DMH Stallard provides a comprehensive range of commercial, dispute resolution and litigation, employment, cyber security and cyber-crime, corporate, intellectual property, real estate and technology, media and telecoms advice to both businesses and individuals. Our clients, our people and our professional networks are the keys to our success.. With offices in London and across the region, including Brighton, Gatwick, Guildford, Horsham, and Hassocks - we’re proud to have grown to around 400 people.

Culture really matters to us. In our most recent staff survey, 99.6% of our people said DMH is a great place to work, with 90% feeling they have a strong work-life balance, and 93.9% expressing confidence in the leadership team.

We’re committed to building a genuinely inclusive and supportive workplace. Our Women in Law group meets quarterly, and we’re actively working toward gender balance at all levels. We already exceed the industry average, with 40% of our partners being women compared to the sector average at 29%.

We actively invest in learning and development at all career stages. Our mentoring programme is available to all partners, and we are preparing to launch an internal mentoring programme to support progression right up to partnership. We also recognise that work-life balance is essential to long-term success and wellbeing, and we promote hybrid working arrangements to help our people perform at their best inside and outside of work.

We’re also especially proud to achieve gold accreditation from Investors in People, which reflects our strong commitment to people development and leadership.

The Dispute Resolution team handles a broad range of contentious matters, including contractual disputes, shareholder and partner disputes, professional negligence claims, construction-related litigation, regulatory and compliance matters, and other civil and commercial contentious proceedings. The team advises corporate and individual clients, owner-managed businesses and other organisations across a range of sectors on contentious matters and risk management strategies. The team provides commercially focused advice across all stages of the dispute resolution process, including pre-action correspondence, negotiation, mediation, adjudication, arbitration and court proceedings at all levels.

The successful candidate will play a key role in developing the Guildford Dispute Resolution practice alongside other Partners, Associates and Solicitors, and in driving the growth of the wider Dispute Resolution group. The Guildford team consists of 2 Partners, Associate, Trainee Solicitor and Secretary.

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and entrepreneurial Partner to join our highly regarded Dispute Resolution department. You’ll play a key role in shaping the future of the team and driving its strategic direction, developing client relationships, and contributing to the continued growth of one of the firm’s flagship practice areas.

It goes without saying that you’ll be a strong technical lawyer, but it’s also really important to us that you’re the kind of person who leads with integrity, builds others up, and helps maintain our culture of speaking up about problems or mistakes, and working collaboratively to resolve issues rather than attributing blame.

Role and Responsibilities

• Working with the Group Head to assist with the growth of the Dispute Resolution team, setting the strategic direction in line with the firm’s wider business plan and promoting the vision and strategy of the firm
• Driving business development activity and generating new client opportunities, developing referrer relationships, networking effectively within the local and regional business community, and raising the profile of the team in target markets
• Managing and developing key client relationships, acting as a trusted advisor on complex and high-value disputes, and ensuring the highest standards of client care so that clients return and recommend the firm to others
• Supervising, mentoring and developing fee earners, supporting their technical growth and career progression, and sharing knowledge and experience through informal coaching and formal training
• Taking responsibility for your own caseload with agreed fee targets, monitoring financial performance including fees, contribution, billing and time recording, and ensuring proper pricing and scoping of all matters
• Contributing to firm-wide initiatives, identifying cross-selling opportunities across the firm’s wider services, and attending relevant meetings and conferences to support strategic and commercial initiatives
• Maintaining the highest standards of client care, technical excellence and risk management, including compliance with the firm’s Money Laundering and FSMA Policies and Procedures
• Representing DMH Stallard externally i.e. leading seminars, speaking at conferences, attending business development events and building your reputation as a leader in your field

Who Are We Looking For?

We’re looking for a senior dispute resolution lawyer who is ready to take the next step in their career, or an established Partner looking for a platform that will genuinely support their ambitions. You’ll be commercially minded, collaborative, and motivated by building something and not just maintaining it.

Essential

• Qualified solicitor with solid experience of commercial dispute resolution work
• Proven track record of managing complex, high-value and multi-party litigation from inception through to trial and enforcement, including interim applications and remedies
• An established client base, or demonstrable ability to generate a personal following
• Strong commercial acumen with a pragmatic approach to advice and negotiations, and a clear understanding of clients’ commercial drivers and risk appetite
• Demonstrable business development capability with a well-developed network of professional and business contacts and the ability to leverage relationships to generate new instructions and referrals
• Leadership experience, including the ability to lead and delegate tasks, supervise team members, and support their performance management
• Excellent technical knowledge and the ability to draft documentation with attention to detail, provide legal advice to a high standard, and coach others through technical drafting
• A collaborative, team-oriented approach with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to engage credibly with clients, contacts and colleagues at all levels

Desirable

• A developed specialism in commercial dispute resolution
• Existing partner-level network across the South East, with strong ties to the local and regional business community
• Experience of management or leadership roles within a previous firm, including understanding of firm strategy and vision
• Experience of advising on regulatory, compliance and enforcement matters giving rise to contentious proceedings
• Recognition in Chambers and/or Legal 500

Team Awards and Recognition

Our dispute resolution team has built a strong track record of helping clients protect their interests, their reputations, and their bottom line. We are commercially minded and solution oriented, and we start every matter the same way – by understanding what you want to achieve, and working out the smartest, most cost-effective way to get there.

Investment in IT and AI

We have invested significantly in modern IT systems and were one of the first mid-market firms to introduce AI tools to enhance legal delivery, streamline processes, and support productivity. We continue to invest in technology that helps our lawyers do their best work - freeing up time for the higher-value, judgement-led activity our clients value most.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. Our Women in Law group meets quarterly to support and champion the progression of women across the firm. We are particularly proud that 40% of our partners are women, compared to a sector average of 29%.

We have recently launched our PRISM group (which stands for Pride, Respect & Inclusion, across the Spectrum and More). It’s part of the firm’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion strategy and provides a dedicated space for LGBTQIA+ colleagues and allies to come together, share experiences, and help shape a more inclusive workplace for everyone. PRISM was launched to recognise that inclusion is not just about policy — it is about actions & how people feel at work, day to day.

We believe that fostering an inclusive culture enhances mental well-being by allowing people to be themselves at work, improves talent retention, and drives innovation. We also want to ensure that those in our LGBTQIA+ community feel fairly supported, fully visible, and confident that they can be open without fear of judgement or negative consequences. It also provides an opportunity to celebrate the firm’s safe and supportive environment, whilst identifying ways we can do even more.

We are expecting to expand our employee representative groups over the coming months, into other areas which are meaningful to our people, and will aid our continuous support and development of diversity and inclusion in our workplaces.

Learning, Development and Hybrid Working

We invest in our people at every stage of their career. A mentoring programme is available to all partners, and we are preparing to launch a new internal mentoring programme to support progression up to partnership. We achieved 100% trainee retention as NQs in both 2024 and 2025, and we offer flexible hybrid working arrangements that support both individual and team performance.

We hold Gold accreditation from Investors in People - a recognition that reflects our long-term commitment to the development, wellbeing and engagement of every member of our team.

If this opportunity sounds like the right next step for you, we’d love to hear from you.