Graduate Legal Counsel - Tech Sector

Canonical; London; Hybrid; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software company is seeking a Graduate Legal Counsel based in London. This role involves drafting and negotiating contracts, providing legal support, and collaborating with teams globally. The ideal candidate holds a law degree and demonstrates excellent organizational skills, a passion for technology, and the ability to work well in diverse environments. Competitive compensation and benefits, with opportunities for growth and development, are offered.

Benefits

Personal learning and development budget

Annual compensation review

Maternity and paternity leave

Qualifications

• Exceptional academic track record.
• Drive and record of exceeding expectations.
• Professional written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial contracts.
• Provide legal support to internal clients.
• Interface with cross-functional teams.

Skills

Strong organizational skills

Effective teamwork

Commercial judgment

Attention to detail

Passion for technology

Education

Degree in law (JD or equivalent)

Job description

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Graduate Legal Counsel - Tech Sector, London

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Client:

Canonical

Location:

London, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Reference:

8a06fe4941fb

Job Views:

7

Posted:

12.08.2025

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Job Description:

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is very widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with + colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office-based roles. Teams meet two to four times yearly in person, in interesting locations around the world, to align on strategy and execution.

The company is founder-led, profitable, and growing.

We are expanding our in-house legal team, creating an opportunity for an exceptional recent graduate as junior Legal Advisor or junior Legal Counsel. The successful candidate will be a rigorous and effective practitioner with a track record of academic achievement and social engagement. At Canonical they will have the opportunity to work on a variety of transactional matters in the technology and enterprise software realm, as well as the contracts that underpin global employment, contracting and partnerships. In this appointment we are more focused on ability than experience; the position is open to applicants with a relevant degree, but does not have a requirement for extensive work experience. The successful candidate will work closely with our in-house legal team and colleagues worldwide.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate good commercial judgment as well as being organized, efficient, and capable to provide high quality legal and commercial advice. We are looking for a rigorous work ethic, detailed analysis, conscientiousness, and the ambition to identify opportunities for improvement.

Location: This role is home based in Europe, the Middle East, Africa or the Americas, with the option of our London office.

The role entails

• Report to our global general counsel
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial contracts with customers and vendors in many countries across the globe
• Provide legal support to various internal clients across the company, including Canonical’s sales organization
• Interface with cross-functional teams to support company initiatives
• Utilize Canonical’s contract management system to ensure accurate data is maintained for signed contracts
• Work with local counsel in many countries to seek and implement advice

What we are looking for in you

• An exceptional academic track record from both high school and university
• A degree in law, JD or equivalent, and active license to practice law or current progress towards that
• Drive and a track record of going above-and-beyond expectations
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced, multi-cultural environment
• Effective both independently and as part of a team
• A passion for technology evidenced by personal initiatives and projects
• Professional written and spoken English with excellent drafting and presentation skills
• Confidence to respectfully speak up, exchange feedback, and share ideas without hesitation
• Appreciative of diversity; polite and effective in a multicultural multinational organization
• Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability
• Thoughtfulness and self-motivation
• Result-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments
• Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks long

Nice-to-have skills

• Experience in commercial transactions, intellectual property, or corporate law
• Leadership and the ability to influence others to embrace new ideas or practices
• Understanding of the open source software community and values
• Understanding of the technology industry - silicon, data centers, PCs, connected devices, and software
• Experience working on in-house legal team and/or law firm

What we offer colleagues

We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We revisit compensation annually (and more often for graduates and associates) to ensure we recognize outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus or commission. We provide all team members with additional benefits which reflect our values and ideals. We balance our programs to meet local needs and ensure fairness globally.

• Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person
• Personal learning and development budget of USD 2, per year
• Annual compensation review
• Recognition rewards
• Annual holiday leave
• Maternity and paternity leave
• Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform
• Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues
• Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long-haul company events