Assistant In-House Commercial Counsel

Join our established General Counsel Team in Newcastle or Leeds and play a key role in supporting the Firm's commercial and risk management activities.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with ideally 2-3 years' experience of working as a commercial lawyer either in private practice or in-house to work across a broad range of commercial, legal, and regulatory matters. You will partner with stakeholders across the business to protect and enable the Firm's strategic objectives.

Working as part of a busy and collaborative in-house team, you will advise on a variety of legal and regulatory topics, including commercial contracts, risk, compliance, data protection, and emerging technologies such as AI. You'll also have the opportunity to contribute to Firm-wide projects and initiatives, building relationships with senior stakeholders across both legal and business services functions as a trusted legal adviser.

You will drive a positive risk culture by delivering commercial legal advice, managing legal and regulatory challenges, and provide practical solutions as a key contact within the Firm.

What will I be doing?

• Reviewing of commercial documents (including supplier agreements, software licences, framework agreements, engagement terms) to identify and highlight legal and commercial risk to the Firm, to include negotiations where necessary and occasional drafting.
• Assisting with data protection compliance and application across the Firm, to include review of current policies and procedures as well as data sharing agreements, and also breach management and advising internal stakeholders on DPIAs in conjunction with Information Security Management (this responsibility is desirable).
• Working with the In-House legal team to promote and embed a healthy risk culture Firm-wide, supporting the Firm's risk management culture and providing advice to Partners and employees relating to commercial agreements and risk matters.
• Providing support and handling queries on use of AI across the firm.
• Assisting in drafting internal policies and procedures falling within the responsibility of the General Counsel Team in conjunction with the Policies & Procedures Committee.
• Building strong relationships across all fee earner and business service departments.
• Anticipating and mitigating risks to the Firm and producing related guidance and procedures where appropriate.
• Identifying and implementing proactive legal solutions that minimise risk across the business.
• Assisting the team in being a focal point for commercial/agreement related legal queries across the Firm.

You'll have

• Qualified legal experience
• Excellent knowledge of commercial/contract law
• High level of attention to detail
• Ideally 2-3 years' experience of working as a commercial lawyer either in private practice or in-house
• Strong relationship building skills across all levels
• Ability to balance a pragmatic and commercial approach with working in a highly regulated sector
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent drafting skills

Desirable skills and attributes

• Strong interest in data protection compliance and AI
• Proven experience of reviewing and advising on data provisions within contracts and also dealing reactively with queries around data, including DPIA's and data breaches
• Good understanding of tendering processes for framework and call off agreements
• Strong knowledge of SRA regulation

About us

We're proud to be an independent, full-service law firm providing exceptional legal expertise to businesses, the built environment, healthcare, the public and third sectors, and private individuals. With several office locations around the UK we're one of the UK's Top 100 law firms. When you join us you’ll be part of a team of over 500 passionate and talented individuals who take pride in offering an exciting and supportive environment allowing you to thrive.

We're passionate about promoting wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion, with dedicated committees to support ongoing efforts. We recognise that a healthy and thriving Firm filled with individuality and differences strengthens our teams, our clients and our communities.

What we can offer you

We’re committed to being a firm focused on support, development, wellbeing and inclusion and we’re always striving to improve. Our commitment to this has been recognised by our achievement of our Gold Investors in People award and by our Hive HR Employee Voice certification.

We reward our people with a whole range of benefits, some core and some flexible, designed to shape a reward package that’s right for you – now and in the future. Our core benefits include:

• An enhanced pension scheme with employer matched contributions of up to 6%.
• 25 days' annual leave + bank holidays (increasing to 28 days with length of service). There is also the option to purchase up to 5 additional days.
• Life assurance cover of 4 times basic salary, with the option to purchase additional cover.
• A range of health and wellbeing benefits.
• Hybrid working with a minimum requirement of 2 days per week working from one of our offices.
• We also have a flexible benefits programme where you can purchase a wide range of additional benefits.

If you would like to request further information or to discuss the role, please contact people@wardhadaway.com quoting vacancy reference NTX1246912.

If you require any adjustments to be made to our recruitment process, please request a call back via the above email address.

Agencies - please note that we are not currently instructing agents to support with this role. Please do not send speculative CVs.