DACB Reconnect (Career Returners)
- Hiring from
- United Kingdom
- Work type
- Hybrid
- Posted
615,757 remote jobs, straight from company career pages
100% free · New jobs every minute
Show job descriptionHide job description
Reconnect Talent Pool – Return to Law with DAC Beachcroft
Are you a qualified lawyer ready to return to practice after two or more years away? Whether you stepped back to raise a family, care for someone, run a business or follow a different path, Reconnect is your supported route back into the law.
For more than 260 years, DAC Beachcroft has been one of the UK's leading law firms. Today we are Chambers UK National Law Firm of the Year 2025, with more than 3,000 colleagues worldwide. We are trusted by nearly all of the top-20 UK and global insurers, more than half of NHS hospitals in England and all of the UK's top-five housebuilders.
We launched Reconnect in October 2020. It is the only in-house returner programme of its kind in the legal market, and it won Most Innovative HR Initiative at the People in Law Awards 2021. Our returners have gone on to build permanent careers with us.
Rather than advertising every returner opportunity separately, we hold a Reconnect Talent Pool. Join it once, and we come to you first when a role opens that matches your experience and interests.
What Reconnect Give You
Successful candidates join us on a six-month paid returnship, doing real client work in an established team. It is a chance to rebuild your confidence and refresh your skills at a pace that suits you – and to "try before you buy".
- A six-month paid placement in one of our legal teams, on live client matters.
- Specialist coaching from Career Returners, the return-to-work experts, through four structured sessions tailored to returning professionals.
- A Reconnect mentor, drawn from our alumni who have made the same journey.
- A team buddy for day-to-day questions, separate from your line manager.
- A prepared line manager, briefed by Career Returners on how best to support your return.
You will not be expected to return at full pace on day one. At the end of the six months, we review your experience, development and goals together. Where there is a mutual fit, the aim is a permanent role with DAC Beachcroft.
Where you could return
We are a broad-based commercial firm with a strong heritage in insurance, health and real estate. Reconnect roles can arise in any of our fee-earning teams, with offices including Bristol, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Southampton.
Returners have thrived in teams such as:
- Clinical Risk: defending clinical negligence claims for the NHS.
- Healthcare & Public Law: advising health and public sector bodies, including advocacy-led work.
- Professional & Commercial Risk: professional indemnity and commercial claims for insurers.
- Real Estate: property and construction work, alongside a Chambers Band 1 construction practice.
When you apply, tell us which practice areas match your experience and interests. Our recruitment team will talk you through the options as opportunities open.
A life that works
DAC Beachcroft has an open, friendly and supportive culture. We help colleagues be their best at work, while recognising they have interests and commitments outside it.
Through our Flex Forward approach, where your work is agreed between you and your line manager, based on the needs of your role. You can also "glide" your hours across the week – to fit in the school run, a gym session or walking the dog. It is how we help every colleague create A Life That Works, while delivering for our clients.
Who we're looking for
Reconnect is for qualified lawyers who have been away from legal practice for two years or more. There is no upper limit on the length of your break – one of our alumni returned after 15 years. You may have worked part-time, freelance or outside the law in the meantime, or not worked at all. Both are fine.
Essential
- A legal qualification (solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive), with prior experience in practice
- A break from legal practice of two years or more
- A genuine interest in returning to a commercial law firm environment
- Sound judgement, strong written communication and confidence dealing with clients
- Good IT skills, including Microsoft Outlook, and a willingness to learn new systems
Desirable
- Previous experience in a employment, insurance, health or real estate practice
Process & selection
- Apply to the talent pool. Submit your CV and a short personal summary. We are interested in your whole story: your previous experience, what you've done during your break, and the work you want to do next.
- Application review. We review every application. Places in the pool are limited, and we will let you know whether you have been accepted.
- We contact you. Once you are in the pool, our recruitment team will get in touch when a relevant opportunity opens. This may not be straight away, but we will keep in touch.
- Initial conversation. A video or phone call about your experience, your goals and the programme. It is a two-way conversation, so bring your questions.
- Hiring panel. An interview with the team, usually led by a partner.
- Your returnship begins. You start your six-month placement with coaching, a mentor and a buddy in place.
Already seen a live DAC Beachcroft vacancy that suits you? Apply directly and state in your application that you are a Reconnect returner.
Our commitment to you
At DAC Beachcroft, we don't just accept your differences – we celebrate them. We are committed to attracting, retaining and developing people from diverse backgrounds, with a range of life experiences and perspectives. Your career break is part of that experience, not a gap to explain away. So if you're good at what you do, come as you are.
As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need adjustments at any stage, please contact recruitment@dacbeachcroft.com in confidence. All applications are handled in the strictest confidence.
