Associate General Counsel

Birketts; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Long Service holiday award

Private Healthcare

Staff Profit Share

Salary sacrifice

Life Assurance

Job summary

Birketts, a UK Top 50 law firm, seeks an Associate General Counsel to lead the Enterprise Risk, Legal & Governance function. You will integrate governance, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience with a forward‑looking strategy, influencing Partners and senior leaders to drive resilient, well‑governed growth across the firm.

You will shape the governance model, manage risk, and develop leadership capability, while partnering with statutory offices to deliver the firm’s regulatory

Qualifications

• Legally qualified with substantial post-qualification experience.
• Regulatory governance knowledge within a professional services context.
• Advising Partners and senior stakeholders on complex legal and regulatory matters.
• Balancing technical excellence with practical delivery and commercial awareness.
• Leading teams and evolving operating models in governance or risk functions.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across governance, legal, resilience and regulatory capabilities.
• Shape the Enterprise Risk, Legal & Governance operating model to remain clear and proportionate.
• Act as trusted adviser and challenger to governance forums and senior stakeholders.
• Unify Legal Advisory, Governance, Operational Resilience and AML/Financial Crime into a cohesive function.
• Identify emerging risk themes and enable clear, confident responses.
• Champion operational resilience and proportionate risk management frameworks.
• Lead and develop a leadership team and drive capability development.
• Partner with regulatory role holders to support responsibilities and obligations.
• Undertake statutory, regulatory and governance duties as a designated role holder.

Skills

Legal credibility

Strategic perspective

Senior stakeholder influence

Commercial awareness

Collaboration

Team leadership

Governance & regulatory insight

Clear communication

Integrity & judgment

Ambiguity management

Education

Qualified solicitor/advocate

Job description

Business Services, Ipswich, Norwich, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Bristol, Sevenoaks

Main information

Term type:

Permanent

Department:

Business Services

Location:

About us

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning over 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: real estate, corporate services, dispute resolution and private client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges and opportunities they may face. Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do.

With our ambition to succeed comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our Responsible Business strategy. Birketts is a certified B Corporation™, and diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 45% of our partnership as of 1 April 2026.

The team you will join

You will join Birketts’ Enterprise Risk, Legal & Governance function at a pivotal point in its development. This is a highly visible, collaborative team with a firmwide remit, working alongside Partners, senior leaders and statutory office holders to help the business look ahead, make confident decisions and respond effectively to change.

Bringing together legal advisory, governance, operational resilience and AML & financial crime expertise, the function plays an important role in protecting and enabling the firm’s continued growth. For the right candidate, it offers the opportunity to shape how these capabilities work together and make a meaningful impact across the organisation.

The work you will be doing

This is a rare opportunity to take on a senior, strategic role at the heart of a growing and ambitious law firm. As Associate General Counsel, you will help set the direction for how Birketts approaches governance, legal risk, operational resilience and regulatory complexity.

You will lead the firm’s evolving Enterprise Risk, Legal & Governance function, bringing together Legal Advisory & Governance, Operational Resilience and AML & Financial Crime into a clear, connected and future-focused model.

Working closely with Partners, senior leaders and statutory office holders, you will influence how the firm anticipates change, manages complexity and makes well-informed decisions. You will turn legal, regulatory and risk considerations into practical business outcomes, helping the firm remain resilient, well governed and positioned for continued success.

This role will suit an experienced legal professional who is ready to move beyond traditional advisory work and take a broader leadership position across governance, risk and organisational capability. It offers scope to shape strategy, develop people and capability, and make a visible contribution to the next stage of Birketts’ growth.

In this role, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership across the firm’s governance, legal, resilience and regulatory capabilities.
• Shape the continued development of the Enterprise Risk, Legal & Governance operating model, ensuring it remains clear, proportionate and aligned to the firm’s ambitions.
• Act as a trusted adviser and constructive challenger to governance forums, leadership teams and senior stakeholders.
• Bring together Legal Advisory & Governance, Operational Resilience and AML & Financial Crime so each area works with clear purpose, accountability and connection.
• Support the identification and escalation of emerging risk themes, helping the firm respond with clarity and confidence.
• Champion operational resilience, assurance and control frameworks that support effective, practical and proportionate risk management.
• Lead and develop a specialist leadership team, supporting capability development, succession planning and continuous improvement.
• Partner with statutory and regulatory role holders to support the effective delivery of their responsibilities and the firm's regulatory obligations.
• Undertake delegated or appointed statutory, regulatory and governance responsibilities, including acting as a designated role holder where appropriate.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone who combines legal credibility with strategic perspective, sound judgement and the ability to influence at senior level. You will be comfortable operating in complex environments, bringing clarity to ambiguity and building trusted relationships across the firm. In addition you will be:

• Legally qualified, with substantial post-qualification experience.
• Experienced in a regulated professional services environment, with a strong understanding of governance, regulatory frameworks and professional standards.
• Confident advising Partners and senior stakeholders on complex legal, regulatory, governance or risk-related matters.
• Able to balance technical excellence with commercial awareness, practical delivery and proportionate decision-making.
• A natural collaborator who can build credibility, provide constructive challenge and bring together diverse perspectives.
• Experienced in leading teams, building capability and improving operating models, governance arrangements or ways of working.
• Able to see how legal, governance, operational resilience, financial crime and wider organisational priorities connect.
• Known for integrity, sound judgement and calm, objective leadership in sensitive or challenging situations.
• Curious about emerging legal, regulatory, technological and business developments, and able to translate insight into action.
• A clear, confident communicator who can adapt style and approach for different audiences and situations

Hybrid Working

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. This role attracts a split of 60% office days and 40% working from home days per week.

We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance

As a B Corporation, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.

If you require this advert in an accessible format, please visithttps://diversityjobsgroup.com/company/birketts/

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

At Birketts, we recognise the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal profession and recruitment. We welcome innovation and understand that candidates may use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we expect all applicants to use AI responsibly and ethically.

Our expectations regarding AI use in applications

• Your application should reflect your own voice, experiences, and insights. AI may assist in structuring or refining your responses, but it must not replace your personal input.
• Do not use AI to misrepresent your qualifications, experiences, or skills. Any form of exaggeration or fabrication may result in rejection from the process.
• If you have used AI tools to assist with your application, be prepared to discuss how and why you used them during the interview process.
• Do not submit content generated by AI tools that may include personal or sensitive data not intended for public disclosure.
• AI-generated content should be reviewed and edited by you to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the role and our firm’s values.

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment practices. The use of AI should enhance, not compromise your application. We encourage candidates to demonstrate critical thinking, commercial awareness, and a genuine interest in our firm.

If you have any questions about our expectations or the use of AI in your application, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team via [e-mail]