Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel

Interim

Rate - £700 Umbrella per day

Birmingham, Hybrid-Working (3 days per week in office)

An opportunity has arisen for a Legal Counsel to join a Central Government team on an interim basis. This role is to deliver a full range of legal advice to the team and all its business directorates, which includes key internal stakeholders, in order to optimise contractual outcomes in relation to a variety of subjects (including supply chain, utilities, local authorities, etc) and support compliance with legislation and regulations.

Key Requirements for the Legal Counsel

• Ability to produce and present communications and information in a variety of ways adapted for the relevant audience.
• Interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Legal drafting skills.
• Problem solving skills, including working without established precedent or procedure.
• Ability to juggle and prioritise numerous tasks in a high activity environment.
• Ability to consistently deliver high quality outputs under pressure whilst maintaining attention to detail.
• Planning and organisational skills.
• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team on a wide range of commercial legal issues.
• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister with contracting or construction experience, preferably gained in both a client and a contractor environment.
• Specialist in contract law and/or procurement law, preferably with a focus on large projects.
• Commercial contracts / construction contracts knowledge.
• Experience managing the provision of external legal advice.
• Experience of public sector procurement processes.
• Problem solving experience.
• Commercial legal experience of UK based construction or infrastructure projects, or experience of dealing with government departments, utilities or transport projects, gained either in house or in private practice.

Key responsibilities for the Legal Counsel

• Work with minimum supervision to provide high quality legal advice, including drafting documents and providing advice to staff at all levels on all aspects of commercial/contracts law.
• Act as the main lawyer and point of contact for legal advice on GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, including privacy policies and supporting the Data Protection Officer; ensure standards set by supervisory bodies (e.g., ICO) are adhered to.
• Run weekly legal surgeries for contract management and corporate procurement to provide legal advice that enables them to maximise efficiencies and minimise external legal costs.
• Advise on the resolution of contractual claims and disputes (not including the conduct of litigation or arbitration), using external lawyers where appropriate.
• Serve as the point legal contact for all Phase 2a procurements, including leading on the early works procurement.
• Prepare and deliver targeted training to internal staff to help them understand areas of law (e.g., procurement law PCR and UCR) as they arise.
• Draft template precedents for the legal team, including providing self help tools / templates for internal staff to save time and cost, continuously improving performance and compliance.
• Assist the legal function as and when required on legal research, keep abreast of the law and provide updates that affect the business.
• Manage the provision of external legal support when required, including responsibility for managing and monitoring cost, assisting with budgeting and timescales, and managing quality.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a well established team that prides itself in the first class service it offers to clients.

If you believe you have the necessary skills and experience for the Legal Counsel role, please apply now or contact Albert Pearson at Sellick Partnership for a confidential conversation.

Sellick Partnership is proud to be an inclusive and accessible recruitment business and we support applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances. Please note, our advertisements use years' experience, hourly rates, and salary levels purely as a guide and we assess applications based on the experience and skills evidenced on the CV. For information on how your personal details may be used by Sellick Partnership, please review our data processing notice on our website.