Legal Counsel

Owing to the continued growth of Osborne Clarke's UK and International business, we have an exciting new opportunity for a Legal Counsel to join our UK Risk & Compliance Department.

This is a permanent position based in our central Bristol office with some hybrid working too. We can be flexible on working hours, and happy to consider applicants on a four or five day a week basis.

The team

You will be joining our developing Risk & Compliance department (including four existing Legal Counsel), covering all areas of client and matter inception, regulatory compliance, risk, business continuity, procurement and health, safety and wellbeing.

Our highly-respected Legal Counsel team, which sits within the Risk & Compliance Department, is an integral part of the firm and is currently made up of the General Counsel, two Senior Legal Counsel and two Legal Counsel. The team gives advice to the firm, the partnership, fee earners and Business Services departments on all aspects of its regulatory and legal obligations, including SRA regulation, data protection, anti-money laundering,  anti-bribery legislation and contracting with both clients and suppliers. It also deals with professional negligence claims against the firm and is responsible for the firm's insurance arrangements.

A positive and supportive team culture is a vital part of the Risk & Compliance Department. Working together is at the heart of everything we do. It enables us to deliver a professional, high standard of service to the business within a happy and enjoyable environment. We believe in nurturing each person's strengths, supporting them when they need it and encouraging them to progress through personal development and training. We are a progressive and ever-adapting team where opinions are always valued and input is always welcome.

What you'll do

Reporting to the General Counsel, you will deal with risk and compliance queries from across the business, both on a day-to-day basis and in relation to Risk & Compliance and firm-wide projects as appropriate. You will provide proactive support on a range of issues, including but not limited to:

• Conflicts
• AML
• Engagement terms
• Complaints and claims
• Data protection
• Commercial contracts

Other wider duties will involve:

• Preparing and providing guidance notes and other materials on compliance and risk themes and policy
• Providing face-to-face training or e-learning to relevant practice groups and Risk & Compliance staff, particularly new inductees
• Developing new policy and implementation programmes or amending current policies to implement changes or additions to legislation, regulation and standards which will have an impact on OC
• Liaising with OC's insurers and brokers as appropriate
• Developing and maintaining ‘internal client’ relationships across the organisation to deliver on project goals
• Promoting knowledge sharing across OC

Who we're looking for

You'll be a qualified Solicitor or Barrister in England & Wales (or equivalent Commonwealth jurisdiction) who is looking for an opportunity that brings great variety while working with a genuinely collaborative and innovative team. Additionally you will have:

• Experience of operating in a regulated business environment with exposure to governance, control and risk management, in a similar role in another law firm, or as a fee earner in a related area such as professional negligence, data protection or commercial contracts
• An understanding of relevant statutory and regulatory regimes
• A proven track record of working to deadlines, together with strong organisational skills and the ability and confidence to make business-critical decisions
• The ability to understand and manage the expectations of different stakeholder groups
• Tenacity, energy and the ability to challenge and to be innovative
• Effective communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence at all levels

We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits. We value the health and wellbeing of our people and our wide range of initiatives and benefits support this.

Our recruitment process

Please note that although we include closing dates for our roles as a guide, we review and progress applications on a rolling basis. At Osborne Clarke we do not make any recruitment decisions using automated decision-making.

We are committed to providing an environment where you can perform to the best of your abilities at every stage of your recruitment experience and beyond. If you require any adjustments to be made during the application stage, interview process, or when working with us, please let us know in confidence.