Legal Counsel

UCL AI Centre; London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

UCL seeks a high calibre Legal Counsel - Commercial to cover maternity leave in London. The role involves providing crucial legal advice concerning contracts, disputes, and governance while working within a dynamic in-house team. Candidates must be qualified solicitors or barristers with a strong legal background and commercial acumen.

Benefits

41 Days holiday

Defined benefit pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

On-site nursery

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Qualifications

• Relevant post-qualification experience at a leading law firm or in-house role.
• Experience addressing a wide range of legal issues.
• Up-to-date technical knowledge and sound judgement.

Responsibilities

• Drafting and negotiating complex agreements.
• Managing legal disputes and advising on various regulatory matters.
• Liaising with colleagues and external advisers.

Skills

Strong knowledge in relevant areas of law

Commercial acumen

Analytical skills

Ability to manage workload

Education

Qualified solicitor or barrister

Job description

Ref Number B27-00095 Professional Expertise Legal, Governance and Secretariat Department Office of General Counsel (B27) Location London Working Pattern Full time Salary See advert text Contract Type Fixed-term Working Type Hybrid Available for Secondment No Closing Date 15-Jun-2025

About Us

Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, UCL is London's leading multidisciplinary university, with more than 18,000 staff and 51,000 students from over 150 different countries. UCL’s Legal Services Team, which is part of the Office of the General Counsel, is responsible for providing advice to the University on a wide range of legal matters.

About The Role

We're looking for a high calibre, senior legal professional on a fixed term basis to cover a period of maternity leave.

As the Legal Counsel - Commercial, you'll be a key member of the University’s in-house Legal Services team and will be responsible for providing advice on a wide range of legal matters relating to the University including: drafting and negotiating complex agreements, managing disputes, and advising on: intellectual property issues, research agreements, regulatory matters (including export controls and NSI, clinical trials regulation, financial regulation, health and safety), charity matters, governance issues, research ethics and the legal aspect of funding agreements.

You’ll promote good governance and will liaise with colleagues at all levels within the University (and its subsidiary companies) and with external advisers. You'll lead on specific projects and will support the Director of Legal Services in ensuring an effective and highly respected in-house Legal Services team.

About You

A full job description is attached to this advert.

Role

For this job you will need to be a qualified solicitor or barrister, with relevant post–qualification experience at a leading law firm or equivalent in-house role. You will also need to have:

• Strong knowledge and experience in relevant areas of law, including clinical trials and research regulation
• Good commercial acumen and a well-developed knowledge of contract law and experience in negotiating contracts
• Experience dealing with a range of legal issues on a self-standing basis and a willingness to take on new tasks in unfamiliar areas
• The ability to manage and prioritise a varied workload in a timely and cost-effective manner
• Up-to-date technical knowledge, excellent analytical skills, sound judgement and demonstrable experience operating and influencing at senior management and board level
• An appreciation of the dynamics of higher education and an empathy with academic endeavour, without necessarily having worked in the HE sector
  
  

Please review our job description, paying particular attention to the essential and desirable criteria, and ensure these are covered in your application.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits, some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance
  
  

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

• download: JD for Legal Counsel mat cover.docx