Legal Counsel

at  Benefact Group

Working hours: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Duration: Permanent
Location: Gloucester
Job Ref: 203086

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales with 3 year+ post qualification experience. This PQE is a guide, and we will consider any applications which can demonstrate the required skills and experience irrespective of PQE
• Experience in reviewing, drafting and negotiating a wide variety of commercial contracts and business agreements
• Experience in financial services is desirable but not essential
• Experience working in house is desirable but not essential
• Skilled in simplifying complexity
• Track record of demonstrating commercial business acumen
• Credible, with proven ability to build effective relationships and influence key stakeholders
• Ability to design rational and proportionate solutions
• Strong negotiation skills
• Courage to challenge

ABOUT US

Benefact Group is a unique international financial services Group made up of over 30 businesses. We are owned by a charity and are currently the UK’s 3rd largest corporate donor, having given away £200 million since 2016. We have ambitious plans to become the UK’s number one corporate donor, with strategic objectives in place to double the Group’s size.
We believe it’s essential to attract, empower, grow and reward talented people, offering fantastic opportunities for career and personal development. Our giving ethos, 135-year history and the diversity of what we do, has enabled us to build a culture of kindness, great ambition, and of passionate people driven to do better and be better.
At Benefact Group, we are committed to creating an inclusive culture and building an environment where each and every one of us feels valued and respected. We are a community made up of people with a range of different backgrounds, abilities, perspectives, beliefs and interests and we value the strength this brings to us as a Group. We welcome applications from everyone.
If you need any additional support during the recruitment process, then please let us know.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Benefact Group, are looking for a Commercial Legal Counsel to join our Legal and Secretarial Team based in our Gloucester office on a hybrid basis.
As Legal Counsel you will provide timely commercial legal advice and support on a wide range of matters and commercial contracts, which will be aligned to company strategy and culture which should empower decision-making across the organisation.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a 3 year+ PQE Solicitor to join a purpose led organisation with charitable giving at its core. You will be a key member of an established Legal team, providing timely and effective advice, guidance and support directly to senior stakeholders of various business units. You will review, draft and negotiate a broad range of commercial contracts for various business units. The role will provide a great opportunity for development in your legal career, with exposure to a wide variety of commercial matters which arise for the specialist financial services businesses we service whilst working as part of a cohesive, supportive and friendly in-house legal team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Providing general legal advice on a wide range of legal issues including general commercial, technology, data protection, intellectual property, and regulatory matters
• Identifying key legal risks to the business, identifying where legal resources are most required and ensuring adequate support is provided
• Liaising and working with project teams to support the delivery of business and project objectives
• Proactively build effective relationships with stakeholders and business areas across the Group to establish an influential legal function and to promote legal best practice
• To maintain effective relationships with external legal providers and facilitate two way knowledge transfer with those external providers
• To stay abreast of legal developments and maintain effective horizon scanning to identify and understand changing legal requirements to those business areas affected
• Assisting in the maintenance of a controlled standard suite of contracts which: i) are compliant with the latest legislation and ii) ensure risk allocation between the Group and its suppliers is set at an appropriate level
• Proactively drive legal understanding and knowledge sharing with Legal & Secretarial and Procurement teams, and the wider Group Deliver regular training and updates for business areas in key areas of the law
• Managing legal risk at tolerance or below