Senior/Principal Associate - Commercial Regulatory

Mills & Reeve; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Mills & Reeve is recruiting a Regulatory Solicitor to join our national Commercial team, focusing on regulatory issues including food, consumer protection, digital, e-commerce, advertising, and more. The role offers opportunities in a growing team with cross-border collaboration.

The ideal candidate will have 4+ years PQE in regulatory law, a commercially-minded approach, and strong English writing skills. Flexible locations include Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester, Norwich, or Oxford.

Qualifications

• 4+ years post-qualification experience in regulatory law at a large regional, national, or international firm.
• Excellent technical skills in regulatory law with focus on food, education, and/or technology sectors.
• Commercially-minded with ability to grow your own practice.
• Excellent written English and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Advise clients on regulatory issues including food, consumer protection, digital, e-commerce, advertising law.
• Handle regulatory investigations and ASA complaints; provide enforcement support as needed.
• Offer multi-jurisdictional advice in collaboration with international lawyers.

Skills

Regulatory law

Food & beverage regulation

Commercial awareness

English writing

Business development

Job description

Senior/Principal Associate - Commercial Regulatory

Location: Abbey Hey, Greater Manchester, GB, M18 8

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 12 October 2026

The Role

Mills & Reeve is looking to recruit a Regulatory Solicitor to join our leading Commercial team, as we continue to grow! If you have a regulatory specialism within a Commercial practice, then we would love to hear from you!

Role overview: We are seeking a regulatory solicitor to join our national commercial team, focusing on advising clients on regulatory issues including food, consumer protection, digital, e-commerce, anti-discrimination, and advertising law. This role is ideal for someone interested in digital, product regulation, labelling, and advertising. The work is primarily advisory but includes some regulatory investigations.

The practice has experienced significant growth and is building a team of lawyers dedicated to this area. We work with many household names and collaborate with international lawyers to provide multi-jurisdictional advice. Currently, the team emphasizes the food, beverage, and technology sectors but aims to expand beyond these.

This role can be based in Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester, Norwich, or Oxford.

The Person

• 4+ years post-qualification experience gained in a large regional, national, or international firm.
• Excellent technical skills in regulatory law with a strong interest in food and beverage, education, and/or technology sectors.
• Commercially-minded lawyer with an appetite for growing your own practice.
• Excellent written English and a keen eye for detail.
• Ability to build relationships with clients, potential clients, and multipliers.
• Self-starting with common sense and initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal and team skills, including the ability to work collaboratively, influence, and persuade.
• Good research skills, including the ability to use online information sources.

Desirable: Supervisory skills.

The Activities

This role offers the opportunity to work in a supportive and friendly environment where innovation is encouraged. You will learn new areas of law and consider how current laws apply to future products and consumer experiences.

The work is diverse, involving analysis and application of regulation, devising practical solutions, handling regulatory investigations, ASA complaints, and enforcement actions. We also advise on consumer and trading law and assist businesses in launching new products or entering new markets. Many projects have an international scope, involving multi-jurisdictional coordination.

Why should I apply?

Mills & Reeve has strong national commercial and regulatory teams, with leading profiles in the food, beverage, technology, and life sciences sectors. This role provides a platform to leverage your knowledge within a growing, successful team and offers career progression opportunities.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received, so early application is encouraged.

The Benefits

We offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits. Click here to find out more about our core benefit offering.

Pre-employment Screening

If selected, comprehensive screening including DBS, right to work verification, employment history, and character declaration will be conducted. Full details are available upon request.

The Firm

Mills & Reeve is dedicated to achieving more for clients, their businesses, and communities. Our professionals build personal relationships, provide tailored advice, and leverage our network for recommendations. With over 1,450 staff and more than 850 lawyers, our vision is "Achieving more for clients."

As a part of Mills & Reeve, you will enhance your skills in a top UK law firm that values its people. We are ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, listed in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, and have Platinum Investors in People accreditation.

Our mantra is "Achieve more. Together," reflecting our purpose. Our core values include ambition, openness, caring, and collaboration, guiding our daily work and interactions.

We are committed to an inclusive, supportive workplace and flexible working arrangements. We welcome inquiries about workplace adjustments and support diversity and inclusion initiatives.

• We're ambitious - We aim high, we embrace new ideas and we're passionate about our work We're open - We communicate openly and honestly to build trust, and we do what's right We care - We're committed to each other, our clients, our communities and the planet We collaborate - We're easy to work with, we offer help willingly and we get things done - togetherAnd finallyEveryone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to