Senior Associate – Employment Law (Respondent) | Central Leeds | 6+ Years' PQE

The Opportunity

A rare and genuinely exciting opening has arisen within one of the North's most highly regarded employment law teams. This is a Senior Associate position within a leading respondent employment practice, based in central Leeds, and represents one of the most compelling career moves available in the market right now.

This isn't just another lateral move. The Leeds team is small, growing, and strategically important — meaning there is a clear, realistic, and short-to-medium term path to Legal Director for the right person. If you're a driven employment lawyer with 6+ years' PQE who wants genuine progression rather than a vague promise of it, this role deserves your attention.

The Firm and Team

The firm has built a well-earned reputation across the North for combining excellent quality work with a genuinely fantastic culture — and those two things don't often go together. Staff are truly looked after and developed, with the firm investing meaningfully in its people at every level.

The broader northern employment team is substantial and well-structured:

12 Partners 5 Legal Directors 3 Senior Associates 2 Associates 7 Solicitors

The client base spans household national names alongside strong regional clients — giving you real variety and high-quality exposure without the grind of a purely transactional environment.

The Role

The work is a broad and interesting mix:

Contentious respondent employment — tribunal litigation across the full range of employment disputes Non-contentious respondent work — advisory, HR support, restructuring, and day-to-day employment matters High-level claimant settlement work — adding further variety and complexity to the caseload

You'll be working on matters that genuinely stretch you, for clients who value legal expertise, within a team that will support your development.

What We're Looking For

6+ years' PQE in employment law Strong respondent-side background, with solid tribunal experience Commercially minded with excellent client management skills Ambitious, but collaborative — someone who thrives in a team environment Someone who wants to build something, not just join something

The Package

The firm offers a competitive salary in line with large regional and national practices in Leeds — so you won't be asked to compromise financially for a better quality of life. You genuinely get both.

Interested?

This role will move quickly. If it sounds like the opportunity you've been waiting for, get in touch in confidence today.

Graham Think Legal Recruitment

graham@thinklegalrecruitment.com 07745 205690

All enquiries handled with complete discretion.

Think Legal Recruitment is a specialist legal recruitment consultancy. We work exclusively within the legal sector, partnering with firms and candidates across the UK.