Legal Counsel, Employment Solicitor

Position: Employment Legal Counsel

Role type: Full-Time, Permanent

Location: East Sussex - Hybrid working

Salary: Up to £75,000 per annum base salary plus bonus and benefits

We are supporting a leading organisation with an Employment Legal Counsel hire to join their In-House legal team. This role focuses on non-contentious/advisory work with some exposure to contentious matters. The successful candidate will be a UK Qualified Solicitor with a minimum of three years PQE in employment law. Salary is up to £75k per annum, plus bonus and benefits, with hybrid working arrangements on offer both in Sussex and London (further information can be provided), offering a great work-life balance. The role can be easily commutable via public transport (especially from London and surrounding counties).

Key Responsibilities:

• Advisory Support: Provide comprehensive, commercially focused legal advice on a wide range of employment issues, such as hiring, terminations, mobility, immigration, and disputes, ensuring compliance with employment laws.


• Stakeholder Management: Advise managers, directors, and senior leaders on the risks associated with employment-related processes, providing practical, risk-based solutions that align with business objectives.


• Employment Disputes & Settlement Agreements: Take a leading role in preparing and resolving employee disputes, including settlement agreements, ensuring outcomes are aligned with the company's best interests and legal requirements.


• Policy Development & Compliance: Regularly review, update, and draft employment policies and procedures, ensuring they are compliant with current employment laws and regulations, and advise the company on any necessary legal amendments.


• Global Coordination: Work closely with the People Team on a global level to ensure consistency in policies, procedures, and decision-making across the organisation, and provide localised legal advice where necessary.


• Template Development: Contribute to the development and maintenance of legal resources, including templates for employment contracts, agreements, and other legal documentation.


• Legal Research: Conduct thorough research on applicable employment law issues affecting the company in both the UK and Europe, providing clear legal guidance to managers and directors.


• Risk Mitigation: Proactively identify potential legal risks associated with employment matters, advising on preventive measures to mitigate risks and safeguard the company.


• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with various departments, including HR, Finance, and Compliance, to ensure employment law considerations are integrated into the company's broader operational and business strategies.


• General Legal Support: Offer additional commercial legal support across the organisation, as needed, including providing guidance on matters beyond employment law.

Requirements:

• UK Qualified Solicitor, three years plus PQE in employment law (all levels from three years plus will be considered up to Senior Legal Counsel level), with experience in both contentious and non-contentious matters.


• Candidates with either an In-House or Private Practice background will be considered.


• Proven ability to provide commercially focused employment law advice.


• Strong leadership qualities, with experience in partnering constructively with business leaders, and proactively contributing to cross-functional teams.


• A pragmatic and commercial approach to problem-solving, comfortable taking risk-based decisions when necessary.


• Confident and articulate with excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a fast-paced environment.


• Outstanding negotiation skills and the ability to represent the company's interests while maintaining a professional and collaborative approach.


• Ability to communicate effectively across all levels of the organisation, with strong verbal and written communication skills, particularly in drafting legal contracts, reports, and policies.


• A proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with a "go-getter" attitude, determined to drive results and add value to the business.


• Solid business acumen and a strong understanding of how legal decisions impact the broader business strategy.

What's on offer:

• Base salary up to £75,000 per annum plus bonus and benefits package.


• An opportunity to work in a forward-thinking and collaborative environment.


• A hybrid working policy offering a blend of office and remote working.

LHH is an employment consultancy that believes in talent, not labels. It is important to us that we run inclusive recruitment processes to support candidates of all abilities and encourage applicants of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply. LHH is committed to building an inclusive, supportive environment to enable candidates to explore the next steps in their careers. If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know and we will be happy to support you.