Principal Associate - Construction Disputes

We have an exciting opportunity for a Principal Associate to join our Legal 500 Tier 1 Defendant Professional Indemnity team.

The role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Principal Associate (8+ PQE) to join our Legal 500 Tier 1 Professional Indemnity team. Based primarily in London (with consideration for Leeds, Birmingham or Norwich under our hybrid working policy), you will join the growing Construction Insurance team, working alongside Partners Eileen Pathiraja and David Philips as part of our national Insurance Disputes team led by Niall Innes.

The role focuses on defending construction professionals, including architects, engineers, contractors and consultants, on professional indemnity claims. Our client base includes leading insurers, MGAs and Lloyd's syndicates.

The successful candidate will have strong experience in professional indemnity and/or commercial litigation, ideally gained in private practice or with a major insurer/MGA, together with solid experience advising insurers on construction coverage matters and delivering exceptional client service.

The person

Essential:

• 8+ years PQE
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex and high-value professional indemnity claims
• Exceptional communication skills, coupled with strong commercial acumen
• Lateral thinking and problem-solving skills
• Excellent interpersonal and team skills, including ability to work with others, influence and persuade
• An enthusiasm for helping others to grow and develop and being able to supervise work of other fee earners
• Effective time and matter management
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a wider team structure
• Self-starting with the ability to take the initiative and adapt quickly to change
• Strong client relationship and client management skills

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

The benefits

As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits. Click here to find out more about our core benefit offering.

Pre employment screening

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three year employment history and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre-screening employment process are available upon request.

The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We tell them what they need to know when they need to know it.

We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don't offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations. Our 1,450 plus people and over 850 lawyers share one vision - achieving more for clients.

By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that's not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. We're also ranked in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and have been awarded Platinum Investors in People. Our mantra is "Achieve more. Together.", which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase!

Our values are the principles that help us fulfil our purpose. Our people shaped them and live them every day.
• We're ambitious - We aim high, we embrace new ideas and we're passionate about our work
• We're open - We communicate openly and honestly to build trust, and we do what's right
• We care - We're committed to each other, our clients, our communities and the planet
• We collaborate - We're easy to work with, we offer help willingly and we get things done - together

And finally

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these.

To find out more about our diversity and inclusion work, visit our website .

Documents

• PA - Construction Insurance Disputes - London - August 2026.pdf (153.99 KB)
• Information - Our approach to the use of AI within the hiring process at Mills & Reeve(.1).pdf (59.39 KB)