Legal Counsel

AbbVie; England; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pharmaceutical company in the UK is looking for an experienced legal professional to manage legal affairs specific to the UK and Ireland. This role requires strong leadership and experience as in-house counsel in the pharma and medical device sectors. Responsibilities include providing legal advice, managing external counsels, and ensuring compliance with regulations. The ideal candidate will be proactive in identifying issues and developing effective legal strategies to support business goals. This is a full-time position offering the opportunity to influence critical business operations.

Qualifications

• Qualified as a solicitor or equivalent in the UK.
• Previous experience as an in-house counsel preferably in a pharma and medical device business.
• Ability to identify and address issues proactively in a timely manner.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day business operations providing legal advice.
• Develop and maintain legal templates and guidelines.
• Assist on litigation matters.
• Interact with and manage external counsels.
• Provide support in corporate governance and regulatory inspections.

Skills

Qualified solicitor in the UK

Experience in pharma and medical device business

Hands-on attitude

Ability to develop compliant business solutions

Cross-functional and cross-border management

Proactive issue identification

Structured and process oriented

Alignment with company values

Tools

Document Management

Job description

Job Overview

The role will be responsible for the general legal affairs relating to the United Kingdom & Ireland. The role will form part of the UK & Ireland Leadership Team and will also require working with third party stakeholders including external counsels. This position serves as an ambassador role and requires strong leadership to manage both routine and critical situations.

Key Responsibilities

• Support and assist day-to-day business operations of AA providing proactive and practical clear & concise legal advice in all areas of law and regulation with prioritization on the UK & Ireland local goals and objectives
• Develop and maintain a range of legal templates and legal guidelines to share with non-legal teams in the relevant territory and draft / review a various range of commercial contracts
• Assist on litigation matters
• Interact with and manage external counsels
• Advice on commercial policies and competition law related matters
• Support business on commercial claims and disputes with competitors and / or other third parties with specific regards to the advertising and promotion of products
• Manage legal risk and prevent legal issues
• Monitor anticipate and report changes to the applicable legislation that are of direct or indirect interest of the organization
• Provide support and legal assistance to functional programs in all areas of the AA including corporate governance internal audit data protection regulatory inspections and audits incident management security and disaster recovery litigation reports real estate projects and / or leasing of facilities
• Assist as needed the HR function for relevant employment law related matters the Global Product Protection function for counterfeit and diverted product matters and the Company Secretariat function
• Perform secondary IP work in coordination with Corporate IP Department
• Manage in coordination with the AA Area Legal function the legal budget for the UK & Ireland
• Ensure goals and objectives are fully aligned to business
• Complete timely and in accordance with companys code of ethics policies procedures SOPs and all the administrative tasks relating to the employment status of the in-house lawyer.

Qualifications

• Qualified as a solicitor or equivalent in the UK
• Previous experience as an in-house counsel preferably in a pharma and medical device business
• Hands‑on attitude
• Ability to take complex business situations and develop solutions to ensure compliant business activities
• Ability to work cross‑functionally & cross‑border and manage complexity
• Ability to identify and address issues proactively in a timely manner
• Structured and process oriented business‑minded
• Endorses and acts according to AA values and leadership behaviors

Additional Information

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity driving innovation transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer / Veterans / Disabled.

Employment Type: Full-time

Key Skills: HR Development, Delivery, Flooring, Irrigation, ACCA, Document Management