Legal Counsel (Commercial Solicitor)

In a nutshell

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Commercial Solicitor to join our in-house legal team. You will provide strategic legal advice and support with the primary focus being the drafting and negotiation of a variety of commercial contracts and supplier agreements. In addition, you may support other requirements such as dispute resolution, M&A, GDPR and employment matters from time to time.

What you'll be doing day to day

• Ensure the effective and efficient delivery of legal services to support PKF-Francis Clark’s procurement processes.
• Draft, negotiate and advise on supplier contracts across the firm.
• Foster strong, collaborative, working relationships with stakeholders and act as a trusted legal ‘business partner’.
• Provide expert advice on legal and contractual matters, helping the business to navigate complex issues and understand legal risks.
• Assist the business to resolve contractual disputes with suppliers and manage any associated litigation that may arise (with support from external counsel where necessary).
• Identify and manage legal risks; and devise risk mitigation strategies in response to them.

About you

• Experience providing legal advice on complex commercial contracts and a solid grasp of contract law. As a guide, we’d expect you to have at least 2 years of post-qualification experience in a commercial contracts-orientated role, obtained either in-house or in private practice.
• Excellent contract drafting skills and attention to detail. You’ll also need to be able to analyse, and accurately interpret, contract terms and identify potential risks flowing from them.
• Commercial awareness and pragmatism. You’ll need to be able to distinguish legal issues from business issues, and tailor your advice to take into account the commercial considerations and practical realities within the firm.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to articulate complex issues in clear, easy to understand language.
• The confidence and gravitas to build trust, proactively contribute to discussions, and constructively challenge decisions when appropriate.
• The composure to remain calm under pressure, maintain attention detail, manage competing demands simultaneously, and prioritise and resource work appropriately.
• Working knowledge and experience with GDPR compliance is required.

Why work at PKF Francis Clark

We’re the largest firm of independent chartered accountants and business advisors in South West England. We have nine offices in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, Taunton, Torquay and Truro.

The firm, which celebrated its centenary in 2019, has annual revenue of over £65 million and a 900-strong team based across our offices. Our continuing growth offers you the opportunity to expand and develop your career in a direction that interests you.

We offer a supportive and flexible culture, taking your career seriously to enable you to be the best you can be. Since September 2022, PKF Francis Clark has been certified as a Great Place to Work.

We work hard to ensure that ours is a culture where you can be yourself, develop and be part of a forward-thinking team that makes brilliant things happen. We ranked as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces in 2023, and again in 2024 when we rose nine places to 24^th in the list of the UK’s Best Workplaces (Large Organisations).

We’ve also been ranked 46^th out of 89 in the UK’s Best Workplaces for Women 2023 (Large Organisations) and 40^th out of 79 in the UK’s Best Workplaces for Wellbeing 2023 (Large Organisations). PKF Francis Clark has been highlighted as a top achiever among the UK’s Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services by workplace culture experts Great Place to Work.

And in recognition of our outstanding training programmes for graduates, school leavers and career changers, we’re ranked 28^th among England’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers by the Department of Education and High Fliers Research.

Whilst we’re proudly independent, PKF Francis Clark is a member of the PKF Global family of  firms, which together are ranked as the 12th largest provider of accountancy services in the UK by Accountancy Age. As part of a global community of business advisors in 150 countries, the opportunities to expand your horizons by connecting with PKF colleagues around the world are endless.

Your core benefits 

Financial benefits:
•    Pension
•    Group life assurance - up to four times your core salary
•    Group income protection
•    Health cash plan to help cover the costs of everyday healthcare 

Health & Wellbeing benefits:
•    Option to buy 5 extra days holiday*
•    Counselling and support for you and your immediate family
•    Virtual GP for you and your immediate family
•    Cycle to work*

Other benefits:
•    Medicash Extras providing you with shopping and gym discounts
•    Gifts for career and family milestones
•    One volunteering day per year to support local organisations
•    Emergency funding from the Francis Clark Charitable Foundation 

Please note
* These benefits are provided via a salary exchange and are subject to employee’s post exchange hourly rate remaining above the national minimum wage.