In House Construction Solicitor

LHH; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

LHH is recruiting an experienced Commercial Solicitor to join its in-house legal team within an international consultancy operating across the built environment in the United Kingdom. The role focuses on construction contracts, professional appointments and risk management across major projects.

You will advise on liability, insurance and contract terms, draft and negotiate, and work directly with senior stakeholders to balance legal protection with commercial objectives.

Qualifications

• Experience of professional appointments and construction-related documentation.
• Strong understanding of contractual liability, indemnities, insurance and risk allocation.
• Excellent drafting and negotiation skills.
• Ability to identify significant risk within complex contractual documents.
• Confidence advising senior commercial and operational stakeholders.
• Pragmatic approach balancing legal protection with commercial objectives.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing deadlines.
• Ability to supervise or support junior legal colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating construction contracts and professional appointments.
• Advising on standard-form and bespoke contractual terms.
• Identifying and negotiating liability, indemnities, insurance and limitations of liability.
• Reviewing collateral warranties, novations, assignments and project documentation.
• Advising on contractual and professional risk.
• Negotiating directly with clients, contractors and external advisers.
• Providing clear, commercially focused advice to senior stakeholders.
• Liaising with insurance brokers and external counsel.
• Supporting management of claims and disputes.
• Supervising and developing junior members of the legal team.
• Improving internal precedents, processes and risk-management procedures.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Team supervision

Legal advisory

Education

Qualified solicitor

Job description

Commercial Solicitor

We are recruiting an experienced Construction Solicitor to join the in-house legal team of a successful international consultancy operating across the built environment.

This is a commercially important role for a lawyer with strong experience of construction contracts and professional appointments. You will advise on the contractual and legal risks associated with complex projects, working closely with senior stakeholders across the business.

The position offers considerable autonomy, high-quality work and the opportunity to play a visible role in the organisation’s approach to contractual risk.

The role

You will take responsibility for a varied construction and commercial legal workload, including:

• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating construction contracts and professional appointments
• Advising on standard-form and bespoke contractual terms
• Identifying and negotiating provisions relating to liability, indemnities, insurance, warranties and limitations of liability
• Reviewing collateral warranties, novations, assignments, reliance letters and associated project documentation
• Advising the business on contractual and professional risk
• Negotiating directly with clients, contractors and external legal advisers
• Providing clear, commercially focused advice to senior stakeholders
• Liaising with insurance brokers, professional indemnity insurers and external counsel
• Supporting the management of actual and potential claims
• Advising on construction-related disputes and debt recovery matters
• Supervising and developing junior members of the legal team
• Improving internal precedents, processes and risk-management procedures

You will work closely with the business throughout the life cycle of projects, helping stakeholders understand and manage risk while supporting commercially viable outcomes.

About you

You should also be able to demonstrate:

• Experience of professional appointments and construction-related documentation
• A strong understanding of contractual liability, indemnities, insurance and risk allocation
• Excellent drafting and negotiation skills
• The ability to identify significant risk within complex contractual documents
• Confidence advising senior commercial and operational stakeholders
• A pragmatic approach to balancing legal protection with commercial objectives
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing deadlines
• The ability to supervise or support junior legal colleagues

Applications are welcomed from construction lawyers currently working in-house or in private practice. Experience within an engineering, design, consultancy, infrastructure or wider built-environment business would be particularly relevant.

Why consider this opportunity?

• High-quality and complex construction contracts work
• Direct involvement in significant projects
• Regular interaction with senior stakeholders
• Genuine ownership of contractual negotiations
• Broad exposure to professional risk, insurance and claims
• The opportunity to supervise and develop junior colleagues
• An international and multidisciplinary working environment
• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits (to be discussed verbally)