Head of Employee Share Incentives

Harper James Solicitors is a growing, ambitious commercial law firm like no other. We are recruiting a Head of Employee Share Incentives to play an important part in the growth of the practice area and to lead our team.

Who we are

Harper James is designed specifically to support entrepreneurial businesses from start-up to scale-up and beyond.

Toby Harper, its founder and CEO, previously worked in-house for a well-known venture capital firm. During his time there, he saw first-hand the barriers growth businesses faced in accessing quality legal advice, and decided something needed to be done.

Harper James aspires to disrupt the model for which legal services are provided to businesses. The Netflix of the legal world, the firm’s innovative approach to delivering highly tailored and accessible legal advice is considered genuinely different to the establishment.

Harper James is in its 7th year and hitting a £6m turnover. We have plans to triple this income by 2025. Getting in the right talent to support our growth is a key part of our strategy.

What we offer

Lawyers would usually work remotely but have access to meeting space in Birmingham, Cambridge, London, Manchester, Oxford and Sheffield.

We work really hard to ensure our lawyers still feel part of a team so they can collaborate, share ideas and enjoy each other’s company. The remote set up allows people to work from wherever they want, to give people the flexibility they need, for whatever reason. But, we want people to feel that they belong to an ambitious company and that their contribution towards our growth is recognized individually and as a team.

What does the ideal candidate look like?

This opportunity is suited to a senior employee incentives lawyer that has a proven track record building and managing a team of busy lawyers with diverse skillsets and experience as well advising on the commercial and practical issues related to the structure and design, implementation and operation of reward structures, employee equity and cash incentive plans.

Key responsibilities

Growth focus

• Work with the management board to create a 12 month plan for growing the practice, reviewed quarterly. 
• Take accountability for growth targets and how to get there – continually assessing the areas you need support and ensuring you get it.
• Feed ideas and information to business development and marketing team.
• Coordinate business development plan within Employee Incentives team.
• Represent the department in firm pitches and wider firm marketing.
• Ultimately, creating the strategic vision for growing the practice and leading on the implementation. Championing the practice area inside and outside the business.

People management: Employed Staff

• Identify recruitment needs early and overall responsibility for recruitment and selection.
• Responsible for overseeing the support structure for dedicated legal assistant(s) in the team and/or trainee(s).
• Responsible for annual appraisals and performance managing team. The employed team need to be fully utilised and this needs to be reflected in their chargeable time or by supporting marketing and business development. 

People management: Self-Employed Staff

• Establish, implement and lead a clear route to support.  The self- employed team need to be getting as much work as they need/want and where chargeable work isn’t available offered the opportunity to support marketing and business development efforts.

People management: all

• Oversee the scalable allocation of work to the right people.
• Overall responsibility and accountability for team’s use of systems and compliance with policy and procedures.
• Manages holiday absence cover and support.
• Build relations within the team as it grows in size.
• Identify individual expertise and publicise this within wider firm.
• Facilitate knowledge share, know-how and training.

Maintain quality and delivery

• Monitor client feedback.
• Performance management.
• Match client needs and approach to individual lawyers.
• Your team must achieve an average satisfaction level across all matters, measured and reported monthly.
• Growth is our aim, we need to maintain capacity and so clients should never be left waiting. This in turn will maintain consistently high satisfaction levels. 

The bottom line

• This is an opportunity to play a significant part in the growth of the practice area and the business.
• No client following is required. We care about experience, expertise and commitment to our clients.
• An environment with no politics, no bureaucracy and a great team of people who all play a fundamental part in the success and continued growth of the business.
• Remuneration structures, pension, holiday and healthcare equivalent to much of UK top 100 firms.