Legal Counsel

An exciting and forward thinking charity are looking for a Commercial Legal Counsel to join their business. This is an innovative business which looks to carry out research for social good. They cross the full spectrum of organisations from public sector through to the creative industries, all from their central London base overlooking the Thames.

Due to an increase in the team's workload as a result of organisational growth and a number of new and exciting projects, including a move to new offices at the start of this year, they are now looking to recruit a permanent Legal Counsel in the 0-3 year PQE bracket. You must have experience of drafting and negotiating a variety of commercial agreements, providing commercial advice to a range of in-house queries. The role is also an opportunity to learn and develop with the support of the General Counsel and two Senior Legal Counsels.

The Legal team drafts and negotiates grant agreements, partnership agreements, services contracts, events contracts and a wide variety of other commercial contracts. They advise the organisation on charity and company law, EU funding, public procurement, state aid, data protection, real estate and intellectual property. The General Counsel acts as Company Secretary for the business and its subsidiaries and is also responsible for governance and compliance. There is therefore a broad range of activities and variety in terms of legal work undertaken by the team. This role is an excellent opportunity for someone looking for intellectually challenging and stimulating work in a dynamic voluntary sector environment.

The Role

- Draft, negotiate and advise on services contracts, grant agreements, partnership arrangements, sponsorship, events contracts and other commercial contracts.
- Work closely with project teams, providing legal advice and support on a wide variety of areas including charity law, contract law, IP, data protection, public procurement and state aid.
- Support Operations team with insurance and contract advice; IT team with supplier contracts; EU bids team with bid making and compliance; and Comms team with events, publications and sponsorship contracts.
- Advise on handling disputes with suppliers, funders and grant recipients and settlement negotiations.
- Support the General Counsel in implementing and supervising processes to ensure compliance with legal obligations, in particular in relation to charity law, conflicts of interest and anti-bribery.

The Person

- 0-3 years qualified solicitor or barrister (or equivalent outside UK). More experienced applicants looking for experience in the voluntary sector are encouraged to apply. Likewise newly qualified applicants with relevant training contract experience and an appetite to learn are also encouraged.
- Strong academic credentials
- Solid contract/commercial law knowledge/ experience in either a large in-house legal department or good quality private practice (regional or London), including during training contract
- Sound knowledge of the UK legal system
- Demonstrable good drafting skills with broad experience of drafting a variety of contracts to a high standard
- Desirable: knowledge of charity law and company law
- Desirable: interest and experience in areas such as voluntary or public sector, social enterprise, social investment and/or policy and research work.

If you're interested in this role, please apply now or forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us.
If this job isn't quite right, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.

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BCL Legal is an equal opportunities employer.