HR Business Partner

Lawhive; London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A legal tech startup in London is seeking a seasoned HR Business Partner to manage performance reviews, embed engagement initiatives, and advise leadership on employee relations. Ideal candidates have proven experience in a high-growth environment and a strong understanding of UK employment law. Enjoy 34 holidays, equity options, and discounts on legal fees. Join a passionate team dedicated to improving access to legal services.

Benefits

34 Holidays (25 days annual leave + your birthday off + bank holidays)

Equity (Share Options)

Pension

Regular team building activities

20% off legal fees

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a standalone or lead HR Business Partner in a high-growth environment.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law, with US exposure preferred.
• Hands-on experience managing complex employee relations cases.

Responsibilities

• Manage performance review cycles with leadership.
• Embed cultural engagement initiatives.
• Advise on people risks balancing commercial needs and employee experience.
• Build HR foundations and evaluate benefits for retention.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Knowledge of UK employment law

Employee relations expertise

Commerciality

Job description

About Lawhive

We’re on a mission to make sure everyone has access to the law.
Lawhive is an online platform for consumers and small businesses to get legal help for a fraction of the cost of a law firm. Our platform combines regulated human lawyers collaborating alongside the world’s first AI lawyer, specifically built for consumer legal work.
Equal access to the law is one of the biggest and most pressing unsolved problems in society today. We’re passionate about leveling the playing field and believe access to the law should be a basic utility in society.
Our AI lawyer Lawrence is built on top of our own fine tuned LLM and recently passed the UK’s bar exam equivalent.
We’re backed by some of the top US and UK VC funds including Google Ventures, Balderton Capital and TQ Ventures. We recently secured a $40M Series A funding round to facilitate international expansion and to grow our team, representing one of the five largest Series A rounds in Europe for 2024.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner with the COO and leadership team to manage performance review cycles.

• Act as a cultural steward, embedding engagement initiatives and supporting leadership in building a high-performing environment.

• Advise leadership on people risks, balancing commercial needs, legal requirements, and employee experience.

• Build HR foundations: policies, processes, reporting, and evaluate cost-effective benefits to improve retention and support scaling.

• Lead on all employee relations matters, including grievances, disciplinaries and investigations.

• Support post-acquisition people integration, ensuring a smooth cultural and operational transition.

• Prepare the company for growth by implementing pragmatic HR processes that scale without excessive bureaucracy.

Key Requirements:

• Proven experience as a standalone or lead HR Business Partner in a high-growth or scale-up environment.

• Strong knowledge of UK employment law, with exposure to US employment considerations preferred.

• Hands-on experience managing complex employee relations cases and leading performance-related exits.

• Track record in building HR infrastructure and implementing retention initiatives from scratch.

• Commercially astute, able to balance risk with speed in a scaling business.

• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills at leadership level.

Benefits

️ 34 Holidays (25 days annual leave + your birthday off + bank hols in England)

Equity (Share Options)

Pension

️ Regular team building activities and socials!

20% off legal fees through Lawhive