Senior Legal Counsel
DLA Piper are looking to hire an additional Senior Legal Counsel to join the claims team within the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) to oversee and manage a broad and varied workload relating to employment and partnership issues.
The successful candidate will be responsible for providing high-quality legal advice and representation to DLA Piper on a range of complex and sensitive employment or partnership related issues or disputes. The candidate will report to the Head of Claims and work as part of the team that is responsible for advising the firm on all contentious legal issues affecting the firm both in the UK and Internationally (excluding the US). The OGC works closely with the Board, Managing Partner, Senior Partner and Executive management of the firm.
We offer first rate support in the form of training, manager time, excellent career prospects and an opportunity to play a role in the development of a key team in one of the world's most exciting and dynamic law firms.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Areas of responsibility will include, but not be limited to:
- Take a lead on employment or partnership matters raised within the OGC, including grievances, investigations, terminations, whistleblowing, restrictive covenants, disputes, litigation, arbitration, mediation, and regulatory compliance
- Support and collaborate with other senior legal counsels and paralegals in the team, to ensure the delivery of high-quality work
- Identify and mitigate legal risks and exposures and implement best practices and policies for employment or partnership matters
- Being a senior member of the Office of General Counsel, providing strategic input to the delivery of the team's key functions and, where appropriate, investigating the use of technology to improve efficiencies and reporting
- Take a commercial and practical approach and offering appropriate and innovative solutions
- Developing effective relationships with partners, fee earners and business services teams
- Assisting with the drafting of reports for the Executive and Board; and
- Working closely with the other members of the Legal, Risk Management and Compliance team and assisting on project and non-project work
ABOUT YOU
Whilst we do not typically set upper or lower limits of PQE for any of our vacancies, we anticipate that candidates who have at least 8 years' PQE are likely to have the right level of knowledge and have gained the right type of experience needed to be able to undertake this role successfully. In addition, you should have:
- An excellent legal, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to provide clear, concise, and pragmatic advice relating to employment law and advising on partnership issues
- A proven track record of advising and representing large organisations on employment or partnership matters, in both contentious and non-contentious settings
- Ability to work effectively at all levels, both within and outside the firm, to build relationships and act as an effective brand ambassador for DLA Piper, and an internal change agent
- Ability to work well with HR
- A strong client service orientation showing empathy, flexibility and be solutions focussed
- Possess a high level of commercial acumen and analytical skills
- Ability to multi-task and work to sometimes conflicting timescales and multiple priorities
- Be financially literate and technologically savvy
- Ability to take personal responsibility for and ownership of delivery
- Regulatory experience would be beneficial