Senior Legal Counsel & Director of Legal in Manchester

Salary package £120,000 (plus). Office Locations: Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bolton, Southport, Newcastle, Reading, Birmingham, Northampton, and Cambridge. Hybrid working available – with the flexibility to work from home and collaborate in-office when needed. We believe we offer our colleagues the best hybrid and flexible working practices, balancing working from home with time collaborating and socialising with colleagues in our modern offices.

Fletchers Group have a fantastic opportunity to join our growing Team. The ideal candidate would be currently working in-house or be a Senior Associate or Partner in a Commercial/Corporate legal firm. We are seeking an exceptional Senior Legal Counsel & Director of Legal to play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering Fletchers’ Group strategy. This is a senior leadership position, partnering closely with the Chief Legal Officer, Executive Leadership Team and Board to provide pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice across a dynamic and growing organisation.

Operating as a trusted adviser at the heart of the business, you will work on complex legal matters including corporate transactions, M&A, commercial contracts, employment law, regulatory compliance and risk management. You will be instrumental in supporting transformation, change and acquisition activity, ensuring that legal insight is embedded early and effectively across all strategic initiatives. This role offers a rare opportunity for an experienced solicitor at Partner or equivalent level to influence decision-making at the highest level, lead and develop a high-performing legal team, and help drive sustainable growth in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

In return Fletchers offers:

• 35 hours working week
• Director-level bonus with components based on Company and individual performance
• Ability to invest bonuses in the Fletchers Growth Plan, in which funds increase over time as the company grows
• 35 days holiday a year including bank holidays and Christmas Closure, with an option to purchase up to 3 extra days’ holiday per year
• Pension scheme with tax-efficient salary sacrifice option
• Life Assurance Policy
• Medicash policy to cover some dental, optical and other medical expenses
• Company sick pay
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and IVF schemes
• Flexible, agile working environment with a positive work-life balance
• Varied calendar of funded company social events
• Monthly voucher awards for winning nominees
• A genuinely supportive and friendly culture
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities

Main Responsibilities:

• Strategy & Leadership: Support the CLO and Executive Leadership Team on all legal matters to ensure delivery of Fletchers’ strategy. Close collaboration with CLO, Director of Compliance, Managing Director of New Acquisitions, Director of M&A, and other members of ELT and SLT on all legal and compliance aspects of M&A transactions. Provide legal and risk management input into the Transformation and Change agenda, working closely with the PMO team and in conjunction with Compliance department. Support the CLO/COLP and wider Board with all aspects of commercial and contracts law and litigation matters. Manage relationships with external legal advisors, ensuring cost-effective and high-quality support when specialist advice is required.
• People Management and co-dependencies: Recruit, supervise and mentor junior team members, supporting their development and ensuring high standards of performance. Work collaboratively with senior leadership and other stakeholders across all departments to help shape and deliver on strategy and provide legal and regulatory advice from an early stage or when requested, in projects and programmes. Coach, develop and support managers in relevant legal matters.
• Technical: Provide accurate, practical and timely legal advice on a broad range of matters, including contracts, employment, corporate governance, data protection, regulatory compliance and disputes. Advise and support on all legal and compliance aspects of delivery of Fletchers’ Strategy, particularly transactions (including M&A). Review and advise upon all aspects of business compliance with GDPR and data privacy law. Review, advise, draft and negotiate a variety of contracts and agreements; mitigate and manage risks. Work with the People Team and relevant external advisers on any significant employment law matters. Work with the L&D Team to develop and deliver training on various matters relevant to role. Review and advise upon intellectual property matters. Assist in drafting policies, procedures and documents in support of business compliance with all statutory and regulatory obligations. Active member of the Internal Risk and Audit Committee. Develop and maintain legal resources, including templates and guidance documents, to improve efficiency and support the wider organisation. Maintain accurate records of advice given and key decisions.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Qualified solicitor to Partner level/equivalent
• Likely to be in an in-house/GC role already, or in a commercial/corporate position
• Strong background in commercial or corporate law
• Strong commercial acumen, with a solution-oriented approach to legal advice
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex legal concepts clearly to non-legal audiences
• Experience in transactions including M&A preferred
• Knowledge of relevant regulatory matters (SRA, ICO), legislation (including LASPO, data privacy legislation)
• Ability to build and maintain networks of senior external stakeholders
• Technology literate, with the ability to use technology to enhance legal services
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to form positive working relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders and develop team members

About Fletchers Group:

Fletchers is a fast-growing, dynamic law firm specialising in personal injury and clinical negligence law, with outstanding rankings in both The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. Following several strategic acquisitions, we’ve evolved into the Fletchers Group, with ambitious plans for continued growth and innovation. We aspire to be the best place to work in the legal sector. Our workplace culture is inclusive, informal, and supportive, with a strong focus on colleague wellbeing and happiness.

We are proud to offer some of the best hybrid and flexible working arrangements in the industry – because we understand that balance drives performance. At Fletchers, we also value connection and collaboration. We create exciting opportunities for teams to come together and thrive. Whether you’re starting your career or aiming for leadership, you’ll find a clear path to progress and development here – from apprenticeships and professional qualifications to senior roles and Partnership.

We seek out a broad range of challenging, high-quality legal work, enabling our people to build meaningful and progressive careers. And we don’t just talk about development – we invest in it, with a significant proportion of our colleagues working towards relevant qualifications at any given time. We reward those who help build our success and live our values. Our benefits package is designed to grow with you, offering real opportunities to share in our long-term strength. Our base pay and bonus structure is built to recognise and reward high performance.

Join us and be part of a law firm that’s not only growing, but redefining what it means to work in legal services. Fletchers Group is an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce: we welcome applications from any and all backgrounds. We’re committed to providing a culture and environment where everyone can thrive, understanding and celebrating that no colleague is the same.