Company Description
We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future.
As strategies, technologies, and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity.
Our teams of interdisciplinary experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results.
We are over 4,000 strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers, and technologists. And we have deep expertise in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport.
Our teams operate globally from offices across the UK, Ireland, US, Nordics, and Netherlands.
PA. Bringing Ingenuity to Life.
Job Description
PA Consulting Group is seeking a trainee solicitor to join our Cambridge office. The role of Trainee Solicitor will involve all aspects of legal and commercial training in the provision of commercial legal advice to PA's corporate and business units. These are predominantly located in the UK, Europe and US although only English law will be the basis for such training.
The Trainee Solicitor will work closely with a variety of teams and individuals within PA and will understand the link between the legal department and the business to ensure the highest quality of services and compliance is met.
Reporting to Senior Legal Counsel we can promise a wide variety of work, in a supportive and collegiate environment.
The role will involve
Provision of legal advice – risks and mitigations - on the following topics:
Contract law
IP and IT law
Dispute Resolution
Employment law
Procurement processes (including public procurement)
Review and negotiation of:
Confidentiality agreements
Service contracts
Subcontract agreements
Framework agreements
Purchase terms and conditions
IT license agreements
Internal support for the legal function:
Contract summaries and maintaining online databases and registers
Administering large Framework Agreements
Ad hoc tasks to support other lawyers and other colleagues
Assistance with the production and delivery of internal training
Identifying commercial and legal risk and suitable strategies for mitigation:
Supporting (and eventually leading) all aspects of legal support with the business
Assisting internal clients through the internal processes
Minimising legal risk within the business more generally
Assisting Procurement to negotiate successfully and within PA's risk boundaries
Assisting Audit with internal reviews
Promoting best practice
Retaining and filing all relevant documentation
Delivering training to the business
Hybrid working - our approach is to be in the office or on client site a minimum of 2 days per week. However, the actual time you spend and where you spend it will vary by role or assignment.
Qualifications
Must be able to qualify either through the SQE route or the LPC route (with degree or equivalent)
Evidence of problem-solving ability
Experience of customer facing roles
Ability to deal with a wide variety of internal and external clients, with differing backgrounds (commercial, legal, academic and technical)
Experience of working to a deadline and managing several deadlines at one time
Ability to work with internal clients in other jurisdictions
Ability to work alone and as part of a close-knit team
Excellent communication skills
Ability to think creatively, to provide guidance and pragmatic solutions rather than 'the letter of the law'
An interest in the wider business and its ventures
Ability to work through complex legal documentation, identifying commercial as well as legal risk
Experience negotiating and clear writing a benefit but not essential
The ability to pass security screening and the right to work in the UK
We know the skill-gap and 'somewhat need to tick every box' can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates, so please don't hesitate to apply – we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today by completing our online application
Please be aware that some of our UK roles at PA Consulting require a UK security clearance.
All PA people are required to undergo background checks and to achieve the Baseline Personnel Security Standard however, some UK roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting, where applicants must have at least 5 years of continuous residency in the UK.
We therefore ask that you only apply if you meet the residency requirements (i.e. you are a British citizen or have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years), as this is the prerequisite for a security clearance. If you're unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to review the UK Government's guidance on security vetting before applying.
Additional Information
Life At PA encompasses our peoples' experience at PA. It's about how we enrich peoples' working lives by giving them access to unique people and growth opportunities and purpose led meaningful work.
Our purpose guides how we work with our clients and our teams, and support our communities, to deliver insight and impact, solving the world's most complex challenges. We're focused on building a workplace that values human difference and diverse mindsets, and a culture of inclusion and equality that unlocks the potential in our people so everyone can be their best self.
Find out more about Life at PA here.
We are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial well-being of our people. Check out some of our extensive benefits:
Health and lifestyle perks accompanying private healthcare
25 days annual leave (plus a bonus half day on Christmas Eve) with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
Generous company pension scheme
Opportunity to get involved with community and charity-based initiatives
Annual performance-based bonus
PA share ownership
Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)
We're committed to advancing equality. We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief, veteran status, or any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.
Adjustments or accommodations - Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us on