Legal Counsel

News UK; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media company in the UK is seeking a qualified solicitor to join their commercial legal team. The role involves drafting and negotiating various agreements, providing legal advice, and working in a hybrid environment that promotes collaboration. With a minimum of 2 years' PQE, candidates should have strong commercial law knowledge and exceptional contract negotiation skills. This firm offers several perks, including private medical insurance and generous holiday leave.

Benefits

Private medical insurance

Discounted gym memberships

Generous pension scheme

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Qualifications

• 2 to 5 years post-qualification experience (PQE).
• Excellent knowledge of commercial IP and content acquisition contracts.
• Understanding of Data Protection.

Responsibilities

• Draft and negotiate a variety of commercial agreements.
• Provide clear legal advice across business areas.
• Contribute to internal legal processes.

Skills

Contract drafting and negotiation

Commercial law knowledge

Communication of legal advice

Risk mitigation strategies

Education

Qualified solicitor in England and Wales

Job description

Responsibilities

• Drafting, negotiating, and interpreting a variety of commercial and rights agreements to support our brands.
• Negotiating and drafting commercial agreements including outsourcing and MSAs.
• Negotiating relevant contracts for the sales, acquisitions and marketing teams.
• Advise on necessary rights for content creation and use; support content acquisition and distribution contracts.
• Provide clear and concise commercial legal advice across business areas.
• Help develop and understand risk mitigation strategies for contractual and content-related risks.
• Contribute to the maintenance of internal legal templates and continuous improvement of the Commercial Legal Team processes.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with the right to practice in England and Wales.
• 2 to 5 years post‑qualification experience (PQE).
• Excellent knowledge of commercial IP, content distribution, and acquisition contracts; commercial law is essential.
• Experience and understanding of technology and emerging technologies and platforms is highly desirable.
• Understanding of Data Protection.
• Demonstrable strong skills in contract drafting and negotiation.
• Ability to communicate legal advice clearly and concisely in a commercial environment and provide effective commercial solutions to clients. Can influence colleagues to achieve successful outcomes.
• Dynamic approach; able to work in a fast‑paced environment and adapt to differing demands and project deadlines.

News UK is one of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our news brands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday, and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market‑leading local stations across Ireland. We provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month across print, pixel, audio, video, events and experiences.

At News UK, we embrace a hybrid work model, currently requiring a minimum of three days per week in the office. The approach fosters collaboration, innovation and team spirit. Certain roles may require additional in‑office days; please discuss specific requirements with your recruiter.

To ensure that our stories resonate with the broadest audience, our organisation reflects the diversity of the people we reach. We champion a culture where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and thrive through our Diversity Strategy. Groups we support include the African & Caribbean Network, Parents and Carers, LGBTQ+ group News Is Out and the Apprentice Society.

Some of our benefits include:

• Private medical insurance including coverage for pre‑existing conditions.
• Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at home, weekly in‑person/virtual exercise classes.
• 'Bikes for Work' and 'Electric Car' scheme.
• Up to 60 % discount on Harper Collins books.
• Maternity leave up to 18 weeks at full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks.
• Access to exclusive events and competitions with talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times; weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities.
• Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling.
• A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5 %.
• Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access.
• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays and up to 4 volunteering days per year.