Legal Counsel - Commercial Contracts & Disputes (Construction) in Leeds

Lanes Group is a leading service provider to the UK’s critical water and wastewater infrastructure networks, operating at scale across some of the most complex and demanding programmes in the country. Backed by one of the world’s leading investment firms and entering a significant investment cycle, we are building our legal function and looking for our first legal hire to join our in-house team working directly with the General Counsel.

Purpose of the role: This is a broad role, well suited to a lawyer with relevant and transferable experience who can operate confidently across both transactional and contentious matters. You will advise across the full contract lifecycle - from tender through to dispute resolution - predominantly on the construction and engineering contracts that underpin how we deliver services, alongside the wider commercial arrangements that support a large, fast-moving business. You will also play an active part in building the governance architecture of a growing organisation, contributing to how legal oversight, risk management and compliance are structured and embedded across the business. This role suits a commercially minded lawyer ready for real ownership - whether coming from private practice or already in-house and looking for more variety, autonomy and pace in a PE-backed, fast-growth environment.

Location: Open to candidates based in Yorkshire, Manchester or Lancashire.

Key Responsibilities:

• Advise on the full construction and commercial contract lifecycle, including tenders, subcontracts, supply chain arrangements, variations and frameworks - providing timely, practical advice that operational and commercial teams can act on.
• Review, draft and negotiate construction and engineering contracts including NEC, JCT, and bespoke forms, with a clear focus on risk allocation and commercial outcome.
• Lead early-stage dispute identification and risk assessment, working with operational teams to prevent escalation where possible.
• Support alternative dispute resolution processes, including adjudication, mediation and negotiation.
• Provide training and guidance to operational and commercial teams on common dispute themes, contract risks and best practice.
• Develop and maintain legal playbooks, guidance notes and standard approaches for contracts and disputes.
• Oversee contract management processes across the business, ensuring contracts are properly executed, stored and tracked in accordance with Group policies – including maintaining and enforcing signing authorities, approval procedures and delegation frameworks to ensure governance compliance.
• Partner with commercial and operational teams to strengthen contract administration and reduce exposure to disputes.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of legal processes, particularly around dispute handling, tracking and reporting.
• Ensure strong record-keeping and audit trails to support effective dispute resolution and legal compliance.
• Support internal governance processes by providing updates on dispute status, risk and financial exposure.

Required:

• Relevant experience in construction law, commercial contracts and disputes, or broader transferable experience across transactional and contentious matters.
• Experience working with a range of construction/engineering contracts.
• Commercially minded, with the ability to provide clear, practical advice.
• We are seeking candidates with around 4–6 years’ PQE; however, we will also consider applicants who can demonstrate the required level of experience.

Desirable:

• Previous in-house legal experience.
• Experience within infrastructure, utilities, or engineering sectors.
• Interest in improving legal processes, systems and efficiency.

The Benefits:

• 24 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Flexible working.
• Free on-site parking.
• Company Pension.

Living the Company Values: By embedding our companies core values and purpose into each role, ensures that every employee, regardless of their role or level, understands how their individual development and contributions align with our purpose of ‘improving today for a better tomorrow’.

Your Contribution to the company:

• Strive to be always positive and constructive.
• Adhere to all company policies.
• Straight talking about the facts of the situation – open discussions are the best way to find solutions.
• Help others through communicating clearly.
• Deliver on commitments.
• Ensure that any ideas that may enhance the productivity or systems of the company are brought to the attention of Senior Management, or your colleagues.
• Deliver our Company Values understanding that by working together in unity we are ‘Stronger Together’.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: At Lanes Group, we are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered. We believe that our differences make us stronger and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all employees. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups. Join us in our commitment to creating a more inclusive and diverse world.