Agencies: We will only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted.
About the role:
Joining LifeArc's in house legal team, the Legal Counsel will support the organisation as it pursues its ambition to bridge the gap between academic research and unmet patient by identifying innovative discoveries and driving delivery of new therapies with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of patients with unmet medical need.
The successful candidate will be located in our London office and will report to the LifeArc Senior Legal Counsel responsible for supporting the LifeArc Ventures, Investment and other teams.
The role will primarily: (i) act alongside the Senior Legal Counsel to provide legal advice to the LifeArc Ventures and Investment teams; and (ii) act independently to support one or more key enabling function teams (Marketing and Communications, Procurement and/or HR), managing a wide range of legal work.
About you:
You will support several teams within LifeArc and responsibilities will include:
LifeArc’s Ventures team
Working closely with the Senior Legal Counsel for the LifeArc Ventures team to provide first class legal advice and support to the Ventures team (which has a mandate to invest £100ms in early-stage life sciences companies globally), including in relation to:
* new direct investments (equity or convertible loan investments)
* new indirect investments (taking limited partner positions within life sciences venture capital funds)
* the management of the current portfolio of direct and indirect investment companies and funds, including in respect of exits
* legal due diligence reviews of potential investment opportunities
* managing and guiding the formal legal steps for completing/closing Ventures transactions, including managing internal approval procedures, the execution of documents and the filing of legal agreements.
LifeArc’s Investment team
Working closely with the Senior Legal Counsel for the LifeArc Investment team to provide first class legal advice and support to the Investment team (which manages and invests the majority of LifeArc’s £1bn+ charitable endowment), including working on investment management agreements, service agreements and powers of attorney.
Business partner for one or more enabling functions:
Acting independently (with support from other members of the Legal team where required) as the primary contact from the Legal team for one or more key enabling function teams (Marketing and Communications, Procurement and/or HR) and supporting them with a wide range of legal advice and documents, including in relation to:
* providing first line response to queries and obtaining any required internal and/or external legal advice for more complex matters; and
* drafting and negotiating services, goods, consultancy and confidentiality agreements.
Other responsibilities:
* Contributing to initiatives of the Legal team to identify and implement continuous improvements, including training for the Legal team and the organisation, the improvement of processes and the development of templates, policies and guidance on legal topics.
* From time to time, working with senior members of the Legal team on matters in support of LifeArc’s Pre-clinical, Clinical and “Translational Challenge” teams, including in relation to grant funding, IP licensing and collaboration agreements.
Education & experience required:
* A solicitor qualified to practice law in England and Wales with a minimum of one-year post-qualification experience. Note that qualification in other jurisdictions will be considered so long as the applicant possesses extensive experience with respect to English law.
* Substantial corporate transactional legal work experience
* Experience of venture capital / private equity sector is highly desirable.
* Experience of M&A, IP, grant agreements, service agreements, data protection, the life sciences sector and/or charity law are all desirable
Skills & abilities:
* Possess a growth mindset, with a commitment to continuous self-improvement.
* Pro-active in applying knowledge and skills with the ability to anticipate, define and resolve issues that may arise in order to effect positive change.
* Excellent organisational and task management skills.
* Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to proactively provide clear updates on work progress.
About us:
LifeArc is a not-for-profit life science organisation, leading the way for change in rare diseases in the UK and supporting promising initiatives in global health. We seek out research in areas of unmet need that has great potential, providing support to help it become breakthroughs that change lives.
What we can offer you:
Focused on finding life changing solutions for underserved patients, our people thrive in an inclusive, and supportive environment that prioritises their health and wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary approach guarantees our people growth opportunities, while our culture of innovation and collaboration drives the impact we make delivering on our purpose of ‘putting patients at the centre of everything we do’.
We are dedicated to creating a diverse, flexible, equitable and happy work environment so our colleagues can thrive as their truest selves. We act with courage, curiosity, care & commitment to deliver quality & excellence for our patients and each other Join us, and you’ll be given the scope to develop your professional skills and experience in a safe, supportive and challenging environment.
Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days PLUS bank holidays.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, for example, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LifeArc we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so whatever your background or lived experience, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Our top priority is finding the best candidate, and you may be just right for this or other roles.
We all have potential. At LifeArc, you’ll discover what you can really do with it.
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