Legal Counsel – BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group
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BIG is a group of 750+ architects, engineers, urbanists, inventors, researchers and business minds from all over the world who are based in our Copenhagen, New York, London, Barcelona and Los Angeles offices. While we are led by a group of expert partners, directors, and associates, a flat hierarchy and collaborative spirit are essential to our BIG ecosystem. We are infectiously ambitious and unified by the shared mission to craft the world we want to live in, to give form to our future one project at a time.
We are on the lookout for a highly experienced, talented, and motivated Senior Legal Counsel who will take responsibility for providing effective and proactive legal support to the Managing Director and Director of Business Development in the dynamic London studio. You will be working within BIG’s Legal Department which currently has 8 members globally, supporting our offices in Copenhagen, New York, London, Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai. You will work closely with your colleagues, sharing knowledge, experience, ideas and developing and aligning company standards and procedures.
Primary Areas of Responsibility
* Contract review: at the core of the role is the review and negotiation of contracts (including architectural design agreements of all stages with clients, sub‑consultants, vendors etc.). The business operates at a fast pace, so the need to be able to assimilate and advise on the terms of an agreement quickly and with a commercial awareness of the terms is essential. Also, because of the international nature of the business, it is essential that you are alive to the cultural differences that arise when working in different locations.
* Insurance: Supporting the management of UK professional indemnity and related insurances, including liaising with brokers, advising on contractual alignment with cover, and contributing to renewal processes in collaboration with Global Legal and Finance.
* Contract negotiation: lead contract negotiations from instruction to signature, including liaising with internal stakeholders, interface with clients and other consultants, to understand the project at hand and drive communication with clients, external counsel, insurance brokers etc. The role operates with a high degree of autonomy on day‑to‑day contract negotiation and legal support, with escalation pathways to the Managing Director and Global Legal team for strategic, high‑risk or non‑standard matters.
* Legal support: acting as the day‑to‑day legal contact for live projects from bid stage through execution, providing rapid, pragmatic advice on active appointments, LOAs, variations and side letters. Managing contractual risk in real time, including liability caps, indemnities, fitness for purpose language, novation, collateral warranties, reliance and scope changes. Supporting project teams and business development on fast‑track and phased appointments, scope and fee protection, non‑payment and delivery issues, and advising when matters require escalation due to material legal, insurance or commercial risk.
* Department growth: contributing to the development and optimisation of legal processes, templates and training materials that support the growing London and global business and advising on legal compliance opportunities within the business at local level and global.
* Risk: critically review corporate risks and advise the business on solutions in areas such as data protection, compliance, confidentiality, anti‑bribery, etc.
* Education: create initiatives to educate stakeholders on key legal risks.
* Client relations: take proactive role supporting the Business Development and Project Controlling teams in building legal contacts within key client organisations and across the LEAP teams to help facilitate contract negotiations.
* Corporate governance: identify, develop and maintain standards and procedures to mitigate risks and ensure effective processes locally as well as at global group‑level and ensuring corporate compliance (e.g. management of insurance policies, corporate duties, brand protection etc.)
* Training & development: participate in educating and creating internal awareness around basic legal risks and protecting BIG's assets.
What We’re Looking For
* Has 4‑6 years PQE in a similar position within the architectural, construction, or engineering industry.
* Is an approachable team player with good interpersonal skills that is able to work independently and also manage multiple local and global stakeholders with varying degrees of legal experience.
* Has self‑confidence and good judgement, especially in ambiguous situations – is comfortable with making and owning decisions and working closely with executive leadership in a fast‑paced and rapidly changing environment.
* Demonstrated ability to lead negotiations and track record in closing and delivering projects successfully and timely.
* Extremely organised and able to handle multiple live projects effectively, providing regular high‑level updates to stakeholders.
* Desires to be challenged and think outside the box, while not being afraid to ask questions and offer solutions as necessary.
* Structured and able to think critically, delving into the details where required but always keeping the big picture in mind.
* Is proactive, reliable, and trustworthy – completing tasks with a sense of urgency and capable of multi‑tasking responsibilities that vary in scale and scope.
* Strong writing and legal drafting skills with excellent legal analytical and communication skills – able to distil complex and cumbersome legalese into digestible information.
Application
Please upload your CV and any relevant references. We will contact you if your profile matches our requirements.
This is a full‑time position based out of BIG’s London office. Working together and collaborating in the same space is integral to our culture, so all our staff are expected to work from the office every day.
Diversity has been part of our DNA since BIG’s foundation. A multitude of cultures and backgrounds creates a new point of reference which leads to amazing insights. At BIG, we value, celebrate and support diversity because it makes our team, work and the built environment better. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and take affirmative action to employ equally regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or gender. We are committed to promoting equal opportunities and creating a workplace culture in which diversity and inclusion is valued – if you have any questions about this vacancy (or require any reasonable adjustments to be made to the process due to a disability), please specify this in the designated section of the application form.
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