Senior Legal Counsel

Morgan Hunt are currently working with a leading UK charity in their search for a Senior Legal Counsel to join their Legal team on a permanent basis. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced in-house commercial lawyer to join an organisation at an interesting point in its development.

The role will sit within a dedicated Legal Department, providing high-quality legal advice and support across the organisation and helping to identify, manage and mitigate legal risk. You will work closely with senior stakeholders across the organisation, providing pragmatic and commercially focused advice that supports the delivery of strategic and operational objectives.

The primary focus of the role will be commercial and contract law, with responsibility for reviewing, drafting and negotiating a broad range of technically complex agreements. This will include IT contracts, intellectual property and commercial arrangements, as well as working closely with the fundraising function to provide appropriate legal advice and support.

Alongside the commercial work, you will have the opportunity to provide broader legal support across areas including employment, data protection, corporate governance, charity law and, where required, child-care law and civil litigation. You will also have the opportunity to contribute at a senior strategic level, representing the Legal Department in senior-level groups, building trusted relationships with Directors and senior managers, and ensuring legal risks and opportunities are identified and addressed proactively.

The successful candidate will be a Qualified Solicitor or Barrister with substantial post-qualification experience, ideally gained within an in-house environment or private practice. You will have a strong track record of providing effective legal and commercial advice with emphasis on all aspects of commercial law. You will have excellent legal drafting skills and good attention to detail, including when operating under pressure, with a highly developed ability to successfully negotiate to achieve desired outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality, commercially focused legal advice across a broad range of organisational activities.
• Review, draft and negotiate complex commercial contracts and agreements, identifying and mitigating legal and commercial risks.
• Provide legal advice on IT contracts, technology arrangements and intellectual property.
• Work closely with the Fundraising function, providing legal advice and support on fundraising-related activity and agreements.
• Advise senior stakeholders on legal risk, compliance and the practical implications of legal issues.
• Draft and negotiate legal documentation and agreements, working with internal stakeholders and external legal advisers where appropriate.
• Represent the Legal Department on senior-level strategic groups and contribute to organisational decision-making.
• Develop and maintain trusted relationships with Directors, senior managers and colleagues across the organisation.
• Provide clear, pragmatic and commercially aware legal advice to both lawyers and non-legal colleagues.
• Support the Head of Legal in leading, managing and developing the wider Legal team.
• Work with and manage relationships with external legal advisers and other organisations where specialist legal input is required.

Candidate Profile

• Qualification as a Solicitor or Barrister in the UK, with substantial post-qualification experience.
• Strong experience providing commercial and contractual legal advice, ideally within an in-house environment.
• Experience reviewing, drafting and negotiating technically complex contracts.
• Experience across areas such as commercial law, IT contracts, intellectual property and/or employment law.
• Strong generalist in-house legal experience, with the ability and enthusiasm to pick up new areas of law confidently.
• Excellent legal drafting, negotiation and analytical skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to identify legal and commercial risks and provide pragmatic, solutions-focused advice rather than simply identifying problems.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to build trusted relationships with senior Directors and managers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex legal matters clearly to non-lawyers.
• Strong organisational and planning skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver work to deadlines.

Why Apply?

You will have the opportunity to work on interesting and varied commercial matters, while retaining exposure to a broad range of legal issues. The role offers significant senior stakeholder exposure and the chance to provide strategic legal advice rather than simply acting as a transactional contract reviewer. The role offers 29 days' annual leave, increasing to 32 days after five years' continuous service, alongside the wider benefits package.

Morgan Hunt is an equal opportunities employer. Job suitability is assessed on merit in accordance with the individual's skills, qualifications and abilities to perform the relevant duties required in a particular role.