Legal Counsel - 12 month FTC

McLaren Automotive Ltd; Woking; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

McLaren Automotive Ltd seeks a commercially astute Legal Counsel specialising in Procurement and Commercial law to join the Legal & Compliance team. The role covers procurement, connected car projects, property, tech partnerships, software and data agreements, and brand matters.

You will review, draft and negotiate contracts, advise on legal risk, and drive best-practice standards in procurement governance and contract lifecycle management.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with post-qualification experience in commercial contracts and procurement.
• Experience providing pragmatic legal advice to internal stakeholders.
• Ability to negotiate complex agreements and manage risk.

Responsibilities

• Review, draft, and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts including supplier and licensing agreements.
• Advise on regulatory risks and governance for procurement and brand matters.
• Support senior lawyers and lead allocated workstreams responsibly.
• Provide practical legal guidance to internal teams across business functions.
• Maintain contract records and training materials as part of process improvements.

Skills

Commercial contract law

Negotiation

Regulatory risk

Legal advice

Stakeholder management

Education

Solicitor qualification

Tools

N/A

Job description

We are seeking a commercially astute Legal Counsel specialising in Procurement and Commercial law to join our Legal & Compliance team.

The role has a broad commercial remit, spanning traditional procurement as well as strategically important projects such as connected car initiatives, property and capex initiatives, technology and digital partnerships, software and data-driven agreements, and brand-related matters.

The successful candidate will support and lead (as appropriate) on negotiations on commercial and technology contracts, advise on emerging legal and regulatory risks, and drive best-practice standards in procurement governance, intellectual property protection and brand integrity.

What You'll Do

Review, draft, and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts, including supplier agreements, service contracts, licensing arrangements, partnership agreements.

Support Senior Lawyers in the team with projects and team management and take ownership of allocated workstreams.

Provide pragmatic legal advice to internal stakeholders across various business functions, balancing legal risk with commercial objectives.

Support the legal team in managing legal risk and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to the business and proactively advise on potential impact and mitigation strategies.

Assist with contract lifecycle management and process improvements with the preparation of playbooks, templates, guidance notes and training materials

Triage incoming legal requests and identify when matters should be escalated to senior lawyers.

Conduct legal research and prepare concise, practical summaries for stakeholders.

Maintain accurate contract records, approval trails and contribute to internal training and knowledge-sharing initiatives andl iaise with external counsel as required.

What You'll Bring

• Qualified solicitor with 1 - 4 years post-qualification experience, ideally gained in-house or at a reputable law firm.
• Strong grounding in commercial contract law and negotiation.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Proactive and solutions-oriented, with a commercial mindset.
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to build strong relationships and act as a trusted business partner.
• Good organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.