Legal Counsel

**Job Title:Corporate/Commercial Legal Counsel**

**Location**: Hybrid (full time)

**Working hours**: Monday - Friday: 9.00am - 5.00pm - 35 hours per week

**Salary**: Competitive (dependent on experience)

**Role overview**:
Responsibilities will include providing legal advice in respect of a broad range of general Commercial, IT, IP and Corporate Governance issues along with some M&A work where required. You will be drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts fora variety of business units such as framework agreements, terms and conditions, supply of goods and services agreements, non-disclosure agreements and dealing with ad hoc queries.

This role will involve working across all levels of the business including customers and executive / senior members in delivering a strategic legal approach to commercial and contract related issues.

You will be based in the company’s operational office in Bedfordshire, and you will be required to travel to other offices in the UK from time to time. This is a permanent role.

You will need to be UK qualified, have strong commercial acumen and have 5 years + PQE. Previous in-house experience would be advantageous but is not a pre-requisite.

**What you’ll be doing**:

- First and foremost, integrating into the wider business and business partnering.
- Reviewing and negotiating FirstPort’s commercial contracts to ensure they are in compliance with all statutory requirements and ensuring that risk is mitigated.
- Providing advice on procurement issues and related documentation.
- Supporting and assisting in developing Corporate Governance policies and procedures and monitoring compliance; dealing with data protection, anti-money laundering and anti-bribery and corruption queries.
- Dealing with external legal counsel from time to time.
- Reviewing and improving Business Practices; and
- Any other duties as and when required.

**Skills we’re looking for**:

- 3-5 plus years PQE
- Commercial acumen.
- Excellent communication skills and adept at managing senior stakeholders.
- Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills and broad commercial law experience including knowledge of areas of law including contract law, IP, privacy and data protection.
- Able to work both as part of a team and autonomously in a rapidly changing business environment;
- Highly organised, and an excellent manager of your own time; able to multi-task and priorities own workload;
- Flexibility and willingness to learn new areas of law and take on a variety of work;
- Business facing experience in a legal role dealing with a range of commercial legal issues; and
- A solicitor qualified in England and Wales with 5

**What we’ll offer you**:

- Excellent benefits;
- On the job training and mentoring, continuing professional development;
- Opportunities for progression.

**Who we are**:
FirstPort is one of the largest and most experienced property managers in the UK, employing more than 3,300 people, of which 2,500 work at the developments we manage. We work across the residential property services market and provide a range of servicesthrough our diverse range of FirstPort brands. We manage over 3,700 developments, with national scale to set us apart for delivering genuine value-for-money services.

We also know that great property management is about more than just bricks and mortar. Many people rely on us so they can enjoy their homes, safe in the knowledge that we will be there if they need us. Caring about people is at the core of what we standfor as a business.

To enable us to deliver these services we rely on our professional, experienced and motivated team. We recognise and value the contribution our people make to our business, and we are committed to ensuring they are skilled and equipped to do the best jobthey can and that they have the opportunity to realise their potential. We have a high performing, 'can do’ culture and encourage learning and development, working with individuals to identify progression opportunities.

We have high standards at FirstPort, and we reward our employees for their dedication and hard work with great benefits and awards when we see people going above and beyond. Our employees are as important to us as our customers.