Senior Legal Counsel, Litigation in London

This is a senior litigation role responsible for advising on and managing some of Shell's most material, high-profile and strategically significant disputes globally. The role includes complex commercial litigation, climate and ESG-related matters, and collective actions. You will provide professional, timely, cost-effective and commercially focused legal advice and support across a broad range of contentious matters. Specifically, you will develop litigation strategies, oversee external counsel, and help the business navigate a dynamic legal and stakeholder environment.

The role requires close collaboration with Shell's businesses and functions, including Legal, Corporate Relations, Finance, and external stakeholders. You will engage with senior leaders, business partners, technical experts and external counsel while helping shape Shell's approach to emerging litigation risks and legal developments. The position requires mature strategic judgment, strong leadership behaviours, commercial awareness and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced and high-visibility environment.

What you’ll be doing:

• Manage complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes involving significant legal, financial, operational, or societal dimensions.
• Develop and execute end-to-end dispute resolution strategies, from early risk assessment through final resolution, including procedural strategy, advocacy approaches, settlement negotiations, stakeholder management and reputational risk considerations.
• Provide specialist legal advice to senior management and key stakeholders on contentious matters, including litigation exposure, dispute risk, governance and strategic decision-making.
• Collaborate with business and functional teams to assess, manage and mitigate legal and reputational risks arising from disputes, enabling informed business decisions and supporting Shell's strategic objectives.
• Direct and oversee external counsel, experts and other advisers to ensure high-quality advocacy, effective litigation strategy, disciplined case management and cost-efficient delivery of legal services.
• Ensure robust litigation governance, including privilege considerations, disclosure obligations, reporting requirements, records management and financial provisioning processes.
• Monitor global litigation trends, emerging legal risks, climate and ESG developments, collective redress mechanisms.
• Support the development and implementation of dispute prevention, risk mitigation and lessons-learned initiatives across the organization.
• Mentor and support the development of junior lawyers and legal professionals, fostering an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing team culture.

What you bring:

• Qualified to practice as a solicitor, barrister, or equivalent legal professional in a common law jurisdiction.
• Fluent written and spoken English.
• Advanced experience managing and advising on complex litigation and/or arbitration, including significant commercial disputes, class actions, cross-border disputes or other high-value, high-risk matters.
• Experience managing disputes with material financial, operational or reputational implications is desirable.
• Relevant experience in climate change or broader ESG-related litigation, environmental claims or business and human rights matters is considered highly advantageous.
• Ability to prioritize effectively and work under pressure in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple competing matters simultaneously while operating with a high degree of autonomy, exercising sound judgment on where Legal can add the greatest value and escalating issues appropriately.
• Legal excellence demonstrated through strong analytical, communication and problem-solving capabilities, sound litigation judgment, high-quality drafting and negotiation skills, strategic thinking and the ability to understand commercial drivers and to distill complex legal issues into clear, actionable business advice.
• Demonstrable track record as a collaborative team player with the ability to develop and sustain trusted relationships with business and functional colleagues, external counsel and stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Self-motivated and self-directed, able to prioritize workload and work independently while also contributing effectively as part of a broader legal team, knowing when to seek guidance from line management or subject matter experts.
• Ability to operate effectively in a global, matrixed organization, influencing stakeholders and driving outcomes across functions, businesses, geographies and cultures, often without formal authority.
• Maximizes performance by focusing on high-value, high-risk matters, using resources effectively, managing external counsel efficiently and leveraging digital tools to improve productivity and reduce low-value activity.
• Digital fluency and AI-readiness are critical. Demonstrates confidence in adopting emerging technologies and using AI-enabled legal tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, CoCounsel, legal analytics platforms and e-discovery technologies) to enhance quality, efficiency, consistency and insight in legal support.
• Values-led, acting with honesty, integrity and respect for people. Demonstrates a clear commitment to the highest standards of ethical and compliant behavior, inclusive leadership and a learner mindset, characterized by curiosity, adaptability, openness to feedback and a commitment to continuous growth, including embracing innovation and independently developing expertise in emerging legal risks and evolving areas of dispute resolution and sharing those learnings with the wider legal community.

What we offer:

• You bring your skills and experience to Shell and in return you work with a team of talented, committed people.
• You'll have the opportunity to develop the skills you need to grow in an environment where we value honesty, integrity and respect for one another.
• You'll be able to balance your priorities as you become the best version of yourself.
• Continuously grow the transferable skills you need to get ahead.
• Work at the forefront of technology, trends and practices.
• Collaborate with experienced colleagues with unique expertise.
• Achieve your balance in a value-led culture that encourages you to be the best version of yourself.
• Benefit from a range of flexible working options.
• Perform at your best with a competitive starting salary and annual performance related salary increase.
• Take advantage of paid parental leave, including for non-birthing parents.
• Join an organisation working to become one of the most diverse and inclusive in the world.

We strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientation and life experiences to apply.

Shell is working to advance an inclusive, psychologically safe and accessible environment where people with disabilities can excel. If you require any accommodations or accessibility adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know directly. We strive to ensure that our process and workplace is accessible to everyone and are dedicated to making reasonable adjustments to support your needs.

Shell UK remains one of the North Sea’s biggest producers, supplying around 10% of the UK’s total oil and gas needs. Shell UK aims to play a crucial role in strengthening energy security and delivering its 2050 net-zero goal.