Legal Counsel

ANS Group; Manchester; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

ANS Group in Manchester is seeking a commercially minded Legal Counsel to join its Legal & Compliance team. You will work with senior stakeholders across sales, technology, product, and leadership to shape commercial decisions while balancing risk and opportunity.

This role involves drafting and negotiating customer contracts, supplier and partner agreements, data protection documents, and supporting corporate transactions in a fast-paced technology business.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate.
• Around 2–5 years' post-qualification experience.
• Experience in a law firm and/or in-house legal team.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills with the confidence to manage discussions independently.
• Able to build relationships with stakeholders and explain legal concepts in plain English.

Responsibilities

• Manage your own pipeline of commercial legal work from instruction through to completion.
• Draft, review and negotiate customer contracts, supplier agreements, partner agreements and data protection docs.
• Support sales teams with contract negotiations and customer legal queries.
• Advise on legal aspects of new products and services in collaboration with Product and Marketing teams.
• Support corporate transactions, including acquisitions, investments and shareholder matters.
• Manage commercial disputes and debt recovery matters.
• Improve and automate legal processes, including adoption of AI and technology within workflows.
• Develop legal templates, guidance notes and best practices.

Skills

Drafting

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Commercial awareness

Technology interest

Education

Solicitor qualification

Job description

Legal Counsel

At ANS, we're helping organisations unlock the power of cloud, data, AI and digital transformation. As we continue to grow, we're looking for a commercially minded Legal Counsel to join our Legal & Compliance team and play a key role in supporting the business as we deliver our ambitious growth plans.

This is an opportunity for a lawyer who wants more than just legal drafting and contract reviews. You'll work closely with senior stakeholders across sales, technology, product, customer success and leadership, helping to shape commercial decisions while balancing risk and opportunity.

Whether you're currently in private practice and looking to make your first move in-house, or already building your career within an internal legal team, this role offers genuine variety, responsibility and the chance to develop alongside a fast-paced technology business.

What you’ll be doing

As Legal Counsel, you'll support ANS across a broad range of commercial, corporate and compliance matters, including:

• Managing your own pipeline of commercial legal work from instruction through to completion.
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating customer contracts, supplier agreements, partner agreements and data protection documentation.
• Supporting our sales teams with contract negotiations and customer legal enquiries.
• Advising on the legal aspects of new products and services, working closely with our Product and Marketing teams.
• Supporting corporate transactions, including acquisitions, investments and shareholder matters.
• Managing commercial disputes and debt recovery matters.
• Helping to improve and automate legal processes, including the adoption of AI and technology within legal workflows.
• Developing legal templates, guidance notes and best practice materials.
• Reviewing and updating internal policies and governance documentation.
• Supporting compliance activity, including ISO audits and wider regulatory requirements.

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who combines strong legal expertise with commercial awareness and a pragmatic approach.

You’ll likely:

• Be a qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate.
• Have around 2-5 years' post-qualification experience, including returners.
• Have experience gained in a law firm and/or an in-house legal team.
• Possess strong drafting and negotiation skills with the confidence to manage discussions independently.
• Be comfortable building relationships with stakeholders across a business and explaining legal concepts in plain English.
• Enjoy balancing commercial objectives with appropriate risk management.
• Have a keen interest in technology and the evolving impact of cloud, data and AI on businesses and legal practice.
• Be highly organised with excellent attention to detail and strong prioritisation skills.
• Experience in commercial, corporate or technology law would be particularly valuable, but we're equally interested in candidates with transferable experience and the right mindset.

Why join the ANS Legal team?

At ANS, you'll be joining a collaborative and approachable Legal & Compliance team that is highly visible across the business and involved in some of the company's most important commercial initiatives.

You’ll report directly to our General Counsel, an ex-Magic Circle lawyer with 15 years’ experience across technology and commercial law. This gives you a fantastic opportunity to take real ownership of your work while benefiting from hands‑on coaching, support and development from an experienced legal leader.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Work on varied and high-impact legal matters.
• Gain hands‑on exposure to technology, cloud and AI‑led solutions.
• Partner directly with commercial and senior business stakeholders.
• Be part of a business that values innovation and continuous improvement.
• Develop your career within a growing and market‑leading technology organisation.
• Contribute to the evolution of legal operations through technology and automation.

You’ll thrive in this role if you…

• Enjoy taking ownership of your own workload and managing matters independently.
• Like working closely with commercial teams and helping drive business outcomes.
• Are pragmatic, solutions‑focused and commercially aware.
• Enjoy variety and are comfortable switching between different types of legal work.
• Want to develop your understanding of emerging technologies, AI and digital transformation.