In-House Counsel

Clifton Search; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Clifton Search is seeking an in-house solicitor for a newly created role based in Bristol. You will advise across a broad range of commercial matters, support governance and regulatory compliance, and work closely with senior leaders and stakeholders on strategic projects.

Key duties include handling disputes with external counsel, drafting and negotiating contracts, and contributing to M&A activity when required. The role is hybrid with 1–2 days in the Bristol office.

Qualifications

• Qualified UK solicitor with experience across commercial matters.
• Experience handling disputes and liaising with external counsel.
• Proven ability to draft, review and negotiate a wide range of contracts (commercial, licences, NDAs).
• Experience in regulatory compliance and corporate governance activities.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal guidance on a broad range of commercial matters to business teams and executives.
• Manage disputes and coordinate with external counsel as needed.
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial contracts, collaboration agreements, licences and NDAs.
• Support regulatory compliance including competition, anti-bribery and international trade rules.
• Assist with company secretarial duties and internal governance processes.
• Support mergers, acquisitions and strategic business transactions as required.

Skills

Commercial contracts

Dispute resolution

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Regulatory compliance

Corporate governance

In-house experience

Education

Qualified UK Solicitor

Job description

The role

This is a newly created position working in a small in-house legal team based in Bristol.

Supporting an international organisation, you will provide commercially focused legal advice across a diverse portfolio of business activities.

Working closely with senior leaders and key stakeholders, you'll support complex commercial arrangements, disputes, regulatory compliance activities, governance matters and strategic projects.

Responsibilities include;

• Providing legal advice and guidance to business teams and executive stakeholders on a broad range of commercial matters.
• Management of disputes on behalf of the organisation and liaising with external counsel.
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts, collaboration agreements, licences, non-disclosure agreements and strategic framework agreements.
• Supporting regulatory compliance activities across areas including competition law, anti-bribery and international trade requirements.
• Assisting with corporate governance activities, including company secretarial responsibilities and internal compliance matters.
• Supporting mergers, acquisitions and other strategic business transactions when required.

Essential requirements

• Qualified UK Solicitor
• Experience handling a range of disputes work.
• Experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts.
• Experience gained within private practice, in-house legal teams, or a combination of both.
• Demonstrable ability to provide pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice.
• Ability to work independently while building strong collaborative relationships across a business.
• Excellent communication, presentation, drafting, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

This is a hybrid Bristol based role requiring 1-2 days office time per week.