Careers for experienced employment lawyers at Watershed

Redefining the legal workplace

At Watershed, we offer experienced employment lawyers something rare: the chance to practise law at the highest level, free of the rigid hierarchies and politics that burden much of the profession.

We combine complex, meaningful legal work with a genuinely collaborative culture, giving you the autonomy to lead, the flexibility to live, and the support to grow.

Our model is purposefully non-traditional. There are no artificial partner tracks or territorial silos. Instead, you’ll find a flat structure built on trust, where senior lawyers are empowered to manage their own client relationships, diaries, and development.

We do serious work: board-level investigations, large-scale restructurings, advocacy in multi-day tribunal hearings, but we take ourselves less seriously. There are no egos here, just talented people committed to excellent lawyering.

A culture built on trust, not politics

Watershed is a senior team by design and focused by choice. We are an employment firm with deep ties to Collinson Grant, a leading management consultancy.

This partnership gives us privileged access to boardrooms and HR leaders across the UK. It also means our lawyers work on matters that are strategic, sensitive and commercially complex.

Our culture is open and supportive. We work collaboratively, not competitively. There is no work hoarding, no jockeying for promotion, just shared responsibility and collective pride in the calibre of our advice.

We invest in long-term relationships, both with clients and within the team. It shows: our lawyers stay not because they have to, but because they’re fulfilled.

Explore a career at Watershed

Use the links below to learn more about life and opportunities at our firm.

Who we hire

Discover the qualities we look for in experienced employment lawyers, and why we value independence, curiosity, and emotional intelligence over traditional credentials.

Career progression

Understand how our approach to career development avoids outdated models in favour of meaningful growth and recognition, including statutory directorship.

Life at Watershed

What it’s really like to work here. From hybrid working and flexible hours to how we support autonomy and work-life integration.

Career progression

Understand how our approach to career development avoids outdated models in favour of meaningful growth and recognition, including statutory directorship.

Opportunities

Current openings and how to express your interest, whether there’s an advertised role or not.

The work we do

Explore the kinds of matters we handle – from executive terminations and union negotiations to TUPE strategy and tribunal advocacy.

Careers FAQs

Got questions? We’ve answered the most common ones, including what we mean by “consultant”, and how we support both advocacy and non-contentious paths.

Real work. Real clients. Real impact.
No politics. Just great lawyering.
Flexible thinking, not fixed hierarchies.
Big firm quality. Small firm autonomy.