Senior Legal Counsel | 12 months Fixed Term Contract | Hybrid role split London office and WFH
Legal Counsel – Corporate/Commercial (4-5 Years PQE)
Location: Hybrid – London office, balanced with some remote working.
Company: Spire Healthcare – a leading private hospital group
About the Role
We are seeking a bright, motivated and articulate Corporate/Commercial Lawyer to join our dynamic and high performing in-house Legal Team on a 12 month fixed term contract basis (maternity cover). This is an excellent opportunity to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, supporting a wide range of business functions and strategic projects.
Key Responsibilities
The scope of the role is broad, varied and would suit a candidate who is keen to try new opportunities in a supportive environment. The role would include:
Corporate Transactions & Strategic Projects
1. Support on M&A, financing arrangements, joint ventures and other strategic initiatives.
2. Support the legal integration of new subsidiaries.
3. Support with advice on group restructurings and intragroup arrangements.
4. Opportunities to advise on high-profile strategic projects.
5. Attend steering committee meetings for key strategic projects.
Commercial Contracts
6. Draft, review, and negotiate procurement and commercial contracts, including: group-level agreements (., Private Medical Insurers, third-party funders, suppliers of clinical and non-clinical goods/services, IT/SaaS agreements); and site-specific contracts (., sponsorship agreements, licences, sub-contracts). Draft and advise on intragroup commercial contracts. Together with litigation colleagues, advise on commercial disputes.
Regulatory & Competition Law Advice
7. Support the team with and develop the capability to provide obtaining strategic advice on a range of competition law matters, particularly those impacting the healthcare sector such as compliance with the Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order 2014 (CMA Order) including engaging with external counsel to assist with merger control analyses.
8. Together with regulatory colleagues, provide advice on appropriate contractual frameworks to help navigate regulatory compliance issues (. CQC registration compliance).
General Legal Support
9. Provide ad-hoc legal advice to hospitals and central teams (Property & Estates, Marketing, IT, Finance/Tax, Business Development, Group Purchasing, Pathology, NHS Contracting).
10. Assist in preparing internal briefings/ reports for Board and Committees of the Board, including the Executive Committee. Support the Group General Counsel/ Company Secretary with governance duties including verification of half year and full year results and annual report and accounts
11. Manage updates to the Legal Team risk register.
Legal Operations & Process Improvement
12. Contribute to projects aimed at optimising and streamlining legal processes, standards and efficiencies, including driving change through legal AI.
Training & Knowledge Sharing
13. Deliver induction and ongoing training on key compliance areas (. competition law and commercial contracting).
14. Supporting the team in maintaining up-to-date legal knowledge and shaping and future-proofing legal documentation standards.
15. Supporting group companies in updating precedent documents.
Team Support & Administration
16. Instruct and manage external legal advisers and support in managing legal team budget.
17. Maintain up to date legal resources for the business via the legal intranet.
18. Assist in supervising legal counsel/ trainees.
About You
19. Qualifications and Experience:
20. English law qualified (4-5 years PQE) in corporate and/or commercial law.
21. Strong academic background (a 2:1 degree or equivalent)
22. In-house experience is desirable but not essential
23. Skills: strong interpersonal and communication skills with demonstratable drafting ability; can balance the provision of legal advice with commercial pragmatism; proactive, self-motivated and reliable, with a ‘can do’ attitude and ability to take initiative; ability to build rapport easily as well as effective relationships; thrives as part of a team; innovative mindset with a keen desire to take on new projects; ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a dynamic environment.
Benefits:
We offer employees a competitive salary as well as a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:
24. 35 days annual leave inclusive of bank holidays
25. Employer and employee contributory pension with flexible retirement options
26. ‘Spire for you’ reward platform - discount and cashback for over 1000 retailers
27. Free Bupa wellness screening
28. Private medical insurance
29. Life assurance
30. Save an average of £50 per month with our free onsite car park