THE OPPORTUNITY

At DLA Piper, we never stand still. That's one of the reasons why we were recently named by the Sunday Times as the 'Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe'. Our agenda for radical change, and our constant striving to do the very best for our clients, mean that even our in-house legal team also need to be best in class to support our groundbreaking legal innovations.

We are currently seeking to bolster our internal legal offering by hiring a motivated and highly driven company commercial lawyer to join us. In return, we will give you unrivaled support, as well as access to an ever-changing, fascinating and broad diet of work to help elevate your career to the next level.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Whilst your workload will mean no one day is the same as the next, your experience will include:

• Having regular interaction with senior membership 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

• Taking a commercial and practical approach, and offering appropriate and innovative solutions to complex and often novel legal problems

• Taking the lead on the negotiation, drafting and advising on a range of contracts and confidentiality agreements, both UK and Internationally, with support from colleagues in the firm's procurement team

• Assisting with corporate restructurings and advising generally on the structure of the firm at a time of exciting growth and change

• Drafting and negotiating financing and intra-group loan agreements

• Drafting Heads of Terms/Memoranda of Understanding

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 somewhere between 4 and 10 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 excellent technical legal knowledge and experience in corporate/company and/or commercial contract law

• Have held a similar role in private practice or in-house, with anyone having operated in-house within a legal environment previously being at a significant advantage

• Have a proven and demonstrable track record of successfully managing and developing a team, as well as influencing a range of senior stakeholders

• Have an appreciation of the nuances associated with operating within a partnership environment

• Build and maintain strong relationships, both within and outside the firm, acting as an effective brand ambassador for DLA Piper, and an internal change agent within our highly matrixed organization

• Have a strong client-service orientation, showing empathy, flexibility, and being solutions focused

• Possess a high level of commercial acumen and analytical skill

• Be comfortable operating in ambiguous situations, demonstrating a flexible and collaborative personal working style

• Have the ability to multi-task, often working to conflicting timescales and balancing multiple priorities

• Be financially literate and technologically savvy

• Possess the ability to take personal ownership and responsibility for key deliverables on a regular basis

• Be an expert relationship manager, with the ability to work effectively at all levels, including directly with the highest levels of the firm's management.

ABOUT US

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world.  We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering  practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

OUR VALUES

In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive - we care about others, value diversity and act thoughtfully

• Be Collaborative - we give, we share and we join in

• Be Bold - we stand tall and challenge ourselves to think big

• Be Exceptional - we exceed standards and expectations

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At DLA Piper we are working hard to ensure that our talent pool is diverse. For us, diversity isn't just about visible differences, it's the unique blend of talents, skills, experiences and perspectives that makes each of us an individual. 

We know it's crucial to have a culture and environment where those differences are genuinely valued and that's why we strive to be a business where everyone can thrive, develop and succeed based on their talent. Our aim is to build an inclusive and supportive culture where all our people feel they belong and can achieve their best.

AGILE WORKING

We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That's why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING

In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits, we may conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and references from previous employers.