Legal Counsel

AJ Bell; Manchester; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

AJ Bell seeks a proactive Legal Counsel to support its Group Legal Director. The role involves providing legal guidance on commercial contracts, consumer rights, and regulatory compliance within a collaborative legal team. This position offers substantial professional growth in a reputable financial services firm.

Benefits

27 days holiday entitlement, increasing to 31

Pension scheme with matched contributions

Discretionary bonus scheme

Health Cash Plan

Private healthcare and dental plan

Free gym membership

Ongoing technical training

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3-6 years PQE required.
• Experience with commercial contracts, regulatory requirements and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Reviewing and advising on commercial agreements and terms of business.
• Supporting regulatory requirements and liaising across business areas.

Skills

Commercial awareness

Negotiation skills

Problem solving

Interpersonal skills

Organisational skills

Education

Qualified solicitor in England and Wales

Job description

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Are you a qualified solicitor who is looking for an in-house role supporting an award winning investment platform?

We are now recruiting a Legal Counsel role to support the Group Legal Director and Company Secretary in delivering a wide range of legal services to the business.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a progressive individual to move into a role in an expanding Legal team that offers the opportunity for growth and professional development.

What does the job involve?

Liaising with other areas of the business to identify and service their requirements, including:

• Reviewing and advising on a range of commercial agreements, including third party supplier agreements and standard terms of business, amending and negotiating any necessary changes, either directly or via other business areas
• Updating and reviewing customer terms and conditions with other relevant business areas, including Product teams and Risk and Compliance
• Researching and responding to a wide range of one-off legal and technical queries
• Supporting and enabling the business to achieve its regulatory requirements, including consumer duty
• Working closely with key stakeholders, particularly those within the Technology Services and Product teams and obtaining internal approvals as required

What we're looking for:

• A qualified solicitor in England and Wales, ideally 3-6 years PQE
• Commercial contract experience gained either in a reputable national law firm (or equivalent) and/or in-house

Hands on experience of one or more of the following areas:

• general commercial contracts, including a range of service agreements and consultancy agreements
• technology contracts, including software licences, SaaS and agile software development agreements.
• consumer terms and conditions and marketing or financial promotions terms and conditions

Some degree of exposure to the following would be beneficial, but is not essential at outset of role:

• data protection
• corporate transactions and company law
• pensions and trusts law

Knowledge & Skills

• Relevant experience and willingness to expand skillset
• Commercial, proactive and practical approach to problem solving and the provision of legal advice
• Confident, resilient and enthusiastic
• Good planning and organisation skills
• Self-motivated and able to work without close supervision or secretarial support
• Capable of explaining technical legal issues in a way non-lawyers can understand and interpreting instructions given by non-lawyers
• Capable of communicating legal advice clearly both in writing and verbally at all levels
• Flexible and capable of working on multiple tasks at the same time, changing priorities where needed
• Good interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills
• Able to build strong working relationships and gain respect and trust at all levels

About us

AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 593,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £90.4 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.

Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company.

Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,500 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For’ forsix consecutive yearsand in 2024 named a Great Place to Work.

Our perks and benefits

• Starting holiday entitlement of 27days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service and a holiday buy and sell scheme
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 8%
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Annual free share awards scheme
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
• Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth
• Private healthcare scheme and dental plan
• Free gym membership, with an on-site gym providing a wide range of free classes
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Sick pay+ pledge
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
• Discounted nursery fees at Kids Planet on Exchange Quay
• Loans for travel season tickets
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
• Parking at Exchange Quay (subject to availability)
• Ongoing technical training
• Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
• Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.

AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work.