Senior Legal Counsel (Dispute Resolution)

Senior Legal Counsel (Dispute Resolution)

£90,000 / £126,000 DoE and Location

Leeds or London - Hybrid

12-Month Fixed Term Contract

Sellick Partnership is partnered with a leading UK infrastructure and services business to recruit a Senior Legal Counsel on a 12-month fixed term contract.

This is an excellent opportunity for a Senior Solicitor with strong construction disputes and dispute resolution experience to join an established in-house Legal team and take responsibility for their own caseload across a diverse and commercially important business.

The role is predominantly advisory and dispute-focused, with no requirement for a pure non-contentious construction background. Applications are welcomed from both private practice and in-house lawyers, although strong private practice construction disputes experience would be particularly well suited.

The Role

• As Senior Legal Counsel, you will manage your own caseload and provide strategic legal advice on a wide range of construction disputes and contractual issues.
• You will have significant interaction with stakeholders across the business and will be expected to act as a trusted legal adviser, helping teams understand and manage legal and commercial risk.
• The role will cover disputes relating to a broad portfolio of service and infrastructure contracts, including work involving defects, delay and disruption, variations, loss and expense, payment disputes, final accounts, adjudications and alternative dispute resolution.
• There will also be an element of contractual advisory work alongside the disputes caseload, although the focus of the role is firmly on dispute resolution and contentious construction matters.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a varied caseload of construction disputes and contentious contractual matters across the business.
• Provide commercially focused advice on defects, delay and disruption, variations, loss and expense, payment disputes and final accounts.
• Advise on and manage adjudications, mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
• Provide strategic advice to senior management and business stakeholders on legal and commercial risk.
• Support the business in resolving disputes efficiently, balancing legal risk with wider commercial objectives.
• Advise on disputes arising from complex service, infrastructure, facilities management and energy-related contracts.
• Work closely with operational and commercial teams across the business, acting as a trusted legal adviser.
• Manage external legal advisers where required, ensuring appropriate use of external counsel and cost-effective fee arrangements.
• Provide training and guidance to stakeholders on dispute resolution, contractual risk and relevant legal developments.
• Contribute to wider legal and commercial decision-making across the organisation.

About You

• Qualified Solicitor in England & Wales with 6+ years' PQE preferred.
• Strong experience in construction disputes and alternative dispute resolution.
• Excellent knowledge of construction law and the Construction Act.
• Strong understanding of the major construction contract suites, including NEC, JCT and other commonly used forms.
• PFI experience would be highly desirable and is a key area of interest for the business.
• Experience handling disputes involving complex construction, infrastructure, facilities management or service contracts.
• Strong technical ability with the confidence to provide clear, concise and commercially focused advice.
• Comfortable managing your own caseload and working across a broad range of complex disputes.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships with senior management and operational teams.
• Pragmatic and commercially minded, with the ability to balance legal risk against wider business objectives.
• Experience gained in private practice or an in-house legal environment will be considered.

What's in it for you?

• A competitive salary dependent on experience and location
• 15% performance-related bonus.
• Private medical insurance.
• 25 days' annual leave + public holidays.
• Life cover equivalent to 3x annual salary.
• Employee discount schemes across major brands and retailers.
• Gym membership and cycle-to-work schemes.
• Two corporate social responsibility days per year.
• Professional development and learning opportunities.
• Employee assistance programme and mental wellbeing support.
• Access to a range of employee networks and wellbeing initiatives.

The successful candidate will be required to work from either the Leeds or London office one day per week, with the remainder of the role offering flexibility to work remotely.

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