IP Legal Counsel Taylor & Francis

Informa Group Plc.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading legal services provider is seeking a Legal Counsel to join their team in London or Oxford. This position involves providing legal guidance on various commercial matters, including contracts, intellectual property rights, and dispute resolutions. The ideal candidate will have approximately three years of post-qualification experience and strong communication skills. Enjoy a flexible working culture with a healthy work-life balance, including 25 days of annual leave and several benefits that support employee well-being.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus a day off for your birthday

Flexible working culture

Company funded private medical insurance

Discretionary days off

Share Match Plan

Pension scheme

Employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with 3 years PQE, adaptable to various levels.
• Experience in advising on commercial/contract law.
• Ability to communicate complex legal issues clearly.

Responsibilities

• Advise on content-related legal issues including copyright and defamation.
• Draft and negotiate commercial contracts.
• Support resolution of third-party disputes and collaborate with stakeholders.
• Develop and deliver training on legal topics.

Skills

Commercial contract law

Intellectual property

Dispute resolution

Privacy and data protection

Excellent communication

Education

Qualified lawyer with around 3 years PQE

Job description

We are currently recruiting for a talented Legal Counsel to join the Taylor & Francis legal team.

This role is based in our 5 Howick Place London office OR our Milton Park Oxford office.

In this role you will be responsible for supporting Taylor & Francis on all legal matters related to the business including advising on commercial agreements and intellectual property, reputation management and defamation issues, supporting the resolution of disputes, tracking key legislative and policy developments, updating and drafting commercial contract templates and providing legal training and guidance to the business.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Taylor & Francis legal team, a highly respected and valued business partner with lawyers based in the UK (London and Oxfordshire), the US (Philadelphia) and Singapore. The Taylor & Francis legal team combines technical legal expertise with commercial insight and an appreciation for the business objectives to provide constructive, balanced and effective advice.

You will also sit within the wider Informa Legal and Governance community which consists of around 90 colleagues globally, including specialists in M&A, employment law, compliance and privacy/data protection. This gives the benefit of drawing on the expertise of such specialists where required.

Responsibilities and keys to success

This role will have a broad commercial remit supporting Taylor & Francis teams on a wide range of legal matters. Responsibilities are expected to include:

• Advising on content-related issues both pre- and post-publication including issues related to copyright, defamation and privacy
• Drafting, negotiating and advising on a wide range of commercial contracts including customer contracts, publishing agreements, author / editor contracts, distribution and agency agreements, supplier agreements and IT / technology contracts
• Supporting the business on the resolution of third party disputes and working in close collaboration with internal Taylor & Francis stakeholders including the Editorial, Commercial, Communications and Ethics teams as appropriate
• Maintaining, updating and creating (where necessary) Taylor & Francis commercial contract templates including author / editor and Society publishing agreements, service agreements, IT / technology contracts, licensing agreements and confidentiality agreements
• Building effective working relationships with the Taylor & Francis senior leadership team and wider business functions to build engagement and understanding of legal risk and promote the legal function
• Collaborating effectively with the other lawyers in the Taylor & Francis legal team to ensure a consistent and effective approach to managing legal risk across the business globally
• Assisting with developing and delivering training and guidance notes on legal topics to business colleagues
• Liaising with and instructing external counsel where necessary
• Representing Taylor & Francis at external industry events, trade bodies and initiatives as appropriate

Qualifications

• A qualified lawyer with around 3 years post-qualification experience (PQE is given as a guide only. This will not be a determining factor of suitability and applicants of other levels of PQE are encouraged to apply.)
• Experience of advising clients on commercial / contract law issues, IP / copyright issues, data protection and disputes
• Experience of advising on technology / IT contracts is desirable but not essential
• Experience of building effective working relationships with clients or stakeholders in a business
• Prior inhouse experience and/or experience of the publishing industry is desirable but not essential; more important is a genuine interest in working in the publishing sector and keeping up to date on developments in laws, regulations and industry trends impacting publishing

Skills and behaviours

• A professional, organised, enthusiastic and proactive approach to work with an ability to prioritise effectively
• Practical commercial thinker able to find pragmatic and workable solutions
• Ability to exercise commercial judgment and balance business needs with legal risk in a commercial, constructive and business‑sympathetic way
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including an ability to explain complex legal issues in a clear and simple manner to a non‑legally trained audience
• Good team player who has a growth mindset and a desire to assist with a variety of tasks
• Ability to take ownership and work independently where required
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to work cooperatively with others and to build strong relationships with internal stakeholders

Location

We believe that great things happen when people connect face‑to‑face. That’s why we work in‑person with each other or with customers and partners three days a week or more. When you’re not spending time together in one of our offices or other workplaces like at conference you get the flexibility and support to work from home or remotely.

The successful candidate will be able to utilize our balanced working model. We ask that candidates live within a commutable distance of our offices (5 Howick Place London or Milton Park Oxford) to ensure that as a balanced worker they can make it to our office locations to collaborate as required. There is an expectation for a minimum of 3 days per week in‑person time.

What we offer in return

• An excellent work / life balance with a fantastic flexible working culture
• 25 days annual leave per year plus a day off for your birthday
• 3 additional discretionary days off during the holiday season at the end of the year
• 4 paid volunteering days each year
• Company funded single cover private medical insurance
• Employee assistance programme offering 24 / 7 well‑being support
• Share Match Plan that matches every share purchased with two free shares.
• Pension scheme
• Life assurance plus optical and medical care

Equal Opportunity Employer

Taylor & Francis is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe in and value diversity of people and thought fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where all colleagues can learn and succeed as their true selves. Taylor & Francis recruits, develops and retains colleagues without regard to any protected personal characteristics or other non‑merit based factor.

Employment Type

Full‑time