Legal & Business Research Adviser

The Firm HFW is a sector‑focused global law firm. We have over 700 lawyers working across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. We take a progressive and commercial approach to supporting our clients, combining legal expertise with a deep understanding of the industries in which they operate.

The Legal and Business Research Adviser plays a critical role in empowering lawyers and business services teams with high quality insight, analysis and intelligence. Combining expert legal, business and industry research with training, current awareness and innovation, the role supports client work, business development and strategic decision making across the firm. Acting as a trusted adviser, the postholder provides judgement based research support, helps colleagues navigate an increasingly complex digital and AI enabled research landscape, and contributes to the ongoing development of the firm’s research, knowledge and information capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Legal, Business & Industry Research
  • Deliver high quality legal research support, including case law, legislation, regulatory materials and authoritative commentary, monitoring developments through judicial, legislative and parliamentary processes.
  • Provide business, industry and sector research, including company profiling, market and competitive analysis, client and contact intelligence, press and media research.
  • Summarise and present research findings in clear, concise, decision ready formats tailored to the needs of lawyers and business teams.
  • Support high value and complex research enquiries, advising on scope, sources, methodologies, research risk and cost effective approaches.
• Current Awareness & Business Intelligence
  • Develop, maintain and refine legal and sector specific current awareness products, including daily legal updates and tailored alerts.
  • Set up and manage ongoing monitoring for clients, sectors, industries and regulatory developments.
  • Continuously review and enhance content quality, relevance and delivery formats to reflect evolving user needs, priorities and working patterns.
  • Contribute research and insight to pitches, credentials, panel submissions and business development initiatives.
• Training & Knowledge Enablement
  • Design and deliver engaging research and library training, including inductions, trainee programmes, practice embedded sessions and ad hoc support.
  • Develop scalable, digital first learning resources such as research guides, short videos, toolkits and on demand materials.
  • Promote best practice in legal and business research, digital literacy and effective use of research tools.
  • Offer coaching, mentoring and practical support to apprentices, students, secondees and work experience placements to help them learn effectively while embedded in the team.
  • Work with external suppliers and trainers where appropriate to enhance learning provision.
• Library Systems, Digital Platforms & AI
  • Act as a key contributor to the development and maintenance of library intranet pages and digital knowledge platforms.
  • Liaise with IT, Risk and external suppliers to ensure research systems, databases and tools operate effectively, are user centred, and integrate with firm systems.
  • Support the evaluation, piloting and responsible adoption of AI enabled research tools, including assessing strengths, limitations and appropriate use cases, supporting colleagues in using AI tools appropriately and ethically, and contributing to internal guidance, training and best practice around AI assisted research.
• Collection, Serials & Resource Management
  • Manage subscriptions, including renewals, invoicing and catalogue records.
  • Maintain and develop collection records and metadata, ensuring accuracy, accessibility and usability.
  • Support international offices to ensure holdings are accurately recorded.
  • Assist with the review, withdrawal or reclassification of outdated or superseded materials.
• User Services & Liaison
  • Act as a visible and approachable point of contact for lawyers and business services teams, delivering responsive, high quality support.
  • Manage access to online resources, including new joiner/leaver processes and permissions administration.
  • Participate in service development projects and initiatives that enhance the value and impact of research and knowledge support across the firm.
  • Contribute to the promotion, marketing and continuous improvement of Global Research and Resources Hub services.

Key Skills & Experience Required

• Essential
  • Significant experience delivering legal and business research within a professional services or legal environment.
  • Strong knowledge of legal information sources, research methodologies and current awareness tools.
  • Proven ability to analyse and synthesise complex information into clear, practical outputs.
  • Experience designing and delivering training, with an emphasis on user focussed and digital learning approaches.
  • High level of digital literacy, including research platforms, intranets and content management.
  • Excellent communication, collaboration and stakeholder management skills.
• Desirable
  • Experience supporting or evaluating AI enabled research tools in a legal or information context.
  • Understanding of data quality, research risk and ethical considerations in AI assisted research.
  • Experience working with library systems, serials management and knowledge platforms.
  • Interest in service innovation and continuous improvement within research and knowledge functions.

Additional Information

Please note that this job description is not contractual, and may be amended periodically to meet the changing needs of the Firm. Due to the high volume of applications, we will only contact candidates who have been shortlisted for an interview. Please note that HFW works with a Preferred Supplier List (PSL). Recruitment agencies should refrain from submitting CVs unless they are part of the PSL and have been specifically engaged for a particular vacancy.

HFW aims to ensure equality of opportunity and we are actively working towards improving the diversity of our staff. All applications will be considered only on merit and the applicant's suitability to meet the requirements of the role. HFW collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants to manage its recruitment process. The firm is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations. For information on how the firm will process your data, please see our Privacy Notice on our website, in the section "What we collect and how we use it".