In-House Legal Counsel

BCL Legal In-House; England; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A fast-growing private-equity-backed group in the United Kingdom seeks a Junior In-House Commercial Lawyer for a hybrid position. This role offers unique exposure across various sectors, with responsibilities that include drafting commercial contracts, supporting acquisitions, and advising on strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate is a qualified solicitor with 1-3 years' PQE, demonstrating strong communication skills and a proactive approach. Benefits include ample holiday, hybrid work environment, and significant professional development opportunities.

Benefits

25 days' holiday plus bank holidays

Birthday off

Enhanced leave for key life events

Health and wellbeing support

Qualifications

• 1-3 years' PQE in commercial law.
• Interest in how businesses operate.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Drafting and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Developing contract templates and playbooks.
• Supporting acquisitions and due diligence.
• Advising on data protection and privacy matters.
• Managing disputes and property-related legal work.
• Delivering legal guidance to non-lawyers.

Skills

Qualified solicitor

Strong communication

Organizational skills

Proactive ownership of matters

Education

Law degree

Job description

unior In-House Commercial Lawyer

Hybrid (North West HQ + home working)

Competitive salary + strong benefits

Are you a junior commercial lawyer looking to move in-house (or already in-house and keen for more responsibility)? This is a rare opportunity to join a fast-growing, private-equity-backed group at an exciting stage of its journey and build a genuinely broad in-house skillset.

You’ll join a lean, high-impact legal team and work closely with an experienced General Counsel who is invested in your development. From day one, you’ll be trusted with real responsibility, supported to grow, and exposed to the full spectrum of in-house legal work.

The role

This is a hands‑on, varied in‑house position with exposure far beyond "BAU contracts". You’ll support multiple businesses across different sectors and work on matters that directly influence growth, strategy and risk.

Your work will include:

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts (including supplier, customer, SaaS/technology and service agreements)
• Maintaining and developing contract templates, playbooks and databases
• Supporting acquisitions, including due diligence and post‑deal integration
• Advising on new products, new markets and strategic initiatives (including AI‑related projects)
• Working on data protection and privacy matters alongside specialist teams
• Supporting IP and brand protection across multiple jurisdictions
• Advising HR teams on employment matters, policies and contracts
• Managing disputes, risk issues and property‑related legal work
• Delivering practical legal guidance and training to non‑lawyers

You’ll gain real insight into how a modern, acquisitive business operates and play a role in shaping how the legal function scales.

Why this is a great role for a junior lawyer

• Breadth of exposure you won’t get in most early‑career roles
• Direct access to the General Counsel and senior stakeholders
• A chance to develop commercially, not just technically
• Real autonomy, balanced with support and mentoring
• Clear scope to grow as the business grows

About you

You’ll likely be:

• A qualified solicitor with 1-3 years' PQE
• Commercially curious and interested in how businesses work
• Practical, proactive and comfortable taking ownership of matters
• A strong communicator who can work with non‑lawyers
• Organised and able to juggle multiple priorities

Nice to have (but not essential):

• In‑house experience
• Commercial contracts exposure
• Experience in technology, SaaS or subscription‑based businesses

Benefits

• 25 days' holiday plus bank holidays
• Your birthday off
• Enhanced leave for key life events
• Health and wellbeing support
• Hybrid working (typically 3-4 days in the office)