Legal Counsel – Employment (12 Month FTC)

at  News UK

Legal Counsel – Employment (12 Month FTC)
Location:
London
Department:
Legal
Salary Details:
Not Specified
Advertising End Date:
Not Specified
Job Description
An exciting new opportunity to join News UK working in the Employment Legal team. This is a 12 month maternity cover role, starting on 2 January 2025, which offers a chance to demonstrate and develop your knowledge and experience in a fast paced and dynamic media organisation.
The team: The employment legal team sits within a full-service legal department made up of lawyers specialising in corporate, M&A, commercial, IP, technology, property, media, compliance and data protection law. We are a collaborative department and you will have the opportunity to work on an extremely broad range of matters across all parts of the business, gaining challenging and quality experience.
Your role: You will support two Legal Directors to provide employment legal services to colleagues in the HR department and directly to leaders/managers across the business. The ability to work at pace and manage many competing priorities at once is important but the team demonstrates and values flexibility.
Day to day:
+ You will work in partnership with colleagues in the HR department, advising them and the business on various employee relations matters such as grievance and disciplinary processes, performance management, contractual issues, employment status, sickness absence management and the application of company policies. You will also advise on diversity and inclusion matters and a myriad of other ad hoc queries as they arise.
+ You will draft and negotiate contracts, e.g. settlement agreements, independent contractor agreements and apprenticeship training supplier agreements.
+ You will assist with commercial contracts and corporate transactions, including advising on TUPE transfers, conducting due diligence and drafting contractual provisions on employment matters.
+ You will work with the HR team to review and update policies and precedents and assist with the development of new policies/precedents when needed.
+ You will have the opportunity to assist with employment litigation, training and providing key legal updates to the business and the HR team.
+ You will carry out legal research and be responsible for maintaining internal and intra-group risk registers.
+ You will draft, review and negotiate talent and retainer contracts and have involvement in conducting tax status assessments for our independent contractor population, in collaboration with our Tax team.
What we’re looking for from you:
+ A qualified solicitor (able to practise in England and Wales) with experience in a quality private practice employment department and ideally in-house experience (including secondments).
+ Strong PQE with comprehensive knowledge of UK employment law and best practice and are confident advising independently.
+ Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey legal advice clearly and concisely in a commercial context.
+ A methodical approach to work, with a strong focus on accuracy and quality.
+ Someone who demonstrates natural interpersonal skills and a positive, collaborative approach to working with colleagues at all levels across the business.
+ A dynamic and agile person; able to work to deadlines and prioritise tasks in a demanding commercial environment.
+ To exercise tact and diplomacy within the organisation and carry out all responsibilities in a way which supports the company’s values and promotes high ethical standards.
We are News UK: One of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio, Talk and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local radio stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multiplatform brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. News UK is wholly owned by News Corp.
Life at News
Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose. We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter. We inform our audiences so that they can make decisions based on trusted information.
To do this, we believe our employees must represent different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We strive to maximise and encourage every individual’s potential and ensure everyone feels valued. We support this through ourDiversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy (https://www.news.co.uk/more-than-the-news/diversity-inclusion/) , which focuses on three main priorities – attracting talent from a wider, more representative pool, developing equity programmes to drive better representation in our leadership, and ensuring diversity and inclusivity in our workforce as well as the journalism and content we produce. We also currently have12 employee led networks and groups (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMCi-KiMlL4&t=2s) that support our strategy and connect like minded employees socially.
Benefits
Some of our benefits include:
+ Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access
+ Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions
+ Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly virtual yoga classes
+ ‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme
+ Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books
+ Access to exclusive events and competitions with exciting brands such as talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times. Weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities
+ Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling
+ A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%
+ 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays and up to 4 volunteering days per year
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Please refer the Job description for details