Senior Legal Counsel - Glasgow

Leading Scottish University is looking to hire a Senior Legal Counsel to join their In-House Commercial team based in Glasgow (with Hybrid-Working on Offer).

Role Profile:

• The University is looking to appoint a dynamic and innovative Senior Legal Counsel into its busy Legal Services team, reporting to the Head of Legal Services, to provide expert legal and compliance advice and assistance across all areas of the University, with a particular focus on commercial matters.
• This is an exciting in-house position with a varied and challenging workload where no two days are the same.
• You will be able to use and develop your skills in a wide variety of legal disciplines in a friendly, supportive environment and, together with the Head of Legal Services, help shape the Legal Services function to make a real difference in a ground-breaking institution.
• The Legal Services team handles a broad array of frequently complex legal and compliance issues that impact the University, its staff and its students. We also work with external advisors as necessary to provide appropriate support to the University’s objectives, always helping to secure the best value for money and manage the University’s risk exposure appropriately.
• This exciting in-house role will deliver a proactive, customer-focused service, providing full and effective legal support to senior management and colleagues on a wide variety of legal matters across the full range of the University’s activities.
• While there will be a significant focus on commercial matters such as contracts, intellectual property, transnational education agreements, procurement, corporate investments, information governance, and information security, the broad nature of the role will also involve handling regulatory/compliance, charity law, safeguarding, equality, dispute resolution, civil litigation, property, and student-related matters.
• The post holder will be expected to provide lead expert legal advice on complex commercial matters for the University, which matters may have significant strategic and/or external profile and impact, and in doing so exercise a substantial degree of independent, professional responsibility and discretion.

Main Responsibilities:

• Support the Head of Legal Services in providing high level/expert legal advice and guidance to senior management, Executive Team, Senate and the University Court and to a large range of University clients on a wide range of legal matters, including, but not limited to, corporate and commercial matters, strategic projects, procurement, data protection agreements, technology transfer, student matters, Graduate and Degree Apprenticeships, UK Visa and Immigration, national security, subsidy control, dispute resolution, education (including transnational education agreements), governance and charity matters, fundraising, regulatory matters, employment and HR matters, property matters, risk and compliance. Supporting University Compliance Officer with regards to internal policies and procedures.
• Provide lead expert legal advice on complex commercial matters for the University, which matters may have significant strategic and/or external profile and impact, and in doing so exercise a substantial degree of independent, professional responsibility and discretion.
• Provide expert legal input into internal committees and stakeholder groups, influencing and facilitating different opinions to reach a consensus, negotiating terms and promoting/facilitating change as necessary.
• Maintain a pro-active, dynamic, and positive approach to unfamiliar areas of legal work, adopting a problem-solving attitude to develop appropriate options and provide (and/or obtain) robust, accurate advice for relevant stakeholders.
• Foster and build strategic working relationships across internal stakeholder groups, including interacting at a senior level and representing the activities of Legal Services with a high degree of professionalism in both internal and external platforms.
• Manage the often-competing demands and expectations of internal stakeholders by prioritising workload and setting and meeting appropriate service levels.
• Lead the development and implementation of continued process improvements in University legal workflow and effectively publicise the services of Legal Services across the University.
• Keep abreast of developments in the external legal and legislative environment as it applies to the Higher Education sector and specifically the University.
• Assist the Head of Legal Services in shaping the strategic direction of the Legal Services function, evaluating the legal needs of the University, and consulting with service users to establish requirements and standards, with responsibility for taking a pro-active role in implementing change.
• Develop, motivate, mentor, support and collaborate with more junior members of the Legal Services team, including the Compliance Co-Ordinator, as required. The role may involve management responsibility in future, where appropriate.
• Engaging with external legal advisors as and when required when specific expertise is required beyond what is provided in-house, ensuring advice is properly procured, instructed, managed and represents value for money.
• This job description is not exhaustive, and the successful applicant may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements, including the University’s legal obligations, evolve.

Candidate Requirements:

• Qualified to practice as a solicitor in Scotland, with significant experience of commercial contracts.
• Current unrestricted Practising Certificate.
• Evidence of ongoing personal and professional development.
• Significant experience of providing client-facing, commercial legal advice and taking a pragmatic approach to solving legal and other problems.
• Recent relevant experience of delivering complex contracts and significant strategic projects for diverse organisations, as well as managing dispute resolution, governance, and risk.
• Experience of working with, presenting to, and influencing a diverse range of colleagues, including senior management.
• Experience of developing innovative solutions, including the development of proposals for policy and procedural development/s and/or reform to meet stakeholder requirements and of contributing to strategic planning.
• Highly developed commercial legal knowledge and skills, including the ability to deal with problems referred from other experienced professionals within the same area of expertise who are unable to solve complex difficulties themselves.
• Proven interpersonal skills, including the facilitation of behavioural change, negotiation, influencing and relationship building.
• Ability to proactively manage a varied and demanding workload, including well-developed prioritisation skills.
• Commitment to and understanding of equality and diversity issues relating to staff and student matters within a highly diverse community.
• Proven ability to work independently and on own initiative, with the ability to demonstrate good judgement on when to seek input from peers or senior managers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail, with the ability to produce documentation/content for a variety of audiences.
• Proven, advanced, analytical ability to problem solve and identify/devise solutions to unprecedented issues, and to present ideas and suggestions to senior management and colleagues.
• Highly resilient in managing a busy role.
• Proactive, self-motivated, confident approach to work.
• Willingness to undertake further training and development in unfamiliar areas of legal work as necessary.

On Offer:

On offer is a competitive salary and benefits package including attractive pension and holiday entitlement.  

To Apply:

For a confidential discussion about this position, to request the full job description, please contact:

David Thomson- Director

Telephone: 0141 244 0260

Email: david@thomsonlrc.com