Associate/Senior or Principal Associate - Commercial

eArcu; Oxford; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Wide range of benefits

Flexible working options

Job summary

Mills & Reeve in Oxford is seeking an Associate/Senior or Principal Associate to join our Commercial team. You’ll handle high‑quality commercial, IT and IP work for a diverse client base, including tech businesses, universities and research institutions, with strong support from partners.

The role offers clear progression, opportunities to develop business, and a dynamic, collaborative culture in a fast‑growing office.

Qualifications

• 2–10 years PQE in commercial law with a focus on IT/IP work.
• Experience at a City or leading regional law firm; in-house experience is advantageous.
• Ambition to build business and client relationships within a growing Oxford office.

Responsibilities

• Advise on commercial contracts, IT and IP matters for diverse clients.
• Develop client relationships and identify new business opportunities.
• Support team leadership and contribute to firm initiatives.

Skills

Commercial contracts

IT law

IP law

Business development

Client relationships

Leadership

Job description

Associate/Senior or Principal Associate - Commercial (0606)

We are hiring a Commercial Solicitor to join our Oxford office, as part of our growing national practice.

The role

Build your career at the heart of one of the UK's leading innovation economies.

Mills & Reeve's ambitious Oxford office is growing rapidly, and we're looking for an experienced commercial solicitor to help shape its next chapter. You'll work with a diverse client base including international technology businesses, scale-ups, university spin‑outs, academic institutions and science park developers.

You'll combine first-class legal work with the opportunity to build relationships, develop business and play an active role in the growth of the office and wider firm. You'll receive strong support from the partners to develop your skillset, whilst offering great progression opportunities.

The person

You'll be a commercially minded solicitor, with between 2 and 10 years PQE. You'll offer strong technical experience in commercial, IT and/or IP law, gained within a City or leading regional firm. In-house experience would be an advantage.

Pragmatic, curious and client focused, you'll understand what makes businesses tick and provide clear, practical advice that adds real value. You'll also bring enthusiasm for networking, business development and creating lasting client relationships.

Oxford offers a unique opportunity to work at the heart of a world‑leading research, technology and innovation ecosystem, supporting international businesses, scale‑ups, university spin‑outs and academic institutions

The activities

You'll advise on:

• Commercial contracts and strategic projects
• High-value supply and purchasing arrangements
• Agency, distribution and outsourcing agreements
• IT agreements and intellectual property licensing
• Data protection matters

You'll also develop client relationships, identify new opportunities, contribute to firmwide initiatives and, depending on experience, support team supervision and leadership activities.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

The benefits

As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits.

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three year employment history and a self‑declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre-screening employment process are available upon request.

Use of AI during the recruitment process

Technology is changing rapidly and we are all increasingly using AI software in our day to day lives, as well as using it to support our learning and professional development.

Here at Mills & Reeve, we embrace the use of technology and AI and we recognise that candidates may use AI tools to support their applications. As a regulated industry, we expect candidates to use such tools responsibly, honestly and in a manner that allows us to make a fair and accurate assessment of their individual skills, experience and suitability for the role.

Please ensure you have thoroughly read the document attached below tounderstand what we deem acceptable uses of AI.

The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We tell them what they need to know when they need to know it.

We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don't offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations. Our 1,450 plus people and over 850 lawyers share one vision - achieving more for clients.

By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that's not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. We're also ranked in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and have been awarded Platinum Investors in People. Our mantra is "Achieve more. Together.", which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase!

Our values are the principles that help us fulfil our purpose. Our people shaped them and live them every day.

• We're ambitious - We aim high, we embrace new ideas and we're passionate about our work
• We're open - We communicate openly and honestly to build trust, and we do what's right
• We care - We're committed to each other, our clients, our communities and the planet
• We collaborate - We're easy to work with, we offer help willingly and we get things done - together

And finally

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these.