Legal Counsel

Informa Plc; London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global B2B events company in London is seeking a talented Legal Counsel to provide strategic guidance and oversight to the Tech Festivals vertical. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in commercial law, contract negotiation, and stakeholder management. This role involves managing complex legal matters and ensuring compliance with laws while enabling business objectives. Competitive benefits and a supportive work environment are offered.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus a birthday leave day

Flexible working arrangements

Company funded private medical cover

ShareMatch scheme

Strong wellbeing support

Qualifications

• Experience in managing legal disputes and providing strategic guidance.
• Strong understanding of data privacy and AI issues.
• History of in-house legal function experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead review and negotiation of high-value commercial contracts.
• Provide strategic guidance for global client engagements.
• Update agreement templates for compliance with legal changes.
• Manage and resolve third party disputes within the vertical.

Skills

Commercial law

Contract negotiation

Intellectual property management

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Education

Qualified legal experience in the UK (18 months - 3 years PQE)

Job description

Overview

Company Description: Informa Festivals Legal Team in London seeks a talented Legal Counsel to join the team as a valued business partner to a global B2B events business. This role is base in our 5 Howick Place, London office. Reporting directly to the Head of Legal for Informa Festivals and working closely with 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, while balancing mitigating legal risks with enabling business objectives. You will need strong expertise in commercial law, contract negotiation, intellectual property management, and stakeholder management. The Informa Festivals Legal Team sits within the Informa PLC Legal & Governance Team, a highly regarded and award-winning business partner to the Informa Group.

Key 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.
• Updating various agreement templates to align with changing business policies, legal risks and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Leading support to the verticals on complex IP/copyright-related matters.
• Drafting 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.
• Taking 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).

Key Competencies and Skills

• 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

• 18 months - 3 years of qualified legal experience (PQE is a given as a guide only) in the UK.
• 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 as well as a good understanding of Data Privacy and AI issues, relevant law and regulation would be beneficial.
• Experience of managing and resolving legal disputes to an effective solution, is desirable.

Additional Information

We believe that great things happen when people connect face-to-face. We work in-person with each other, or with customers and partners, three days a week or more. When not in one of our offices or at an Informa event, you get the flexibility and support to work from home or remotely.

We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone. See what our colleagues have to say at LifeAt.Informa.com.

Our benefits include:

• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available
• Career opportunity: bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. Internal job moves are encouraged and supported
• Time out: 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, plus a birthday leave day and the chance to work from almost anywhere for up to four weeks a year
• A flexible range of personal benefits to choose from, plus company funded private medical cover
• A ShareMatch scheme that allows you to become an Informa shareholder with free matching shares
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP, mental health first aiders, a healthy living subsidy, health apps and more
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programmes
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world

We’re not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most – although not all – of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application.

If you would like to request reasonable adjustments or accommodations to assist your participation in the hiring process and/or in the advertised position, please inform the appropriate Talent Acquisition Partner for the role once they have been in touch. Your request will be reviewed and considered in confidence. At Informa, you\'ll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law. See our website for full information.

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