Head of Commercial - Legal Director

Overview

This role is listed for a qualified lawyer.

We are proud to have recently been named one of the Best Places to Work in 2026, and listed in the Top 50 Places To Work For People Development in 2026.

The role

This is a senior leadership hire. As Head of Commercial, you'll hold the title of Legal Director and sit at the firm's senior legal management tier. You will lead and grow the Commercial team, own a portfolio of client relationships, and take commercial ownership of your team's performance, while continuing to do excellent legal work yourself.

It is a dual role: you are a practising senior lawyer and a team leader, accountable for the quality of your own matters and for the performance, culture and profitability of the wider team.

This is a management and business leadership role for someone who wants to build something.

What you'll actually be doing

• Leading and developing a team of Commercial lawyers, with direct accountability for team performance, culture and people development.
• Owning and growing a portfolio of client relationships as the primary relationship owner and trusted adviser on complex matters.
• Taking commercial ownership of your team's numbers, including billing, recoveries, utilisation, write-offs and contribution margin.
• Supporting the recruitment, onboarding and development of lawyers in your team.
• Being the escalation point for complex or sensitive matters in your practice area.
• Getting involved in business development, pitches and cross-selling across the firm.
• Being a genuine role model for how we do things.

What we're looking for

• A qualified lawyer (any jurisdiction) with 8+ years PQE. Other experience will be considered, so talk to us.
• A track record of leading people and developing a team that would speak well of you.
• Experience running client relationships independently end to end: onboarding, leading calls, invoicing, budgets and difficult conversations.
• Commercial instinct. You understand that a great team is also a profitable one, and you're comfortable owning a P&L.
• Experience bringing work into a firm, cross-selling across a business, or growing an account, and a desire to continue doing it.
• Strong subject-matter expertise in commercial law, the kind that gets you requested by name and brings clients back.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• A great sense of humour and a genuine team player.
• Entrepreneurial at heart, fiercely championing clients' interests, and wanting to help build a firm that is growing quickly.

Who are we?

We are not your traditional law firm; we are a fusion of traditional private practice and in-house legal roles, combining top-tier law firm expertise with a business-savvy in-house approach.

Our clients view us as their lawyer and trust us to be part of their teams. Each lawyer sits as in-house counsel for a range of clients, offering a superb and diverse experience working with businesses at the cutting edge of different industries.

Our client base spans the UK, European, Middle Eastern, and US tech scenes, from Fintechs to Edtechs, AI to Fashion, FMCG to EV, and VCs, accelerators, and incubators.

What you want to know

We are building an environment of talented individuals with energy to thrive.

We have a beautiful office with a terrace overlooking Temple Park, Big Ben, and The Shard. The team offers corporate chair massages, weekly yoga sessions, and other well-being and events.

We are hybrid, so you can work from the office, home, or elsewhere; you just need to be on the UK tax system. We'll provide a MacBook Pro or Surface Business with a home office allowance to ensure you have everything you need.

Not only do we have a growing team of entrepreneurial lawyers, but we also offer a strong set of perks:

• Competitive salary and transparent discussion of rate expectations.
• Discretionary profit share bonus and annual bonus opportunities.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Day off on your birthday and other significant life events.
• 5 days education leave per year plus a dedicated education budget.
• Private healthcare with Vitality and private dental care with vision discounts.
• £350 home setup allowance.
• Worldwide travel insurance including winter sports.
• Annual emergency childcare allowance.
• Half-price gym membership and other wellness perks.
• Electric car salary sacrifice scheme and cycle-to-work scheme.
• Access to tech and home discounts with payment options through partners.

There are socials every four weeks, plus various events and experiences.

In Autumn/Winter the schedule may adjust with seasonal considerations.