Senior Commercial Legal Counsel

at  BDO

IDEAS | PEOPLE | TRUST

We’re BDO. An accountancy and business advisory firm, providing the advice and solutions entrepreneurial organisations need to navigate today’s changing world.
We work with the companies that are Britain’s economic engine – ambitious, entrepreneurially-spirited and high‑growth businesses that fuel the economy – and directly advise the owners and management teams leading them.

REQUIREMENTS

Essential:

• England and Wales qualified, or experience practising the laws of England and Wales, with several years’ post qualification (or equivalent) experience
• experience of advising on/negotiating/drafting/managing complex commercial contracts (preferably within the professional services and/or technology markets)
• strong working knowledge of standard commercial boilerplate clauses
• familiarity with data protection law (UK GDPR)
• strong written and oral communication skills
• ability to confidently interact and influence at a senior level
• ability to prioritise and manage own workload and that of others
• high degree of personal responsibility

• excellent attention to detail

  Desirable:

• experience in supervising the work and development of junior team members

• experience in corporate law
• experience of drafting policy and guidance
• experience in an in-house legal role at a large commercial organisation
• experience of preparing and delivering training

You’ll be able to be yourself; we’ll recognise and value you for who you are and celebrate and reward your contributions to our business. We’re committed to agile working, and we offer everyone the opportunity to work in ways that suit them, their teams, and the task at hand.
At BDO, we’ll help you achieve your personal goals and career ambitions, and we have programmes, resources, and frameworks that provide clarity and structure around career development.

Delivery of legal advice to BDO’s partners and staff:

• leading the relationship between the Legal Team and the Advisory stream (which comprises 8 business units delivering a diverse range of services);
• reviewing and negotiating complex commercial agreements with Advisory clients e.g. including master services agreements, framework agreements and other more complex commercial contracts
• overseeing the less complex work conducted by junior members of the team, coaching and developing them to succeed in their roles;
• collaborating with the supplier contracting sub-team on any matters spanning both buy and sell side legal advice (strategic partnerships, reseller arrangements etc.);
• acting as people manager to junior team members (supporting professional development and conducting performance reviews etc.)
• guiding client-facing teams in dealing with complex legal queries from clients, their lawyers and procurement teams, including providing real-time advice to project acceptance panels;
• identifying relevant training needs within Advisory and delivering appropriate legal training to develop awareness of legal issues
• interpretation and application of legislation, case law, regulations and professional standards relevant to BDO’s business
• building strong working relationships across other relevant business streams and practice management departments.

Managing BDO’s contract precedents and processes:

• ensuring that BDO’s Advisory contracting templates, guidance, policies and procedures are kept up to date with legal and regulatory developments
• advising on the risk management of new services within the Advisory stream and drafting contracts templates that mitigate the risks involved in delivering them.