Principal Legal Counsel

Hargreaves Lansdown; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading investment platform in the UK seeks a Principal Legal Counsel to join their Legal Team in Bristol. The successful candidate will provide expert legal advice across corporate, commercial, and technology matters, ensuring compliance and managing legal risks. This role offers a collaborative environment and a focus on growth within the company. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, the company encourages applications from all backgrounds.

Benefits

Discretionary annual bonus

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Flexible working options

Enhanced parental leave

Pension scheme up to 11% employer contribution

Private medical insurance

Health care cash plans

Inhouse barista and deli

Qualifications

• Experienced commercial lawyer with expertise in corporate, commercial, and technology matters, preferably in-house or in financial services.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills needed for stakeholder engagement.
• Capability to translate complex legal matters into clear, actionable advice.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice on corporate, commercial, and technology matters.
• Manage legal work streams for project compliance.
• Lead the development of guidelines and templates for legal processes.

Skills

Commercial law expertise

Contract negotiation

Legal drafting skills

Stakeholder communication

Education

Qualified lawyer with PQE 10 years+

Job description

Excited to grow your career?

Our purpose is to make it easy for people to save and invest for a better future. We are looking for great people to join us, so please come and invest in YOUR future at Hargreaves Lansdown.

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they don't tick every box. If you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, please go ahead and apply. We’d love to hear from you!

About the role

An excellent opportunity has arisen for a highly experienced, business-minded lawyer to join us in our Legal Team. As a Principal Legal Counsel, you will join a collaborative, supportive team with great ideas and big ambitions for the future of HL. We provide legal advice, support and challenge across HL. We manage legal risks and use commercial, legal and business partnering skills to support HL in achieving its strategic objectives, while ensuring HL meets its legal and regulatory obligations.

Reporting into the Director of Corporate, Commercial and Technology Legal, the Principal Legal Counsel will provide leadership and management across a range of corporate, commercial and technology matters, including commercial contracts, procurement, data protection, intellectual property and competition law.

You’ll possess a range of experience to complement our passionate and skilled team in delivering a best-in‑class service and be able to demonstrate this via pragmatic and knowledgeable application.

What you’ll be doing

• Provide expert legal advice across HL and particularly to the Senior Leadership Team, with a particular focus on corporate, commercial and technology matters.
• Provide advice on procurement matters, including the negotiation of contracts with third parties.
• Manage the legal work streams required for the successful completion of projects within HL and ensure their regulatory and legal compliance.
• Managing legal risk to help ensure contracts, operations and ongoing management remains within HL’s legal risk appetite.
• Lead on the development of guidelines, templates and associated tools and resources.
• Be part of the Legal Team’s training and knowledge function and play an active role in development of others within the Legal Team.
• Build and maintain networks internally and externally and keep abreast of legal and regulatory developments.
• Take an active role in shaping the Legal Team’s strategy and in achieving its strategic goals.
• Instruct and manage external counsel where specialist expertise is required.
• Assist the Chief Legal Officer with ad hoc projects as required.

About you

• Experienced commercial lawyer (PQE 10 years+) with experience of leading and managing a range of corporate, commercial and technology matters. In-house and/or financial services experience would be beneficial.
• Able to proactively and effectively collaborate, translating complex matters into easily understood legal advice.
• Exceptional technical and legal drafting skills.
• Good understanding of contract law and related laws and regulations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to communicate effectively and influence stakeholders at all levels.

Interview process

The selection process will incorporate competency-based questions, including an assessment of your technical knowledge and transferable skills. For candidates who progress to the next stage, there will be a presentation or assessment to prepare and deliver.

Working schedule

This role is based in HL’s head office in Bristol. This role is permanent, full time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday. For this role we offer a hybrid flexible working pattern to enable you the option of working from home and coming into the office.

Why us?

Here at HL, we’re the UK’s number 1 investment platform for private investors, based in Bristol. For more than 40 years we’ve helped investors save time, tax and money on their investments.

To achieve our mission, we believe we have a workplace like no other, with constant learning, dynamic teams, and a great ethos. We're steered by core values that promote service, quality, innovation, and opportunity in everything we do.

What's on offer?

• Discretionary annual bonus * and annual pay review
• 25 days * holiday plus bank holidays and 1-day additional Christmas closure
• Option to purchase an additional 5 days holiday **
• Flexible working options available, including hybrid working
• Enhanced parental leave
• Pension scheme up to 11% employer contribution
• Income Protection and Life insurance (4 x salary core level of cover)
• Private medical insurance*
• Health care cash plans - including optical, dental, and out patient care
• Health screening programme
• Help@hand - confidential support including mental health counselling and remote GP
• Wellhub - unlimited access to fitness provider s and w ellness c oach sessions
• Variety of travel to work schemes with bike storage and shower facilities
• Inhouse barista and deli serving subsidised coffee and sandwiches
• T wo paid volunteering days per year

* dependant on role level

** only available to select during our annual benefits window, in November each year

Hargreaves Lansdown is an inclusive employer that values diversity in its workforce. We encourage applications from all individuals without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age.

This role may also be available on a flexible working or part time basis – please ask the Recruitment & Onboarding team for more information.

Please note, we are unable to provide employment sponsorship to candidates.