Our latest brief is below. If you’d like to discuss it, please get in touch.

JURIT LLP – CORPORATE/COMMERCIAL PARTNER

ABOUT US

Since our foundation in 2013, Jurit has operated as a gold standard virtual law firm. We are made up of over 30 professionals with 6 equity partners and a broader legal team made up of former in-house counsel and senior, experienced lawyers from an array of Top 20 City practices.

We all share common ambitions and values, and a focus on delivering expert insight and outstanding client service but with an appreciation that work is just one aspect of life. Our practice provides City of London levels of service with clients and networks across the globe.

We offer expertise in the following practice areas:

  • Commercial
  • Corporate and M&A
  • Dispute Resolution & Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Employee Ownership Trusts
  • Employment
  • Environment
  • Intellectual Property
  • International Trade and Investment
  • Privacy and Data Protection
  • Tax and Incentives
  • Technology and Innovation

We also offer In-house Counsel services through our Jurit GC arm.

All our people are based at home (or anywhere we choose) meaning the “new normal” of the COVID-19 commercial world has been very much business as usual for us, having worked in this way from day one. Our systems, our client management, our support, everything we do – it is all founded on virtual working.

We have an entrepreneurial approach to the delivery of legal services meaning we are personally invested in our clients’ success – a powerful combination which presents a compelling legal alternative.

A MODEL FOR OUR TIMES

Even before the pandemic, the world of work was changing – and there are few sectors where that change is more prevalent than legal services. The lockdown has caused many lawyers to re-think their approach to work and working life, appreciating perhaps for the first time the possibilities of working away from the office.

Clients’ businesses are changing too.  Some have been directly affected by the ravaging effects of COVID-19, others have been caught up in the aftermath of economic damage.  Many of our clients have had to change the way that they do business or, more fundamentally, what they do and increasingly value advisers who are nimble, flexible and embrace change.

We might have a virtual model, but we are very much wedded to the old school values of teamwork and excellence. Everyone in the firm is an experienced and senior professional, whether a partner or consultant.

We have team members with long careers in private practice with firms such as Slaughter and May, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hogan Lovells, Dentons, DLA Piper, Arnold & Porter, Ashurst, Norton Rose, Clyde & Co and Reed Smith, colleagues who have worked in some of the most exacting in-house roles in Europe with giant multinationals such as IBM, and a support team that’s second to none.

THE ROLE

We are looking to grow because we know that success breeds success. In particular, we are now looking to bring on board a corporate/commercial partner to join the equity partnership bringing with them quality, personality, drive and ambition.  We want to be joined by people who are attracted by the freedom that we can offer and enjoy building their own practice without a managing partner constantly breathing down your neck!

We are very open-minded about a candidate’s profile but in all likelihood you will now be operating as a partner with a respected commercial law firm. You should be bright and ambitious but with a sense of perspective on your work/life balance and a genuine appreciation of collaborative working.

Given the nature of our compensation model, your own client base and workflow is essential. However, we are not seeking multi-million-pound books of business and would be very interested in discussion if you have a practice billing over £200,000 a year and a business plan focused on achievable incremental growth.

WORKING LIFE AT JURIT

Flexibility

Not one of the team works in the same way.  We all enjoy the flexibility of our working model and how individual needs can be accommodated.  What really matters though, is that whilst we are all professionals who understand our obligations to our clients, we equally have other things in our lives and it is our job, and ours alone (albeit with the support of the rest of the Jurit team), to get that balance right. This is reflected in there being no minimum hourly rate or billing model – you know your client and your market best so it is up to you to work out the best approach.

Working where we need to

Most of us work from home, most of the time.  However, we have easy access to an outstanding suite of City meeting rooms at Bank and hold our regular team meetings nearby, just round the corner from Barbican tube.

Key to us being effective in our work is our investment in our IT infrastructure.  All of our key systems are in the cloud and are simple and straightforward to use.

Team spirit

Our virtual ways of working have meant that we have thought long and hard about making sure we have a strong focus on our culture and teamwork.  We have been Zoom afficionados for years!

We know, though, that meeting face-to-face matters. As well as monthly partners’ meetings, we get as many of us together as we can every six weeks for our Round Table Meeting.  This is a chance for us all to catch up, to discuss our plans for growth and learn a little more about each others’ skills and market knowledge. And of course, we always make sure that there is time for socialising (something to eat and, it has been known, the odd drink). We are resolute in our view that we do better work together when we know each other better.

REMUNERATION

We have endeavoured to make our compensation structure as simple as possible.

In the first year of partnership, our partners will receive 70% of their personal collections; from year two onwards that percentage increases to 80% – the remainder being used to finance the operating costs of the business. 

For work originated by a partner but referred to another member of the firm, there is a fee allocation to that partner of 20% of the income received.

For work that is overseen by a partner but conducted solely by a consultant (where the partner is the named partner responsible) there is a fee allocation to the partner of 10% of income received. 

In cases where there is a team collaboration involving different practice areas, fee allocations can vary and are usually agreed upfront between team members.

At year end, any agreed profit distribution is allocated using Profit Share Units (PSUs), as below. The firm is profitable but, given the income distribution model outlined above, tends to operate without huge reserves.

New partners make a capital contribution of £5k to enter the equity structure. This can be made in equal instalments over the first 10 months of joining the firm. Over time there will be a requirement for a further £5k capital contribution which again will be payable over a 10-month period.

 

 

Year 1 – Fee Ratio

Year 2 – Fee Ratio

PSUs

Capital

Partner

70:30

80:20

1

£5k

 

Partners may wish to bring some or all their existing team members with them.  We would be happy to discuss how the above financial and other arrangements might operate in that situation.

SUPPORT

Our practical support for partners is something that we are proud of and in which we continue to invest. Our business support team works hard to ensure that the firm has the best possible admin, finance, compliance, business development and people support.

We spend time with each new partner to agree what will work best for them, both in terms of their integration into the firm and the on-going support they will need.  Our ethos is to provide effective, bespoke solutions for each individual partner – the last thing we want Jurit to be is a machine. 

Every new partner has the engaged support of our experienced practice management, people and business development leaders. This on-going support includes:

Practice management

  • Professional practice management support for each partner
  • Case and practice management software, including file sharing (OneDrive)
  • Money laundering and other compliance support
  • PI insurance
  • Practising certificate renewal
  • Secretarial and admin support
  • Technology support

Client financial management

  • Straightforward billing software
  • Support on all aspects of billing, credit control and financial reporting

Client and business development

  • Expert one-to-one marketing support in planning new business activity
  • Regular client communication content for each partner
  • Six weekly meetings focused on new business
  • Social media and website support
  • Professional support on new business bids and tenders
  • First class client meeting facilities, opposite the Bank of England

 COHESIVE CULTURE

 We are conscious that in ‘conventional firms’ the workplace is more than simply a place for work.  Jurit is no different in that respect – we just have to be a little more inventive about creating those opportunities to spend time with our colleagues in the firm!

Our round table meeting takes place, in London, every six weeks.  We know that not everyone can come to each meeting, but we encourage people to be there as often as they can.  We alternate between late morning and mid-afternoon meetings, allowing each meeting to end either with a catch up over lunch or over a drink.

We have a working group approach to managing our business and encourage each partner to be a member of one of these.  As well as supporting the firm in key areas of our work (IT, people, business development, risk and compliance and finance), the informal online meetings are a great way of getting to know colleagues better, through working on live projects.

As you might expect, we have a monthly partners’ meeting which gives partners an opportunity to make key decisions about our business and, as importantly, to work on collaborative initiatives to grow our business.  These are supplemented by six monthly awaydays that give us an opportunity to review and update our strategy and the supporting plans.

Beyond that, we are always looking for other opportunities to build strong and effective relationships between us.  A key event in our calendar is our annual Christmas party where everyone in the firm (and, if they want, their partners) gets the chance to meet up for the evening and enjoy relaxing in each other’s company.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Hopefully you have liked what we have had to say about Jurit so far.

The best way to take things forward is to contact Bryn Bowden, our retained consultant, for an introductory chat. He can be reached on 07798 681715 or by email at bryn@brynbowden.com

After that, we will fix up a meeting with one or two of our team.  That will give you the chance to ask any questions you have about the firm and how we work.  It will also allow us to understand your practice and how it might fit into Jurit.

Assuming we both want to go to the next stage, we will ask you to produce a simple business plan – we find this a really useful way of identifying how we will best work together and how others in the firm can support you. We will then put a proposal to our partnership and, finally, let you have a partners’ agreement.