Legal Counsel/IT Lawyer/Solicitor

PRIMARY EXPERIENCE SHOULD BE IN THE IT/COMMERCIAL AREA

ROLE PURPOSE:

To support the business through the delivery of an excellent legal service, to include the timely provision of wide-ranging and legal expertise and accurate, pragmatic, business-friendly advice and solutions. Assisting various teams throughout the business, to include advising on commercial, policy, trustee, employment, property, contracts, pensions and procurement matters.

Working within the Legal & Compliance team and reporting to the Head of Legal, you will be the primary contact for colleagues seeking legal assistance. You will possess sound technical knowledge and commercial acumen with the ability to build strong and effective relationships with your internal/external customers and team members, together with excellent time-management skills.

This will be a challenging and stretching in-house role which demands a combination of excellent technical expertise, good legal interpretation skills and sound commercial judgment. Advice and input will be required to be given across a broad range of areas and the individual needs to have the ability to balance competing priorities, as well as the ability to influence effectively and inspire confidence and respect at all levels of the organisation.

PRIMARY CUSTOMERS/STAKEHOLDERS:

INTERNAL

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General Counsel
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Executive Directors and Senior Management Team and their representatives
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Organisational Development, Procurement and Finance functions

EXTERNAL

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Suppliers and Contractors
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Delivery Partners
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Higher Education Institutions

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

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A lawyer with circa 5-7 years PQE, and ideally, you will have worked in-house and have wide ranging commercial experience
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Some experience of dispute management, employment and property law would be particularly advantageous, together with some experience of the public sector and charities
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Very strong technical skills and good attention to detail are essential to be viewed as a safe pair of hands and a valued business partner
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Taking ownership of and accountability for the legal affairs of the business that the role supports
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Also key to this role is a positive, proactive attitude - you will be a solutions driven, dynamic lawyer with a creative flare and excellent people skills to build and maintain strong and effective relationships with customers and other team members
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Contract management and procurement experience
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Development and implementation of compliance initiatives that may include without limitation: competition law, data protection, safeguarding children/DBS compliance and FOI
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Experience of working in a constantly changing environment
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Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
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Risk management, issue resolution and contingency planning
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Experience of producing and giving presentations to a variety of audiences
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Strong negotiation skills and experience of third-party supplier contracts
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Knowledge of appropriate IT applications including MS Project

SUBJECT TO THE EXISTING SKILL SET AND EXPERIENCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL, SPECIFIC TOPICS AND TASKS ARE LIKELY TO INCLUDE:

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Compliance
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Contracts
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ITC/IP
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Financial authorities
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Non-financial authorities