Senior Legal Counsel

This in-house role sits in the central procurement and contracts team of our client's core business and will be part of a newly formed legal team, which will support the legal and contractual activities of this practice group.

With the formation and growth of the group, both in the UK and internationally, it has become necessary to create this new role. The role will be challenging and varied, at the cutting-edge of change in its sector, providing an opportunity to be involved in the growth and development of an exciting, dynamic and strategically important part of the main business.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

* Providing commercial contracts support to the business.
* Negotiating and amending standard contract terms.
* Applying a pragmatic, commercial and, in some cases, risk management approach to all contract work, often against tight deadlines, and seeking input from business leads/Managing Directors.
* Negotiation and drafting of bespoke client agreements.
* Drafting contract amendments to reflect regulatory change (UK) and supporting process change.
* Taking ownership of specific projects or initiatives and providing legal support and input on various regulatory compliance projects.
* Liaising with legal or regulatory matter experts.
* Supporting legal input into business case documents.
* Drafting relevant contractual paperwork and/or managing external lawyers.
* Providing legal input into operational matters.
* Supporting legal input into business case documents.
* Assisting with management of external lawyers regarding drafting of relevant contractual paperwork in advance of service or product launch.
* Legal input into operational matters.

Relevant experience/qualifications:

* Qualified lawyer with 7 plus years PQE with private practice experience with a top 50 law firm or equivalent inhouse experience.
* Previous in-house experience or private practice experience advising clients who provide or receive some or all of the following types of services: professional services, legal services/alternative legal services, employment and/ or recruitment services, technology services, outsourced/ managed services.
* Understanding of and interest in the changes in the legal sector.

Key skills and abilities:

* Technical excellence in contract drafting and amending and ability to apply skills to a wide range of commercial agreements.
* Experience dealing with all legal aspects of commercial agreements. In particular, experience of IP, DP and employment related aspects highly desirable.
* Skilled negotiator.
* Highly responsive and able to work to tight deadlines.
* Commercial awareness and ability to prioritise and make sound judgements on contract issues and level of acceptable risk.
* Solution driven - ability to solve problems creatively, pragmatically and effectively.
* Ability to take responsibility and act autonomously - seeking supervision where appropriate.
* 'Team player' with strong (internal) client focussed approach, with confident interpersonal and persuasion skills, and the ability build relationships with internal stakeholders on an autonomous basis and to engage with senior members of the firm.
* Ability to take initiative in relation to improvements to procedures, process, documentation and templates.
* Excellent face-to-face, verbal and written communication skills.
* Superb organisation skills with an acute attention to detail.
* Ability to plan, organise and prioritise tasks and projects.
* Ability to remain calm, controlled and resilient in a demanding environment.

The position will be based in Birmingham but full flexible working is offered. For further information about this position please apply.

The SR Group (UK) Limited is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.