Legal Counsel - Central Government
Contract Length: 6 months with a view to extending
Pay Rate: £500-£600+ per day, inside IR35
Interview Process: face to face interviews in Birmingham
Location: 3 days per week in the office in Birmingham (B4 6GA) or London (NW1 2DN)
Deliver a full range of legal advice to HS2 and all its business Directorates which includes key internal stakeholders in order to optimise contractual outcomes for HS2 in relation to a variety of subjects (including supply chain, utilities, local authorities, etc) and support HS2’s compliance with legislation and regulations with respect to HS2’s program of work.
• Work with minimum supervision to provide high quality legal advice including drafting documents and providing advice to HS2 staff at all levels on all aspects of commercial/contracts law in connection with HS2 (including in relation to the corporate and project specific phase procurements and negotiation of high value, complex construction and other corporate contracts, corporate law, intellectual property, and finance and technology issues), to ensure that HS2 is not exposed to undue risk and that consistent business standards are adhered to;
• Main Lawyer and point contact for legal advice on General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 including privacy policies and supporting HS2’s Data Protection Officer with ad hoc advice to ensure that HS2 is not exposed to undue risks and liabilities where personal data is processed by and on behalf of HS2. Ensuring standards set by supervisory bodies (such as the ICO) on data protection are adhered to;
• Responsible for running weekly legal surgeries for contract management and Corporate Procurement to provide legal advice to enable them to maximise efficiencies and minimise external legal costs.
• Point legal contact for all Phase 2a procurements including leading on the early works procurement.
• Preparing and delivering targeted training to internal staff to help them understand areas of law (example, procurement law PCR and UCR) relating to legal issues as they arise;
• Drafting template precedents for the legal team including providing self-help tools/templates for internal HS2 staff to save time and cost to continuously improve performance and compliance;
• Advise on resolution of contractual claims and disputes (not including conduct of litigation or arbitration), using external lawyers where appropriate;
• When required, manage the provision of external legal support including responsibility for managing and monitoring cost, assisting with the setting of budget and timescales and managing quality;
• Contributing to the preparation and drafting of reports and briefings for senior management to support the decision-making process including liaising with senior lawyers and policy advisers across relevant government departments.
• Liaise and provide advice to members of the senior leadership team on legal matters I am dealing with
• When required, to supervise trainees/junior lawyers and prioritise workload in order to meet strategic needs of the business.
• Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.
Knowledge:
• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister with contracting or construction experience, preferably gained in both a “client” and a “contractor” environment.
• Demonstrable specialism in contract law and/or procurement law, preferably with a focus on large projects.
Commercial contracts/construction contracts knowledge
Type of experience:
• Experience of managing the provision of external legal advice
• Experience of public sector procurement processes
• Problem solving experience
• Commercial legal experience of UK based construction or infrastructure projects, or experience of dealing with Government Departments, utilities or transport projects, gained either in house or in private practice.
If you have any questions about this role or wish to apply, please contact isobel@deekay.co.uk who will respond at the earliest convenience.
