Solicitor – Professional Indemnity

Are you looking to further your legal career?

Come and join our Professional Liability team at Markel Law

What part will you play?

If you're ready to make a meaningful difference, you’ve found the right place. At Markel Law, we help clients move forward with confidence—by providing expert legal guidance during their most critical moments. You’ll be joining a highly experienced team of employment specialists, where your voice matters and your development is actively championed.

Join us and play your part in something special!

The opportunity:

Markel Law LLP a law firm, independently authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. We handle a broad range of legal services for Markel policyholders, associations and leading businesses across a range of sectors. Our teams are spread across offices in Manchester, Leeds, London and Croydon, employing over 60 lawyers. We are recognised as leading experts across commercial, civil, personal injury, employment and regulatory law often handling complex, high value claims and disputes with a unique focus on commerciality and client outcomes rather than profit. 

Part of Markel Group (NYSE – MKL) a Fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory, and investment operations around the world.

We are looking for a Solicitor to join our Professional Liability team based in Manchester. Applicants wishing to be based out of Markel’s Leeds office will also be considered. At present, the team comprises of 4 fee earners and is part of the firm’s wider Civil Litigation department, which currently includes 3 partners, 7 solicitors, 2 paralegals and 2 legal administrators.

The firm’s professional indemnity offering is focussed on work for Markel (UK) Limited, a specialist commercial insurance provider to SMEs, professionals and sole traders.  The team has been ranked in Tier 2 in the Legal 500 since it first received a ranking 2023.

Instructions cover the full range of covers, but focus primarily on professional liability, public liability, property damage and management liability (D&O). There is a significant amount of coverage work. Disputes range from small claims to £multi-million disputes. Key professional risks include construction professionals, electrical and other specialist building service contractors, accountants, technology professionals, care practitioners and social welfare / not for profit organisations.

Recent work highlights include:

• advising insurers in relation to a high-profile coverage issue in respect of a claim in the care sector worth in excess of £5million;

• representing insurers and a statutory water undertaker in a significant claim arising out of a sewer strike on a large housing development;

• successfully defending a claim against a large regional accountancy practice put at £1.5m arising out of the inadvertent tax consequences of succession planning; and

• acting for insurers and an IT provider in respect of a claim by a large staff association for losses arising from a ransomware attack put at in excess of £2.5 million.

Work is also carried out for Markel International Limited, the specialist Lloyds market insurer, and this is an area ripe for future growth. Subrogated recovery work is another area of anticipated further growth for the team.

What you’ll be doing:

• Work across a broad range of claims (in terms of the underlying subject areas, the sums in dispute and their legal complexity).

• Operate within a small core team under appropriate supervision from experienced Partners and with access to paralegal, trainee solicitor and legal administrator resource as required.

• Manage own case load, including working independently on smaller files – where they will be expected to set appropriate strategies and recommended reserves – as well as working more closely under the supervision of a Partner on larger files.

• Deliver clear, accurate and pragmatic advice based on both the legal and commercial realities of a client’s position.

• Be able to identify, consider and advise upon insurance policy coverage issues.

• Provide our clients with an efficient and courteous service at all times that is in line with the firm’s relevant procedures (and Markel’s wider ‘Expect More from those who Do More’ customer-focus).

• Be expected to deliver against chargeable hours and billing targets and other key performance indicators.

• Supervise, and delegate tasks to, junior colleagues and administrative support staff where appropriate.

• Be expected to assist in the growth of the team and the introduction of new business to the department by establishing, developing and maintaining corporate and individual client relationships – both internally and externally.

• Be given the opportunity to develop their understanding of the insurance industry and the contribution an insurance panel law firm can make to the success of a large insurance company.

Our must haves:

• 1 – 5 years PQE ideally

• Have previous legal insurance experience and knowledge of legal/insurance relationships and their interaction. That experience will ideally arise from dealing with professional indemnity or property damage liability insurance claims (preferably from a defendant’s perspective). The candidate may well come from an established insurance-focused firm or team.

• Have previous experience of advising on insurance policy coverage issues and disputes (preferably from a defendant’s perspective).

• Ideally, have some previous experience of pursuing subrogated recoveries.

• Be accomplished in dealing with claims across a wide range of values and against all different types of opponents (e.g. litigant in person, solicitors, large corporate, etc).

• Be accustomed to running their own caseload under supervision.

• Demonstrate strong communication and organisational skills with an ability to prioritise workload.

• Have good IT skills, certainly with experience in using Microsoft Office and legal case management systems (preferably Partner for Windows).

• Embrace the challenge of expanding their knowledge into new areas of law and industry sectors.

• Demonstrate first class client care and communication skills (both written and oral).

• Have high attention to detail and accurate case management skills.

Who we are:

Markel Corporation (NYSE – MKL) a Fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory and investment operations around the world.

We’re all about people | We win together | We strive for better | We enjoy the everyday We think further

What’s in it for you:

• A great starting salary plus 10% annual bonus & strong benefits package…

• 25 days paid holiday plus Bank Holidays, with the opportunity to buy / sell extra leave

• Fantastic company pension scheme, private medical and dental cover, life assurance, travel insurance cover, income protection, season ticket loan as well as other great benefits on offer

• There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career, and we can provide the support needed to do just that!

Are you ready to play your part?

Choose ‘Apply Now’ to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.

At Markel, we are all about the people, celebrating the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.

We will ensure that individuals are provided with any reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at [email protected] or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations or adjustments that may be needed, including alternative formats of documents or information on how to apply offline.

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