Legal Counsel – Underwriting & Claims

QBE Insurance Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading insurance firm in London is seeking a Legal Counsel for its Underwriting & Claims team. The role involves providing legal advice, drafting contracts, and ensuring compliance within the insurance sector. Candidates should have at least 4 years of experience as a solicitor or barrister and a deep understanding of insurance law. The firm offers competitive benefits, including flexible working and family-friendly policies.

Benefits

30 days holiday a year

Flexible working options

Pension with employer contributions

Private medical insurance

Family-friendly policies

Qualifications

• Minimum of 4 years’ post-qualification experience required.
• Thorough understanding of English insurance law and the London insurance market.
• Experience of multi-jurisdictional work is preferable.

Responsibilities

• Provide clear legal advice on insurance and reinsurance matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts for legal robustness.
• Support in delivering legal strategies and frameworks.

Skills

Business Law

Communication

Contract Management

Legal Consulting

Negotiation

Stakeholder Management

Critical Thinking

Education

Qualified solicitor or barrister

Job description

Overview

Legal Counsel – Underwriting & Claims team

Location: London

Type: Full time, Permanent

The opportunity

We have a great opportunity for a Legal Counsel to join a highly regarded in house Legal team as a trusted legal advisor across our UK insurance and reinsurance operations, supporting them in the execution of their strategy by providing pragmatic solutions on a wide range of legal and regulatory matters.

Your new role

• Provide clear, practical legal advice on a broad range of insurance and reinsurance related underwriting and distribution matters, regulatory developments, and business projects.
• Support the Senior Legal Counsel and Head of Legal, Underwriting & Claims in delivering legal strategy and frameworks for managing legal risk.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with a focus on legal robustness and commercial viability.
• Offer ad hoc advice on contentious matters, claims coverage, contract interpretation, and legal aspects of claims handling.
• Assist in training on legal and regulatory topics.
• Monitor and analyse legal developments and emerging risks, ensuring the business remains informed and compliant.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across the business and promote the Legal team as a valued and accessible resource.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of legal processes, controls, and risk awareness.
• Represent the Legal team in cross-functional initiatives and support group-level projects.
• Participate in the legal duty solicitor rota.
• Foster strong internal relationships within the legal team.

About you

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with a minimum of 4 years’ post-qualification experience.
• A thorough understanding of English insurance law and the London insurance market and a good technical insurance knowledge across commercial insurance business.
• Sound understanding of UK general insurance regulation relevant to insurance distribution and product governance is preferable.
• Experience of multi-jurisdictional work is preferable.
• Excellent drafting and client management skills.
• Ability to prioritise and work under pressure.
• Good presentation and negotiating skills.
• Experience of direct client contact.
• Confidence to act independently and make technical decisions within competence, with ability to judge when to seek advice.
• Forward thinking and proactive in approach to work.

Why QBE? At My Best

At QBE, we want our people to feel rewarded and inspired to perform at their best, which is why we have created “At My Best”. It’s our connection, our way of showing we have your back. We understand that one size doesn’t fit all and that priorities can change depending on your life stage. That is why our blend of wellbeing initiatives and benefits offer flexibility to suit what matters most to you. It’s in the culture of our business, our QBE DNA, to support our people. Everything we do is underpinned by our QBE DNA.

We’re an international insurer that’s building momentum towards realising our vision of becoming the most consistent and innovative risk partner. We can never really predict what’s around the corner, but at QBE we’re asking the right questions to enable a more resilient future – helping those around us build strength and embrace change to their advantage.

QBE aims to build a workplace that is fair and inclusive. We welcome flexible working discussions and offer a broad benefits package.

With more than 13,000 people working across 27 countries, we’re big enough to make a real impact, but small enough to provide a friendly workplace, where people are down-to-earth, passionate, and kind.

To find out more about why you should work for QBE, visit our careers page.

Benefits

You are more than your work – and QBE is more than a workplace, which is why we provide you with benefits, support and flexibility to help you live your best life personally and professionally.

• 30 days holiday a year with the option to buy up to 2 additional days.
• Flexible working – balancing work and life with options such as part-time, job share and compressed hours.
• Pension – automatic enrollment with employer contributions of 10% of basic salary.
• Private medical insurance – comprehensive cover for you and your family.
• Family friendly policies – 26 weeks leave at full pay.
• Short term remote work abroad – up to 20 days per year to work remotely from certain locations.
• Sustainable investing – pension strategy aligned with net-zero goals and green investments.
• Cycle-to-Work – bike and accessories up to £5,000.

To find out more visit our Reward Page. QBE Awards and recognition include several industry accolades.

Inclusion of Diversity: We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace and have partnerships with Stonewall, Working Families, and initiatives such as the Women in Finance Charter, UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, and Race at Work charter. For more information, see our Careers Page.

Accessibility: We promote an accessible workplace and can provide accommodations during recruitment on request.

ESG & Sustainability: We integrate sustainability into our business with focus areas including net-zero transition, sustainable workforce, and innovative solutions. Visit our Sustainability homepage for more details.

What next? If you have a passion to contribute to QBE’s vision, apply by submitting your CV. A member of our Talent Acquisition team will be in touch if you meet the requirements of the role.

APPLY NOW and let’s make it happen!

Skills: Business Law, Communication, Contract Management, Critical Thinking, Intentional collaboration, Legal Consulting, Legal Documents, Legal Risk, Litigation Management, Managing performance, Negotiation, Research Analysis, Sound Judgment, Stakeholder Management, Team Management

How to Apply: To submit your application, click Apply and follow the step by step process.

Equal Employment Opportunity: QBE is an equal opportunity employer and complies with equal employment opportunity legislation in each jurisdiction it operates.