Senior Associate Commercial Disputes Scotland

Live in Scotland, work on national and International cases. A unique opportunity with CMS for an England and Wales Qualified Commercial Disputes Associate.

We are looking for motivated people to join our market‑leading, hugely‑successful disputes team in Scotland, which continues to grow.

Our Edinburgh‑based team advises on a wide variety of international and national disputes, across all the sectors that the Firm specialises in, including TMT, financial services, energy, life sciences and more. The work we do for our clients is at the cutting edge of dispute resolution including class actions and high‑profile instructions for blue‑chip clients. Although this is a Scottish based Team the role is for English law work focussing on High Court litigation and international arbitration.

This team has a proven track record of providing practical and commercial advice to a wide range of clients at all stages of the dispute resolution process – from drafting dispute resolution clauses during pre‑contractual negotiations, through to obtaining emergency injunctions in situations where assets may be at risk, to litigating and arbitrating complex multi‑jurisdictional disputes and enforcing judgments and awards and recovering assets.

You will be expected to provide in‑depth case analysis and briefings for the partners and the team whilst being able to manage substantial disputes under partner supervision. You will work directly with clients. This will include taking instructions and preparing high‑quality and concise party/party correspondence, instructions to Counsel, pleadings and other court and arbitration documents as required. You will also be able to support the partners with business development opportunities and are encouraged to take the initiative in developing your own and the team’s client relationships and market profile.

We will invest in your ongoing training and development to support your professional goals and help you to thrive in your role from day one. Our opportunities are open to all suitably qualified applicants, so to be considered for this role, you must meet the following skills and experience:

• Well‑developed understanding of litigation, arbitration and ADR procedures with the ability to translate legal theory into practical commercial advice.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Solid experience within a comparable firm recognised for general disputes work and the ability to handle clients in major blue‑chip companies.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team environment and support not only the development of the practice but also the team’s culture and values.
• England and Wales qualified and 4 PQE+.
• Scotland qualified is beneficial but not expected.

We want to reward you today and help you plan for tomorrow. We appreciate that everyone is different, therefore we have designed a benefits system that offers choice and flexibility based on individual needs and lifestyles. To name a few, these include:

• Competitive basic salary (reviewed annually)
• Flexible, hybrid working policy
• Generous bonus scheme
• Up to 25 days holiday (rising to 28 days with service)
• Holiday exchange scheme
• Private medical insurance
• Enhanced parental leave
• Reasonable adjustments and accommodation for disabled talent in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

If you would like to read more information regarding our range of benefits, please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Please note that we have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.