Senior Legal Counsel

HomeServe UK; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

HomeServe UK is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to act as a key strategic advisor, negotiating and drafting a wide range of commercial contracts and providing expert guidance across the business.

The role requires experience in-house or in private practice with strong IT/technology contract knowledge, and the ability to partner with stakeholders from day one in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in commercial law firms or in-house legal environments.
• Experience negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts.
• Experience with IT and technology contracts (Licensing, SaaS, cloud).
• Ability to provide legal advice across commercial disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate, draft and review a broad range of commercial contracts (products, services, IT, marketing, contractors).
• Provide practical, commercially minded legal guidance to stakeholders across the business.
• Advise on regulatory matters and work with Compliance to address issues.
• Support strategic projects and contribute to the company’s legal and risk framework.
• Attend committees and partner with senior stakeholders to inform decision making.

Skills

Commercial law

Contract negotiation

IT contracts

Regulatory counsel

Stakeholder management

Education

Qualified solicitor

Legal qualification

Tools

Legal research tools

Job description

Are you an experienced commercial lawyer ready to become a key strategic advisor to the business?

We are seeking a commercially focused Senior Legal Counsel to support a broad range of legal matters, providing expert guidance that enables business growth while effectively managing risk.

This role is ideally suited to a qualified solicitor with significant experience gained either in-house or within private practice, who has developed a strong track record advising on a wide spectrum of commercial contracts. Experience with technology, IT, software licensing and other technology-related agreements would be highly advantageous. We're looking for someone who can quickly establish themselves as a trusted business partner, bringing the confidence and expertise to provide practical, commercially minded advice from day one.

You will be part of a small team reporting directly to the General Counsel. You'll work closely with stakeholders across the organisation, negotiating contracts, advising on complex commercial matters, supporting strategic projects, and contributing to the company's legal and risk framework.

This is an excellent opportunity for a proactive legal professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys balancing legal excellence with commercial pragmatism.

Principal Accountabilities

• Responsible for negotiating, drafting and reviewing a wide range of commercial contracts including:
• General supply of products and services
• IT (including Software Licenses, SaaS Agreements, Software Development Contracts, Cloud Services, Managed Services Agreements, and Maintenance and Support Agreements)
• Marketing (including creative agencies, PR, social media influencers, sponsorship arrangements)
• Contractor arrangements (Recruitment, Consultants, Apprenticeships)
• Working in conjunction with operational departments across the business to identify risk areas and provide a wide range of legal advice.
• Working closely with the Compliance Department in relation to regulatory advice and identifying and addressing regulatory issues relevant to your work.
• Capable of working independently and providing advice to all areas of the business, including senior stakeholders.
• Attending committees and management groups, providing legal advice and contributing to decision-making discussions.
• Taking a proactive approach to working with the business to provide advice and expertise on commercial, legal and contractual matters.
• Supporting stakeholder understanding through the sharing of legal knowledge and subject matter expertise.
• Bringing an innovative approach to problem solving and solution finding when advising stakeholders.
• Building and maintaining positive and effective relationships with stakeholders.
• Ensuring all areas within your remit comply with legal and statutory requirements.
• Managing all legal aspects within your remit with due skill, care and diligence, including effective controls, risk management and mitigation.

To be successful in this role, you will require the following knowledge, skills and attributes:

Essential

• Experience gained within a commercial law firm or an in-house legal environment.
• Experience of preparing and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts.
• Experience of preparing and negotiating IT and technology contracts.
• Ability to provide legal advice across a broad range of commercial disciplines.
• A willingness to learn new areas of law and develop expertise in unfamiliar subject matters.
• Appropriate legal qualification.

Desirable

• A good knowledge of data protection law.
• Contentious experience, including small claims, dispute resolution or litigation.
• Experience of advising on Consumer Protection law.
• For FCA purposes, appropriate knowledge of the High Level Standards within the FCA Handbook of Rules and Guidance and the ability to apply this knowledge to support compliance with regulatory requirements.