Principal Legal Counsel | 12 Month FTC | Hybrid Working | West Midlands | £75,000 DOE | Job Ref: 215302883
Role: Principal Legal Counsel
Location: West Midlands (1‑2 days per week in the West Midlands office)
Salary: Competitive + Benefits
Contract: 12 Month Fixed Term Contract
The Opportunity
An established and forward‑thinking professional services firm is seeking a Principal Legal Counsel to join its in‑house legal function on a 12-month fixed term contract.
Reporting directly to the Head of Legal, this is a senior appointment within a growing and strategically important legal team. The role will involve close collaboration with Directors, Partners and senior stakeholders across the business, acting as a trusted adviser on complex, high‑impact legal matters.
This opportunity would suit an experienced 8‑10+ PQE lawyer with strong commercial acumen, a pragmatic mindset and the ability to operate autonomously in a fast‑paced environment.
The Role
As Principal Legal Counsel, you will:
* Lead, draft and negotiate complex commercial agreements and oversee significant legal workstreams
* Advise on legal aspects of new and existing products and services, including third‑party technologies
* Provide commercially focused, risk‑aligned legal advice to senior stakeholders
* Identify legal risks and develop practical mitigation strategies aligned with firm‑wide risk policies
* Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulatory frameworks and industry standards
* Develop and maintain standard agreements, templates, policies and internal guidance
* Drive governance excellence, including data protection, privacy and cyber‑risk awareness
* Conduct legal and commercial analysis to inform strategic business decisions
* Identify process improvements to enhance efficiency, quality and consistency
* Supervise and quality assure work produced by junior lawyers and trainees
You will take full ownership of matters from instruction through to resolution, anticipating issues and proactively developing solutions.
About You
The ideal candidate will:
* Be a UK qualified solicitor with 8‑10+ years’ PQE
* Have strong experience advising on complex commercial contracts
* Demonstrate expertise in data protection, privacy and technology‑related matters
* Be confident translating complex legal issues into clear, structured and commercially sound advice
* Show excellent negotiation skills and sound judgement
* Operate as a recognised subject matter expert and trusted senior adviser
* Be highly organised, adaptable and capable of managing multiple priorities
* Demonstrate strong emotional intelligence and leadership capability
* Be proactive, collaborative and solutions‑focused
A pragmatic and commercially aware approach is essential, along with the confidence to influence and challenge senior stakeholders where appropriate.
How to Apply:
Contact Alicia Forde on 0121 454 1004 or email alicia.forde@enllegal.co.uk quoting Job Ref: 215302883
eNL will never share your CV with a third party without your express permission. As part of our candidate care process, we aim to respond to all applications in 7 days. If you have not been contacted within this timescale, your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Please note our advertisements use PQE/salary levels purely as a guide.
At eNL we value diversity and inclusion. We want to attract people at all levels and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates whatever your ethnicity, religion, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any characteristics protected by law in the jurisdictions in which we operate.
#J-18808-Ljbffr