Legal Counsel

thrivin; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote working

Job summary

THRIVIN seeks an experienced Legal Counsel to lead the in-house legal function for a fast-growing, digitally native women’s activewear brand. You will own IP strategy, brand protection, and key commercial agreements while guiding data privacy, compliance, and international expansion.

Reporting to the founders, you’ll partner with marketing, ecommerce, operations, and finance to balance risk with rapid growth, operating in a fully remote, international team.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with in-house experience, ideally in ecommerce/fashion/consumer brands.
• Strong IP knowledge including trademark protection, licensing, and brand enforcement.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial agreements and NDAs.

Responsibilities

• Own THRIVIN's IP and brand protection strategy across markets.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage supplier, manufacturing, distribution, and service contracts.
• Advise on ecommerce compliance, data privacy (GDPR), and digital marketing regulations.

Skills

In-house experience

Intellectual property

Commercial contracts

Data protection/GDPR

Contract negotiations

UK/EU laws

Education

Qualified lawyer

Job description

THRIVIN is a fast-growing, social-first women's activewear brand, built around a strong digital presence, an engaged community, and a passion for empowering women through fitness and fashion. As we continue to scale internationally, we're looking for an experienced, commercially minded Legal Counsel to join our team and take ownership of the legal function across the business. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and understands the unique legal challenges of a digitally native, social-first ecommerce brand.

The Role

We're looking for a proactive, solutions-oriented Legal Counsel with strong in-house experience, ideally gained within a high-growth ecommerce, fashion, activewear, beauty, or consumer brand.

Reporting directly to the Founders, you'll act as THRIVIN's primary in-house legal expert, providing strategic and practical legal guidance across the business.

A significant focus of this role will be intellectual property, brand protection, commercial contracts, and ecommerce compliance, ensuring our brand, creative assets, products, and commercial interests are protected as we expand into new markets.

You'll work closely with our leadership, marketing, creative, ecommerce, operations, and finance teams, balancing legal risk with the commercial realities of a fast-moving business.

Key Responsibilities

Intellectual Property & Brand Protection

• Own and develop THRIVIN's global intellectual property and brand protection strategy.
• Oversee trademark registrations, renewals, enforcement, and portfolio management across key international markets.
• Protect the brand against counterfeit products, trademark infringement, copyright violations, design copying, and unauthorised use of brand assets.
• Manage IP disputes, cease-and-desist letters, takedown requests, and enforcement actions across ecommerce platforms, social media, and third-party marketplaces.
• Advise on copyright, design rights, creative ownership, licensing, and intellectual property matters relating to product development and marketing.
• Work with external legal counsel and specialist IP firms where required.

Commercial Contracts & Legal Agreements

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of commercial agreements, including supplier, manufacturing, distribution, logistics, and service provider contracts.
• Oversee influencer, creator, ambassador, affiliate, and brand partnership agreements, ensuring appropriate protections around content ownership, usage rights, exclusivity, and intellectual property.
• Advise on licensing agreements, confidentiality agreements, NDAs, and other commercial arrangements.
• Support negotiations with key commercial partners, identifying legal risks while maintaining a pragmatic, business-first approach.
• Develop standardised legal templates and contract processes to support business efficiency.

Ecommerce, Digital & Social Media Compliance

• Provide legal guidance on ecommerce operations across international markets, including the UK, EU, and US.
• Ensure compliance with relevant consumer protection, advertising, marketing, and online retail regulations.
• Advise on influencer marketing, paid social advertising, affiliate programmes, promotional campaigns, giveaways, and social commerce initiatives.
• Support compliance with advertising disclosure requirements, consumer rights, returns policies, and online terms and conditions.
• Review website policies, privacy notices, customer-facing terms, and other legal documentation.
• Advise on data privacy and protection requirements, including GDPR and other applicable international regulations.
• Stay ahead of emerging legal and regulatory developments affecting social-first and digitally native consumer brands.

Corporate & General Legal Advisory

• Act as the primary legal advisor to the Founders and senior leadership team on day-to-day and strategic legal matters.
• Provide legal support across THRIVIN's international business operations and corporate entities.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks associated with business growth, international expansion, and new commercial initiatives.
• Support corporate governance, entity management, and general business legal requirements.
• Advise on contractor agreements, employment-related legal matters, and commercial disputes, coordinating with external specialists where appropriate.
• Manage relationships with external legal advisors, ensuring efficient and cost-effective legal support.

Legal Strategy & Process Development

• Build and establish scalable legal processes, policies, and frameworks as the business continues to grow.
• Take ownership of the legal function, creating structure and consistency across contracts, compliance, and risk management.
• Proactively identify potential legal exposure and implement preventative measures.
• Provide practical legal guidance to internal teams, enabling them to make confident commercial decisions.
• Partner with the Founders to develop a long-term legal strategy that supports THRIVIN's international growth.

About You

• Qualified lawyer with approximately 5–10+ years of relevant legal experience, including significant experience working in-house.
• Proven in-house legal experience within an ecommerce, DTC, fashion, activewear, beauty, lifestyle, or other consumer-facing brand.
• Strong understanding of the legal landscape surrounding social-first brands, influencer marketing, digital advertising, and ecommerce.
• Demonstrable experience in intellectual property law, including trademark protection, copyright, brand enforcement, and IP disputes.
• Extensive experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Good working knowledge of UK and EU commercial, consumer, advertising, and data protection regulations, with an understanding of international business operations.
• Experience working directly with founders, executives, and senior leadership teams.
• Comfortable operating independently as the primary in-house legal expert, with the judgement to engage external specialists when needed.

Highly Desirable

• Experience within a high-growth, founder-led DTC business.
• Previous experience in the fashion, activewear, beauty, or consumer goods industries.
• Experience protecting brands against counterfeit products, copycat designs, and online infringement.
• Familiarity with TikTok Shop, Meta, Shopify, influencer marketing, and other social commerce platforms.
• Experience supporting brands operating across multiple international jurisdictions, particularly the UK, EU, and US.
• Experience establishing or leading a legal function within a scaling business.

Why Join THRIVIN?

• Join a rapidly scaling international women's activewear brand with ambitious global growth plans.
• Work directly with the Founders and play an influential role in protecting and shaping the future of the business.
• Take ownership of the in-house legal function with the opportunity to build processes and strategies from the ground up.
• Work across a diverse range of legal matters, from global brand protection to innovative social commerce initiatives.
• Enjoy a fully remote working environment with an international, entrepreneurial team.