Legal Counsel

Navigator Gas; Slough; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A global shipping company is seeking a Legal Counsel to provide legal support across its international business units, focusing on corporate and commercial matters. This position involves managing legal risks, drafting and negotiating contracts, and assisting in compliance. The ideal candidate is an English law qualified solicitor or barrister with 4 to 6 years of PQE, preferably in maritime law. This is a great opportunity within a dynamic organization, and the role is offered as a 12-month fixed-term contract.

Qualifications

• 4 to 6 years' PQE, preferably in maritime law.
• Experience in drafting and reviewing commercial contracts.
• Comfortable working independently in a team.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support to Navigator's business units globally.
• Draft and negotiate contracts including NDAs and finance documentation.
• Manage legal risks and ensure compliance with obligations.

Skills

English law qualification

Customer-focused approach

Ability to communicate effectively

Adaptable and willing to learn

Ability to prioritize workload

Education

Solicitor or barrister qualification

Job description

Reporting to the Group's General Counsel, as Legal Counsel for Navigator Gas, you will be responsible for providing legal support to each of Navigator's business units, across our offices all over the world, including the U.K., Denmark, U.S.A., Poland and the Philippines. You will have a diverse workload focused on corporate and commercial matters, including corporate secretarial and governance, regulatory compliance and commercial contracts. Navigator's in-house legal function was created in 2021 following a new company strategy launch. As legal counsel reporting to the Group's General Counsel, you will form a key part of our in-house legal team whose focus is to provide effective legal advice to the Navigator business in an accessible and cost-effective way. This is a great opportunity to make an appreciable difference within a dynamic, forward-thinking, global shipping business. The Legal Counsel is a 12-month fixed‑term contract and reports to the General Counsel.

• Supporting Navigator's General Counsel with legal issues arising in the core areas of our business, as directed by the General Counsel, with a focus on maritime corporate and commercial matters in a maritime business;
• Working directly with individual business units in different countries to meet their legal needs, while appreciating the commercial context and the business's overall needs;
• Completing work in‑house to a high standard;
• Where legal work is not completed in‑house, managing work with appropriate external lawyers/firms in a proactive and cost‑effective way;
• Ensuring and maintaining the professionalism of the legal function of the business;
• Managing legal and related risks for Navigator and ensuring all relevant personnel are aware of applicable obligations and risks;
• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating a range of contracts and related documentation in our core areas, including NDAs, finance and project‑related documentation;
• Assisting with ad‑hoc legal projects to support the General Counsel.

Primary Practice Areas

• Corporate – drafting and reviewing non‑disclosure agreements, letters of intent, joint venture agreements, and corporate finance arrangements. Assisting with corporate secretarial matters and corporate governance for the group of Navigator companies, including intra‑group contracts and similar.
• General commercial – drafting, reviewing and, where relevant, implementing a range of commercial contracts, including relating to procurement for the Group.

Qualifications

• English law qualified solicitor or barrister, from 4 to 6 years' PQE, with experience preferably gained in a maritime firm/field.
• Comfortable working in a small team, often independently (and knowing when to ask for help).
• Customer‑focused approach to work.
• Ability to think on your feet, adapt and learn quickly, with a willingness to step outside your comfort zone and learn about new areas of law.
• Have a commercial approach to the law and its application to our business.
• Have a team‑oriented outlook and be able to communicate effectively (orally and in writing) with colleagues, customers and other external third parties.
• Ability to prioritise workload, take decisions and deliver positive results quickly.
• Comfortable working in a genuinely worldwide and fast‑paced environment across different time zones with business units that have complex legal needs.