Knowledge Paralegal - Dispute Resolution

Overview

The Firm

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP is a leading UK and international law firm which provides high quality legal advice tailored to both individuals and businesses. We address the specific objectives of each client through our flair and the application of deep multi-disciplinary technical expertise. We pride ourselves on providing real world solutions to our clients’ situations.

Today, we have UK offices in the City of London, Basingstoke, Birmingham, Cambridge, Guildford, Oxford and Reading while our growing overseas network stretches from Asia to South America through our presence in Singapore, Piraeus, Paris, and Madrid. We have 140+ partners and over 850 people in total.We have established a strong reputation in a variety of sectors, particularly technology, private wealth, shipping and real estate.

Our lawyers are also recognised for their expertise in life sciences, education, retail, sports and entertainment and international trade. We are ranked in the Lawyer Top 50 Litigation as a "heavyweight" disputes practice, and our commercial disputes and PI/Clin Neg teams are consistently recommended in the Times Best Law Firms of the Year (based on peer feedback).

Among our clients we count multi-national corporations, public companies, professional partnerships, banks and financial institutions as well as private individuals, owner managed businesses and start-ups. We are conscious that our culture and close working relationships are vital assets and we are determined to maintain these as we increase in size. Our broad international focus is supported by well-established links with law firms throughout the world.

Penningtons Manches Cooper is a member of Multilaw and the European Law Group, networks with representatives in over 100 countries, and many of our lawyers play leading roles in various international bodies.We believe that our values (we care, stronger as one, curious and grounded, constructively challenging and proactively evolving) are core to our success. For further information about the firm: https://www.penningtonslaw.com/.

The Knowledge Team

The Knowledge Team is a collaborative, vibrant team that forms a conduit between the fee-earning teams and central business to deliver a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement. Their strength and depth are recognised in the legal industry, being finalists in the PSL/Knowledge category of the LexisNexis Legal Awards in 2019 and 2022; runners up at the British Legal Technology Awards in 2021); shortlisted in 2020 for Legal Week's "Future of Legal Services Innovation – Mid-sized Private Practice" award and shortlisted for Knowledge Management (formerly the 'PSL/ Knowledge' category) at the LexisNexis Legal Awards in 2025.

The Knowledge Team comprises specialist knowledge lawyers (up to partner level) as well as central knowledge management professionals providing knowledge and information services, a Learning and Development team, and a Legal Technology & Innovation team which promote the responsible use of AI firmwide.

The team sits within the wider Best Practice Group which includes specialists in risk/compliance, data governance, legal project management, document automation and innovation. Together they work collaboratively with one aim in mind: to make things better. Better for our employees, better for our business, and better for our clients. They identify problems, and solve those problems by engaging with people, processes and technology. They help individuals, teams and the firm achieve strategic goals, maximise operational efficiency, drive innovation, facilitate change and create value from the firm’s knowledge assets.

Dispute Resolution Division (DRD)

This position will involve working closely with the DRD teams and the Knowledge Team to deliver the knowledge and firmwide strategy and support the development of innovative ways in which to better serve our clients and support our fee earners. The DRD consists of:

Commercial Dispute Resolution

Our dispute resolution team deals with a broad cross-section of cases from major cross-border disputes and judicial reviews to advising on the choice of dispute resolution clauses in contracts and mediating to resolve cases. Our clients range from multi-national corporations, regulatory bodies and trade associations to banks and other financial institutions, educational establishments and companies involved in group actions. Further details can be found here.

Marine Trade & Aviation (MTA)

Our global team works closely with marine surveyors, investigators and loss adjusters to provide a comprehensive legal service to clients who range from ship and yacht owners, charterers, underwriters, P&I clubs, commodities end-users and trade associations to port operators, banks and other financial institutions. Recognised as a leader in aviation insurance matters, we have an extensive track record in insurance and re-insurance coverage disputes on high value and complex multi-jurisdictional claims. Further details can be found here and here.

Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence

The Clinical negligence and Personal Injury group is regarded as one of the leading specialist teams in the country. They provide advice in relation to injury or loss suffered as a result of any type of treatment by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, whether in the course of the NHS or private treatment and in relation to accidents both in the UK and abroad and in the workplace, public areas and on the roads. Further details can be found here and here.

Travel

The Travel law team service the travel insurance industry often acting on matters which have an English law aspect but also an international dimension. They regularly represent policyholders who are involved in an accident abroad, both in a claimant and defendant capacity and their clients include high-profile travel insurers, underwriters and Lloyds syndicates. Further details can be found here.

Costs

Our costs team supports our disputes practices across a broad spectrum of legal costs issues, including international arbitration, multi-jurisdictional litigation, Solicitor Act assessments and England and Wales based costs claims. They cover all aspects of legal costs, from initial costs estimating and retainer advice to costs budgeting, advocacy at CCMCs and dealing with security for costs or wasted/non-party costs orders. They advise on Solicitor Act assessments, fixed costs, costs recovery, and detailed assessments, as well as Part 36 and other settlement offers. Further details can be found here.

Responsibilities

We are looking for a Knowledge Paralegal to support the Knowledge Lawyers in the Dispute Resolution teams. The role offers:

the opportunity to gain/utilise both legal and business knowledge

exposure to lawyers and pivotal people within central business teams

a chance to develop key skills such as problem solving, service delivery and project management

a friendly, supportive and welcoming team and firm, great benefits and the opportunity to work in a growing and successful business.

The Knowledge Paralegal will support the implementation of the knowledge strategy and its priorities; they will also assist/support the Knowledge Lawyers in DRD with day to day tasks which will help them to meet their departments’ requirements. They will serve as a point of contact for lawyers and support staff on knowledge matters, respond to enquiries and requests for support.

Duties include

• legal research and assisting Knowledge Lawyers in dealing with legal queries raised by fee earners
• assisting the other members of the team in providing timely updates to each department on legal and market developments
• assisting with the maintenance and development of legal precedents (including the preparation of documents for automation)
• supporting the organisation and delivery of the legal training programmes
• supporting fee earners with e-disclosure projects, and working closely with our service providers and the Legal Tech & Innovation team
• the collection, storage, maintenance and sharing of internal and external legal and market know-how
• the testing of various knowledge/legal technology tools, and assisting with implementation and training
• keeping the intranet up to date – uploading and removing documents, updating links, correcting corrupted titles etc.
• various tasks (conducting business analysis or fact finding) for knowledge projects
• various day to day administrative tasks including training administration and assisting the members of the Knowledge team to maintain the databases of external experts and assist with curating our internal resources
• supporting fee earners with DocuSign queries and sending out envelopes for them.
• taking minutes at team meetings

Essential & Desirable Criteria

This role would be ideal for someone who is bright, energetic, has an eye for detail and a passion for law and business and who is either looking to qualify as a solicitor or considering an alternative career path in the legal tech or knowledge management industry.

Ideally, we are looking for someone with previous experience in dispute resolution and a solid understanding of the various IT platforms used to assist in litigation and case management.

Technical Skills and Experience

Degree qualification, minimum 2:1 (or equivalent) is desirable.

Demonstrable experience within a law firm or professional services firm is desirable.

Excellent oral and written communication skills.

IT literate, confident user of MS Office (including Excel and PowerPoint) and ability to acquire new technical skills.

Ability to research and analyse areas of law and regulation with appropriate supervision.

Previous experience with or genuine interest in using legal technology (ie HighQ, Luminance, Contract Express, Evaluate) is desirable.

Previous experience using Relativity document review software is desirable.

Experience of using AI in the workplace in a responsible manner and an understanding of the risks and limitations AI poses in the legal field.

Behavioural Competencies

Strong attention to detail, and well-developed analytical skills.

Enthusiasm for law and regulation generally within a client-focused professional services environment.

Collaborative team member with a professional, user focussed approach and ability to quickly build trusted relationships with a wide range of people.

Passion for the use of people, process and technology to enhance the delivery of legal services.

Ability to facilitate and support change.

Eager to learn about and champion the use of new technology and processes, including AI.

Keen and resourceful; pro-active and motivated self-starter with excellent organisational skills; flexible, pragmatic and problem-solving approach.

Comfortable working under pressure with the ability to plan and prioritise work and deliver to tight or changing deadlines whilst maintaining excellent attention to detail.

Able to use sound judgment to balance confidence in own judgement and knowing when to refer decisions to knowledge lawyers, fee earners and to central support services.

Client-orientated approach – both internally and externally; ability to think laterally; appreciation of knowledge lawyer and fee earner needs and constraints; commercially aware.

At our firm, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a priority and at the heart of everything we do. We actively want to attract a diverse workforce and welcome applications from everyone, from all backgrounds. We are committed to promoting an inclusive culture where everyone can be their full selves and experience being seen and heard. You can find out more about our firm’s commitment, initiatives and Pennclusion committees here.

We ensure that there are equal opportunities and treatment for all job applicants and employees, at all stages of the recruitment process and employment, regardless of age, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, disability, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and social background. We aim to provide adjustments for people who have a disability, long-term health condition (including mental health) or neurodiversity. If you would like to request an adjustment, please contact [email protected].