing clients’ affairs and requirements
• Ability to help build upon the firm’s existing business
• Ability to get on well with the clients who cover a broad spectrum
• Achieve minimum time targets and billing requirements
• Ability to keep abreast with changes in legislation and market developments
• A practical working knowledge of IT
• Flexibility, dedication and ambition are essential attributes.