General Counsel in Wolverhampton

We are Wolves. English football’s original innovators. As a founding member of the Football League, we boast one of the richest histories in the beautiful game, shaping modern football while always staying true to our Old Gold roots. Our purpose is to make our pack proud by uniting our city, inspiring our communities and delivering.

We challenge ourselves to be brave, embrace new ideas and take ownership of our actions, while earning trust through integrity, respect and humility. United as One Pack, we care for one another, celebrate our differences and work together to achieve more than we ever could alone. At Wolves, we honour our past while shaping our future. Creating lasting memories for our supporters, our city and each other.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. We expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment. This means that the post-holder is required to apply all relevant policies and uphold the Club’s commitment to safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk.

Job Purpose

The General Counsel is responsible for leading and managing legal, governance, regulatory, compliance and safeguarding legal matters across Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club and its associated entities. The role provides strategic legal advice to the Board, Senior Leadership Team and all departments of the Club, ensuring that legal risk is appropriately identified, managed and mitigated while supporting the achievement of the Club's sporting, commercial and community objectives.

The General Counsel acts as a trusted adviser to senior leadership and is responsible for establishing and maintaining appropriate governance frameworks, overseeing regulatory compliance, managing significant disputes and investigations, protecting the Club's commercial interests, and ensuring that safeguarding considerations are embedded throughout the organisation. The Club’s Head of Safeguarding and Legal Counsel report into the General Counsel.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Legal Leadership
  • Serve as the Club's principal legal adviser and advise the Board and Senior Leadership Team on all significant legal, regulatory and governance matters.
  • Develop and implement the Club's legal strategy and identify and manage material legal and regulatory risks across the organisation.
  • Instruct and manage relationships with external legal advisers and specialist consultants.
• Commercial and Contractual Matters
  • Oversee the Club's legal support for all commercial activities, including significant commercial agreements, strategic partnerships, intellectual property and new commercial initiatives.
  • Lead negotiations and legal input on strategically significant and high-value commercial arrangements.
  • Protect and exploit the Club's intellectual property rights (and manage the Club’s trademark portfolio).
  • Ensure contractual governance and approval processes are maintained.
• Football Regulatory and Sporting Matters
  • Advise on Premier League, FA, EFL, FIFA and UEFA regulatory matters.
  • Provide legal advice in relation to Premier League and EFL financial and SCR regulations.
  • Provide legal guidance to ensure compliance with the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) requirements.
  • Provide legal support in connection with football transactions, managerial/backroom staff contracts and other significant sporting matters.
  • Advise on significant football disciplinary, safeguarding and integrity investigations.
  • Lead engagement with football authorities on legal and regulatory matters where required.
• Governance and Corporate Affairs
  • Oversee the Club's corporate governance framework and advise the Board and shareholders on company law, directors' duties and constitutional matters.
  • Lead legal input into significant corporate transactions, restructurings and investments and oversee subsidiary governance and company secretarial matters.
• Compliance and Risk Management
  • Lead the Club's legal compliance programmes and risk-management framework.
  • Advise on anti-bribery, anti-corruption, sanctions, competition law and other regulatory obligations.
  • Develop and maintain legal policies, procedures and governance controls.
  • Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting the football industry and wider business operations.
  • Proactive identification of material legal risks and timely escalation to the Executive Chairman and Board.
• Data Protection and Privacy
  • Oversee the Club's approach to data protection, privacy and information governance, including significant data incidents and regulatory matters.
  • Provide strategic advice on data governance and emerging technology risks.
• Safeguarding
  • Assume role as Club’s Senior Safeguarding Lead, providing executive oversight and legal support to the safeguarding function.
  • Provide legal and strategic support on significant safeguarding concerns and investigations.
  • Support compliance with Premier League, EFL, FA and statutory safeguarding requirements.
  • Support the Head of Safeguarding to ensure safeguarding considerations are appropriately embedded across Club activities.
  • Chair the Club's Safeguarding Executive Board and maintain appropriate relationships with relevant regulators and agencies.
• Employment and Workplace Matters
  • Oversee the provision of external employment law advice to the Club, working closely with the HR Director.
  • Advise senior management on significant or sensitive employee-relations matters, investigations, disciplinaries and executive appointments/exits.
  • Provide strategic legal advice on equality, diversity and inclusion matters where required.
  • Provide support on internal investigations & disciplinaries as and when required.
  • Lead the Club's strategy in relation to litigation, arbitration, mediation and regulatory proceedings.
  • Oversee Club’s response to legal claims, complaints and investigations.
• Leadership Responsibilities
  • Lead and develop the Legal & Safeguarding team.
  • Promote a culture of integrity, accountability and compliance.
  • Build effective relationships across all Club departments and ensure the Legal function operates as a trusted business partner to operational and commercial stakeholders.
  • Support and mentor colleagues to improve legal awareness and risk management throughout the Club.

General Responsibilities

• Compliance with Club policies.
• Compliance with the Club’s health and safety procedures.
• Compliance with the Club’s safeguarding policies.
• To promote and support the Club’s values:
• One Pack: Collaborate, build trust and care for each other.
• Be Brave: Be bold, honest, and embrace challenges with courage.
• Raise our Game: Seek improvement and strive for excellence in everything we do.
• Own It: Act with integrity and take full responsibility for actions and results on and off the pitch.
• Stay Humble: Show respect, listen to others and leave egos at the door.
• To work consistently to embed equality & diversity into the Club.
• To undertake such other duties as may be reasonably expected.
• To maintain professional conduct at all times.

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. We expect all those associated with WWFC to share this commitment. This means that the post-holder is required to apply all relevant policies and uphold the Club’s commitment to safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

The post holder will demonstrate a strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, supporting the organisation’s strategic aims to remove barriers and address inequality. You will play an active role in promoting an inclusive, discrimination-free environment that ensures fair access to opportunities and resources. This includes fostering a culture of dignity, respect, and belonging where everyone is empowered to contribute, perform, and reach their full potential.

Key Relationships

• Internal: Board of Directors, Executive Chairman, Football authorities, leagues and governing bodies, Academy, HR Department.
• External: External legal advisers, Insurers, Wolves Foundation, Commercial partners, Regulatory authorities.

Scope of the Job

Responsible for strategic legal leadership across the Club, including setting legal priorities, allocating internal and external legal resources, and overseeing expenditure relating to legal services and specialist advice.

Person Specification

Knowledge: Essential: Strong technical expertise in commercial/contract law, strong understanding of governance, compliance and risk management, expertise in negotiation and dispute management, practical knowledge of data protection and privacy law, strong appreciation of commercial drivers within professional sport, understanding of safeguarding legislation, policies and procedures, wellbeing knowledge in relation to supporting children, young people and adults at risk, knowledge of football regulatory frameworks.

Desirable: Experience of governance within professional sport.

Technical/Work-Based Skills: Essential: Strategic thinker with excellent commercial judgement, strong negotiation and influencing skills, ability to balance legal risk with operational realities.

General Skills and Attributes: Essential: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, ability to operate effectively at Board and Senior Leadership level, high levels of integrity, discretion and professional judgement, strong leadership and stakeholder-management capabilities, understanding of how to work safely with children, young people and adults at risk to uphold safeguarding best practice, promote, adhere to and implement the Club’s Equality Policy.

Experience: Essential: Significant post-qualification legal experience gained in private practice and/or senior in-house roles, experience advising executive leadership teams and boards, experience leading complex commercial negotiations, experience managing disputes, investigations and regulatory matters, experience developing governance and compliance frameworks, experience leading and managing legal resources.

Desirable: Experience within professional sport, media, entertainment or other highly regulated industries, experience of football regulatory and safeguarding matters, working with children and/or vulnerable adults.

Qualifications: Essential: Qualified Solicitor of England & Wales (or equivalent recognised jurisdiction), current practising certificate (where applicable), post-holder must hold or obtain at the earliest opportunity and maintain the relevant safeguarding training, post-holder will be subject to a DBS check at the appropriate level.

Desirable: Company Secretarial, Governance or Compliance qualifications.