Allen Lane are supporting a public-sector organisation who are looking for an immediately available interim General Counsel.
Someone who leads the in-house legal function, overseeing a team of 20+ professionals and managing a multi-million-pound budget to deliver high-quality, cost-effective legal support for a large-scale, complex infrastructure programme.
Reporting Line
Reports to the Chief Financial Officer and works closely with other executive leaders, including the Finance and Sponsorship Directors. Direct reports include senior legal and operational managers.
Department Overview
Part of the Corporate Services Directorate, the Legal team provides strategic and pragmatic legal advice, ensuring compliance and effective risk management across all business operations.
Key Responsibilities
* Member of the Executive Leadership Team and attendee at Board and Committee meetings.
* Accountable for all legal advice relating to a major national infrastructure project, covering areas such as procurement, property, regulatory, environmental, and commercial law.
* Manage internal legal teams and external counsel to ensure value for money and high-quality service delivery.
* Oversee an annual external legal budget of £4–6m.
* Promote and embed diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing across the legal function.
Skills & Experience
* Qualified solicitor with extensive experience in complex commercial and infrastructure projects.
* Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex legal issues into clear business advice.
* Proven track record of managing large teams, budgets, and external legal providers.
* Expertise across multiple legal disciplines, ideally including public, procurement, property, and regulatory law.
* Experience working with or within public sector organisations is highly desirable.
Leadership Competencies
* Strategic and inspirational leader capable of motivating diverse teams.
* Strong commercial judgement and ability to balance risk and value.
* Collaborative and influential, fostering effective cross-functional relationships.
* Committed to developing talent and driving innovation within the legal function.
Decision-Making Authority
* Responsible for all operational and strategic decisions within the legal team.
* Holds delegated financial and procurement authority of up to £10m.
Key Contacts
* Senior internal stakeholders across finance, commercial, operations, and HR.
* External legal advisors and government or regulatory bodies.
Role Complexity
* Delivering legal support for a multi-billion-pound public infrastructure project in a highly regulated and politically visible environment.
* Managing competing priorities, limited resources, and multiple external stakeholders.