Legal Counsel

Make Your Mark at Ipsos

We are a leading global market and social research company, enabling organisations to make smarter, bolder, and faster decisions.

Are you a commercially-minded solicitor ready to join a market research leader? Do you want to advise senior stakeholders, draft and negotiate client and supplier contracts, and support M&A and strategic projects in a collaborative, impact-driven environment? If so, Ipsos UK wants to hear from you.

About the role:

As Legal Counsel you will be a trusted advisor to Ipsos UK & Ireland, reporting to the Head of Legal. This is a hands-on, business-facing role where you’ll draft, review and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements (MSAs, SOWs, supplier and internal contracts), support acquisitions and NDAs, provide due diligence assistance, and help shape new service and technology initiatives. You’ll refresh and develop template contracts, playbooks and legal guidance, deliver training and awareness sessions, and provide clear, practical advice to non-lawyers that balances legal rigour with commercial pragmatism. You’ll work closely with client account teams, commercial functions and cross-market colleagues on fast-moving matters, contributing to global legal projects and continuous improvement of legal processes. Ipsos offers the scale of a global agency with an entrepreneurial, people-first culture and strong emphasis on innovation and inclusivity.

About you:

• Qualified solicitor admitted in England & Wales.
• Strong grounding in commercial law with proven contract drafting and negotiation experience.
• Able to identify, assess and explain legal risk in commercial contexts and propose practical mitigations.
• Clear and confident communicator, able to present legal concepts to non-lawyers and lead training sessions.
• Commercial mindset that balances legal precision with workable, business-focused solutions.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail when interpreting contracts, regulations and policies.

• Comfortable using and adopting legal tech, including proficiency in AI tools to streamline drafting, due diligence and knowledge management.

   

Essential skills:
 

• Qualified solicitor (England & Wales).
• Demonstrable experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Ability to assess and manage legal risk while supporting commercial objectives.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Capacity to prioritise and manage multiple matters in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical skills and pragmatic problem-solving.

Desirable skills:

• Knowledge of data protection and privacy laws (UK GDPR / GDPR) and their practical application in a research or data-driven business.
• Experience supporting M&A activity (NDAs, data room support, coordination of legal due diligence).
• Experience developing templates, playbooks or legal operations processes.
• Familiarity with regulatory and industry codes relevant to research (e.g. MRS Code, BHBIA, EphMRA).
• Exposure to cross-border or multi-jurisdictional contracts and working with international stakeholders.
• Experience participating in cross-market or global legal projects.

Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you as an individual. Our standard benefits include 25 days annual leave, pension contribution, income protection and life assurance. In addition, there are a range health & wellbeing, financial benefits and professional development opportunities. 

We have a hybrid approach to work and ask people to be in the office or with clients for 3 days per week. We appreciate you may have commitments outside of work and will consider flexible working applications - please highlight what you are looking for when you make your application. 

We are committed to equality, treating people fairly, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment and ensuring we have diversity of people and views. We recognise that this is important for our business success - a more diverse workforce will enable us to better reflect and understand the world we research and ultimately deliver better research and insight to our clients. We are proud to be a member of the Disability Confident scheme, certified as a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer.  We provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. 

Your application will be reviewed by someone from our Talent Team who will be in touch either way to let you know the outcome. 

Ready to have an impact? Apply now!