Senior Developer - Lawtech

We are recruiting a Senior Developer to join our Lawtech department.

About Macfarlanes

Macfarlanes is a pre-eminent law firm that serves a global client base in private capital, private wealth, M&A and disputes. Personal connection, an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to excellence are at the heart of our firm. These values drive our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.

We are big enough to undertake the most complex and demanding mandates yet small enough to know each other well and to be agile, adapting to the needs of our clients. We seek to strengthen the firm by recruiting talented people from all backgrounds who want to build long-lasting and impactful careers with us. Our culture is challenging and supportive, creating an environment where individuals can thrive.

What this means for you

Joining Macfarlanes mean being part of a collaborative, approachable team who want you to succeed. You’ll be encouraged to get involved and recognised for your contribution.

We take your development seriously. Our learning and development programmes are second to none and are designed to help you strengthen your skills.

Above all, you’ll be part of a firm where we all work together as part of a cohesive and supportive team, value your efforts and help you to thrive.

Department overview

Emerging legal technologies, new tools and alternative approaches are driving significant change within the legal profession. They are changing the way we do our work, how we deliver services to our clients and the range of services we offer to our clients. They offer us ways to do what we do more effectively and to enhance client service, as well as the opportunity to offer exciting new services to our clients which are enabled by those technologies, tools and alternative approaches. 

Our Lawtech department is at the forefront of how we, as a firm, respond to this evolution and how we embrace those technologies, tools and alternative approaches for the maximum benefit of our clients and teams alike. The department consists of 18 individuals. We recognise that fusing legal and technological expertise seamlessly can help our clients solve their most challenging business problems in more innovative, more sophisticated and more technologically advanced ways. By bringing together people, process and technology, we help ensure the firm is able to achieve excellence in all aspects of legal practice and client service. This is the team where technology meets law to create transformative solutions. We leverage cutting-edge tools and frameworks to deliver smarter, faster, and more efficient legal services.

The role and background

We are looking for a Senior Developer with strong expertise in JavaScript technologies and exposure to .NET development to design and build innovative applications for Macfarlanes staff and clients. This role goes beyond coding - you will provide oversight and review for new projects as well as evaluate current development practices within the team and establish industry-standard best practices and technology stack for future projects. Your expertise will help shape the technical direction of our legal innovation initiatives. You will also supervise the work of junior developers (currently two) in the team and be responsible for their training and professional development, as well as working closely with other innovation professionals within the Lawtech team and business stakeholders at all levels.

Key responsibilities:

• assess existing coding techniques and recommend improvements aligned with industry standards and best practices;
• define and implement the optimal technology stack for future development projects;
• develop and maintain web applications using JavaScript frameworks (Node.js, React, and others);
• build responsive, accessible interfaces with HTML5, CSS3, and modern styling libraries;
• work with XML and JSON for data exchange and integration across systems;
• implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines, source control (Azure DevOps preferred), and automated testing;
• integrate with APIs and third-party services using RESTful APIs, JSON, and XML-based protocols;
• develop and maintain components using .NET technologies such as C# and ASP.NET where required;
• establish and support the infrastructure required for multiple application deployment environments;
• collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative legal tech solutions;
• ensure code quality, scalability, and security across all projects;
• provide supervision, training and support to junior developers, upskilling where necessary and supporting their professional development;
• has excellent communication skills for effective collaboration with technical and non-technical stakeholders;
• possess strong problem-solving abilities and a proactive approach to challenges; and 
• ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.

This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive. It is anticipated that duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the team.

The candidate

The successful candidate will ideally possess the following:

• strong proficiency in JavaScript and frameworks such as Node.js and React;
• strong knowledge of Express and Axios;
• solid understanding of HTML5, CSS3, and responsive design principles;
• hands-on experience with XML for data handling and integration;
• experience or capability with Microsoft Azure AI services, AWS, GCP or other cloud-based AI services;
• experience with CI/CD processes and source control systems (Azure DevOps preferred);
• familiarity with RESTful APIs, JSON, and integration techniques;
• knowledge of software development best practices, including testing and code reviews;
• experience supervising and training junior developers; and
• exposure to .NET technologies (C#, ASP.NET) is highly desirable.

Desirable

• experience with TypeScript, Next.js, or other modern JavaScript frameworks;
• experience working on .NET platform and C# programming language;
• any core experience in ML platform libraries (e.g. TensorFlow);
• previous experience in a law firm or legal technology environment;
• exposure to Harvey AI and HighQ Collaborate platforms;
• understanding of cloud platforms (Azure preferred) and containerisation (Docker/Kubernetes);
• familiarity with AI programming techniques, such as Azure AI SDK, OpenAI APIs, or similar;
• understanding of responsible AI principles, including transparency, auditability, and risk mitigation;
• ability to evaluate AI outputs for reliability; and
• exposure to database programming, such as T-SQL or other relational database technologies.

Application screening

Any offer of employment with us is subject to our pre-employment checks which are conducted by a third-party screening provider. These may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, any criminal records and employment references. These checks will be initiated with your consent and your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks. 

Our commitment to inclusion

Inclusion is one of our key priorities and it is a goal we are actively working towards. We believe that an inclusive, forward-thinking culture is intrinsically important and enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work. We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

As part of this commitment, we will ask you certain diversity data questions. We would really appreciate you and/or your recruiter completing these questions when submitting an application to Macfarlanes as this data enables us to measure our progress and identify any actions needed to continue to support an inclusive culture. This data is anonymised to maintain the privacy of applicants. If you have any questions relating to how this data is used, please contact a member of the recruitment team.

Should you require any adjustments during the application and/or interview process, please do not hesitate to inform your recruiter or a member of the recruitment team. Please note, the job description is available in other accessible formats (for example, large print).

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, please email the recruitment team at [email protected].