Senior Legal Associate in London

An opportunity has arisen to recruit a Senior Legal Associate with experience of advising on project development, construction, procurement and operational matters for energy & infrastructure projects to join our growing Legal team. The legal team works closely with our commercial, technical and finance teams to provide high quality, business focused advice and support. We play an active part in commercial decision making and risk management alongside our commercial teams. This role will focus on supporting the legal team in all activities related to the development and commercial management of our power projects. This will involve working closely with the project development, engineering and procurement teams and external stakeholders. The role will be based in our London office with the requirement for occasional travel to meetings in the UK and Ireland.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and lead the drafting, preparation, negotiation and execution of a wide range of construction, procurement and commercial contracts.
• Identify and manage legal, commercial and contractual risks and ensure appropriate mitigations are in place.
• Develop and maintain policies around contract approvals, template management and document retention.
• Provide clear, pragmatic and commercially focused legal advice to multi-disciplinary teams across our business units with new build projects and development opportunities.
• Advise internal stakeholders on risk exposure and dispute resolution strategies.
• Assist with any contractual disputes, litigation and arbitration matters, including pre-action strategy and formal proceedings.
• Develop and support internal governance and approval processes, including coordinating with compliance, risk, finance and other internal stakeholders as appropriate.
• Instruct and manage various external counsel to obtain, challenge and finalise legal advice, opinions and drafting on various projects and agreements.
• Track and code external legal spend ensuring alignment with budget expectations.
• Carry out factual and legal research as required.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Background

• Demonstrable PQE experience - essential.
• Experience working in house - desirable.
• Previous experience within the energy or infrastructure sectors - desirable.
• Experience in procurement, vendor management, supplier relationship management or contract management - desirable.
• Experience drafting and negotiating key construction contracts - desirable.
• Experience of advising on and managing disputes within the infrastructure or energy sectors - desirable.
• Advising on and drafting FIDIC and MF/1 contracts - desirable.

Behaviours

• Ability to successfully coordinate, prioritise and manage a varied workload in a fast-paced environment and capable of exercising mature judgement.
• Capable of displaying initiative and critical thinking.
• Able to identify risks and advise on and progress dispute resolution strategies.
• Able to use legal AI tools to enhance efficiency.
• Displays a strong, professional attitude and takes pride in delivering work to the highest standards, demonstrating attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to liaise effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Willingness to learn more about the energy sector or an existing interest in the energy sector.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in law from an accredited university or college; or equivalent degree in another subject and a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) from a recognised university or college.
• English law qualified or foreign qualification with English law SQE completed.