Legal Counsel- Office of the General Counsel - Glasgow

Unique opportunity for a commercial lawyer to join the in-house global legal team of an international firm- this role will be based in Glasgow.

Role Profile:

• The Office of General Counsel is responsible for advising the firm on constitutional, legal and regulatory issues as well as the management of risk and governance issues, development of policies and preparation and negotiation of contracts with third parties.
• The Office of General Counsel also works closely with the Risk and Compliance team (which also reports in to the General Counsel).
• The Office of General Counsel is the point of escalation from the Risk and Compliance team for a range of legal and regulatory questions, including in relation to client terms of engagement, ethics queries, data protection, anti-money laundering, bribery and corruption, tax evasion and conflicts issues.
• The role will involve working with the partners and lawyers at all levels of seniority across the business as well as with members of the business support functions.
• An important part of the role is the ability to be able to analyse complex questions and provide clear and accurate guidance for practical use. The Office of General Counsel also works closely at times with fee-earning lawyers in the firm and external law firms to provide specialist advice when specific subject matter expertise is required.

Responsibilities:

• Assisting the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsels with a variety of commercial matters.
• Providing high quality and commercially sound research and advice on firm legal matters.
• Drafting, negotiating and advising on a wide range of contracts and agreements entered in to by the firm, both supply- and client-side.
• Assisting with regulatory compliance matters, primarily in EMEA.
• Liaising where needed with primarily UK and other EMEA regulators.
• Providing support to the Human Resources team (for example in relation to secondments, consultancy agreements, practising certificates), the Finance team (for example, in relation to trust account issues) the Pro Bono and Corporate Responsibility Team and other business support teams.
• Providing advice to partners and lawyers on a variety of issues, for example, ethics and privilege queries, escrow agreements, reliance letters, NDAs for the firm.

Advising on legal, regulatory and practical aspects of a wide range of operational and compliance issues, in particular in relation to:

• The strategy of the firm.
• The development of relationships with law firms in other jurisdictions, as required.
• Group structuring matters, including new group entities.
• The implementation of new technologies.
• The development of innovative ways of delivering legal services, and legal-adjacent services, including through legal tech and alternative resourcing models.
• Issues arising from the operation of a law firm in multiple jurisdictions and multiple business lines.
• Developments in the business environment and geopolitical environment.
• Acting as a point of escalation for the Risk and Compliance Team, including in relation to client engagements.
• Helping prepare advice in relation to any complaints and claims, subpoenas and notices to produce.
• Helping advise in relation to risk management issues across the business, drafting firm policies.
• Developing and delivering regulatory and ethical training across the business.
• Participating in incident response planning and management.

Candidate Requirements:

• Qualified lawyer- Scotland or England & Wales.
• Minimum 6 years' experience, ideally gained in-house or in a commercial team in private practice.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• In-depth experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, including IT contracts.
• Experience with privacy / data protection matters highly desirable.
• A commercial approach and an ability to negotiate effectively and with confidence.
• Strong attention to detail with well-developed analytical skills.
• The ability to be adaptable, collaborative and team-focused and also work independently in an international organisation.
• A proactive, positive and energetic approach with a commitment to providing excellent service.
• Ability to manage a high-volume work load in a fast paced environment.
• Excellent organisational, legal and technical skills.
• Confidence to develop strong working relationships with Partners, lawyers and business support staff across the firm and to manage relationships with external parties as required.
• Flexibility in mindset and approach to work.

On Offer:

On offer is a highly competitive salary and benefits package and the chance to move in-house and work in a unique global role. 

To Apply:

For a confidential discussion, to request the full job description or to apply, please contact:

David Thomson, Director

Glasgow: 0141 244 0260

Email: david@thomsonlrc.com