Legal Counsel

Informa PLC; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global B2B events company in London is seeking a Legal Counsel to provide legal guidance and oversight for Tech Festivals. You will manage commercial contracts, collaborate with stakeholders, and navigate legal complexities while enabling business objectives. Candidates should have relevant legal experience, particularly in commercial law and intellectual property. This role offers growth opportunities within a vibrant team culture.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Private medical cover

Career development initiatives

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• 18 months - 3 years of qualified legal experience.
• Strong experience within an in-house legal function.
• Demonstrated expertise in commercial legal matters.

Responsibilities

• Lead the review, drafting and negotiation of commercial contracts.
• Provide strategic guidance for commercial engagements.
• Manage and resolve third party disputes.

Skills

Commercial law

Contract negotiation

Intellectual property management

Stakeholder management

Data privacy compliance

Job description

Overview

We are currently recruiting for a talented Legal Counsel to join the Informa Festivals Legal Team in London. This is an exciting opportunity to become a valued business partner to a global B2B events business. Reporting directly to the Head of Legal for Informa Festivals and working closely with the divisional and vertical Leadership teams, you will principally provide strategic legal guidance and oversight to the Tech Festivals vertical (London Tech Week, Africa Tech Week and Asia Tech Week) within Festivals. The role requires a proactive, business-oriented legal mind with broad legal acumen who excels at ensuring compliance with laws, whilst balancing mitigating legal risks with enabling business objectives. You will need strong expertise in commercial law, contract negotiation, intellectual property management, and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Commercial Transactions:
  • Lead the review, drafting and negotiation of a range of high value, sometimes cross-border commercial contracts, agreements & licences with customers and supplier.
  • Provide strategic guidance for commercial engagements with global clients and suppliers, and joint venture partners.
  • Update various agreement templates to align with changing business policies, legal risks and regulatory compliance requirements.
  • Lead support to the verticals on complex IP/copyright-related matters.
  • Draft agreements and technical documentation to support the development and implementation of new digital products, including AI.
  • Support business development opportunities by providing input on and reviewing proposals.
  • Attend to a wide range of other commercial legal matters across the Tech Festivals vertical, including regulatory and compliance matters (such as data privacy compliance), legal due diligence investigations and supporting integration of M&A targets.
  • Take a lead on managing and resolving third party disputes within the Tech Festivals vertical, alongside the Head of Legal for Festivals.
• Stakeholder Collaboration:
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with the vertical leadership team and act as a trusted advisor to the brand teams.
  • Provide strategic legal counsel on critical business decisions in order to optimise legal risk and financial outcomes.
  • Play an active role in the Informa Festivals Legal Team, participating in team initiatives and cross brand collaborations.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with the joint venture partners, external advisors and (where relevant) industry associations and bodies.
  • Liaise as required with senior management and other colleagues in the wider Group and Global Support functions including the L&G team (e.g. HR Legal, Compliance, Co Sec, Data Privacy).
  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to influence stakeholders at all levels, including excellent written and verbal communication skills with an ability to explain complex legal issues in a clear and simple manner.
  • Commercially minded with strong understanding of business needs and the ability to balance legal considerations with commercial objectives/strategic imperatives.
  • Ability to align legal strategies with the company's business goals, helping to navigate challenges and seize opportunities.
  • Strategic thinking with strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
  • An enthusiastic and proactive approach to work, with an ability to prioritise effectively.
  • Comfortable rolling up your sleeves and managing a variety of tasks simultaneously in a dynamic and fast paced environment.
  • An eagerness to learn!
  • A keen desire to contribute to a strong, fun and high performing team culture.
• Qualifications & Experience:
• 18 months - 3 years of qualified legal experience (PQE is a guide).
• Strong experience within an in-house legal function, either through secondments or prior in-house experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in commercial legal matters of varying complexity, legal risk management, governance, and commercial law; good understanding of Data Privacy and AI issues would be beneficial.
• Experience of managing and resolving legal disputes to an effective solution is desirable.

About Informa

At Informa, no two days and no two people are the same, and you'll find the freedom, opportunity and support of a fantastic community to make a real impact. We're an international business that connects specialists with knowledge, helping them to learn more, know more and do more through live and on demand events, digital and data-driven services and academic research. We are home to over 10,000 colleagues across 30 countries and are a member of the UK's FTSE 100 group of leading public companies. We are proud to have earned recognition in Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2025 UK list.

In Global Support, we provide expert guidance and hands-on support to the Informa Group and Informa's many business teams. Across tech, finance, legal, corporate development, HR, communications, operations and many other areas, we work collaboratively and flexibly to help our brands serve their customers and help the company succeed.

Life at Informa

We believe that great things happen when people connect face-to-face. We work in-person with colleagues 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, you get the flexibility and support to work from home or remotely. We offer a rewarding, supportive and enjoyable environment with a range of benefits:

• Great community: in-person and online social events, Walk the World charity day, and diversity and inclusion networks
• Volunteer time: up to four days per year with charity match funding
• Career development: bespoke training, mentoring platforms and on-demand courses
• Time off: 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, birthday leave, and flexible work options
• Private medical cover, ShareMatch scheme, wellbeing support, and more
• Global collaboration opportunities

EEO statement and other required notices can be included here as applicable.