About us

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do.  RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 6th best law firm to work at in 2026.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 45% of our partnership.

The team you will join

The agriculture team sits within the wider Private Client Division. This role will sit in the Litigation sub-team.

The team is one of the best qualified and largest agricultural teams in the UK market, providing a comprehensive range of legal services to farmers, landed estates,  landowners, developers and agri-business specialists.

Across Birketts, our award-winning agriculture and estates team includes almost 50 specialist lawyers across seven offices, and is consistently recognised in the legal directories, giving Bristol-based lawyers the support of a deep national bench and a genuinely full-service offering.  Based in Bristol, the team comprises a Partner, a Legal Director, two Senior Associates, two Associates and dedicated secretarial support. We are a team of rural specialists with deep sector knowledge. 

The team advises clients on a wide range of agricultural and rural disputes, including farming partnership and succession issues (including proprietary estoppel), landlord and tenant and agricultural tenancy disputes (AHA and ATA), rights of way and other property disputes, restrictive covenant and boundary issues, contract claims and judicial review challenges. We support clients from early case assessment and strategic negotiation through to mediation, arbitration and court proceedings.

The work you will be doing

You will be responsible for:

• Managing a varied caseload of agricultural and rural disputes, with appropriate supervision, from initial instructions through to resolution.
• Drafting statements of case and other key litigation documents (including witness statements and applications) and undertaking disclosure exercises.
• Advising on a broad range of rural disputes, including farming partnership and succession disputes (including proprietary estoppel), AHA/ATA tenancy issues, rights of way and other property disputes, boundary and restrictive covenant issues, contract claims and public law/judicial review challenges
• Participating in alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration, and assisting with preparation for hearings and trials
• Working closely with the wider Agriculture and Estates team.
• Participating in marketing and networking initiatives 

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

What we are looking for

• Completion of a recognised training contract or equivalent qualifying experience 

• 0-3 years' experience gained working in a reputable legal firm  

• Demonstrable interest and foundational knowledge in Agriculture and Estates  

• Strong attention to detail to produce work documentation which is consistently of a high standard 

• Professional integrity and a commitment to providing excellent client service 

• To be competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, time recording software, case management, Outlook and digital dictation 

We have designed a 'Talent Management Framework' which provides a career structure that will help us develop, retain and reward talented people.  As a Solicitor, we typically expect candidates to have between 0–3 years PQE. 

Any information provided in relation to PQE should be used for guidance only and will not be determinative in the recruitment decision. Applicants will be considered on their individual merits.  

Hybrid Working

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. This role attracts a split of office and working from home days each week.

We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application. 

Benefits

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays 
• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme 
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Dress for your Day Policy

You can find out more on our website: https://recognition-reward-benefits/

Inclusivity and Culture

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. 

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientatio