Legal Practice Lead, Civil Litigation

About Lawhive

We’re on a mission to make sure everyone has access to the law.
Lawhive is an online platform for consumers and small businesses to get legal help for a fraction of the cost of a law firm. Our platform combines regulated human lawyers collaborating alongside the world’s first AI lawyer, specifically built for consumer legal work.
Equal access to the law is one of the biggest and most pressing unsolved problems in society today. We’re passionate about leveling the playing field and believe access to the law should be a basic utility in society.
Our AI lawyer Lawrence is built on top of our own fine tuned LLM and recently passed the UK’s bar exam equivalent.
We’re backed by some of the top US and UK VC funds including Google Ventures, Balderton Capital and TQ Ventures. We recently secured a $40M Series A funding round to facilitate international expansion and to grow our team, representing one of the five largest Series A rounds in Europe for 2024.

About the Role:

In this newly created and highly practical role, our Legal Practice Lead – Civil Litigation will take operational responsibility for supervising Lawhive’s internal civil litigation team and driving delivery excellence across a growing caseload of fixed-fee civil litigation work.

You will be the primary go-to person for general supervision and oversight, escalation management, lawyer support, and legal quality assurance across a range of matter types— including landlord & tenant disputes, consumer claims, money claims (small, fast and multi-track), case assessments and property-related disputes. While deep subject-matter expertise in all areas isn't essential, strong civil litigation experience, excellent judgment, and a collaborative, solutions-focused mindset are.

You will lead by example, mentoring lawyers and supporting with coordination of paralegals supporting lead lawyers, ensuring team performance, reviewing complex files, providing training as and when required and ensuring that legal work meets our high standards for quality, compliance, and client care. This is a role for a proven legal leader who enjoys getting into the details, has a strong foundation in litigation practice, and is motivated to contribute directly to Lawhive’s mission of making legal help more accessible through technology.

What You'll Do:

• Lead and support a team of civil litigation lawyers and paralegals handling a range of consumer-facing legal issues

• Oversee day-to-day supervision, conduct file reviews, and ensure quality and consistency across all legal outputs

• Act as the primary escalation point for legal queries and related blockers, client issues, and risk-based reviews

• Offer strategic insight and advice around case approach and positioning

• Provide hands-on support for drafting, reviewing, and approving key legal documents such as pleadings, defences, witness statements, expert instructions, and settlement agreements

• Help manage and de-escalate client complaints

• Ensure team adherence to Civil Procedure Rules, pre-action protocols, and internal legal standards

• Coach, mentor, and drive performance within the team, helping lawyers meet individual and team KPIs

• Collaborate with Legal Operations, Customer Support, and Product teams to identify friction points and co-develop improved processes and templates

• Deliver internal training and upskilling, supporting the development of junior team members and helping build internal legal capability

• Contribute to scaling initiatives, process improvements, and playbook development as Lawhive grows

Requirements:

• Qualified Solicitor (or equivalent) in England & Wales with strong civil litigation experience (ideally 6+ years PQE)

• Prior experience supervising or managing a team of lawyers or legal professionals, ideally in a volume or high-throughput environment

• Strong grounding in general civil litigation processes, CPR, and consumer-focused disputes (formal specialism not required)

• Ability to work collaboratively / inter-departementally to support wider business initiatives and projects

• Excellent file management, drafting, and risk-spotting abilities

• Comfortable working with challenging or vulnerable clients, with a compassionate and client-first approach

• Strong communicator with a practical and solutions-driven mindset

• Demonstrated ability to work independently, lead from the front, and make sound legal and operational decisions

• Comfortable with metrics-driven performance environments and meeting service KPIs

• Highly adaptable and motivated by the opportunity to grow and evolve within a fast-paced Series A legal tech startup

Nice to Have:

• Experience working in a legal tech, alternative legal services provider, or other startup context

• Exposure to fixed-fee, consumer, or automated legal delivery models

• Strong stakeholder management

• Comfortable with basic use of technology tools and platforms (CRMs, case management systems, document automation)

What We're Looking For:

You’re a doer, not just a strategist. You’ve led legal teams (formally or informally), earned trust through excellent legal work, and are now ready for a role where you can shape and grow a legal function from the inside. You have the structure and judgment of a senior practitioner, but you still enjoy working closely with the legal detail, the lawyers, and the clients. You’ll thrive here if you’re driven, flexible, and excited to be part of building something different.

Benefits

✈️ 34 Holidays (25 days annual leave + your birthday off + bank hols in England)

💰 Equity (Share Options)

💰 Pension

⛳️ Regular team building activities and socials!

💷 20% off legal fees through Lawhive