Please note that we are unable to accept agency introductions for this role. Agency CVs will be immediately declined and deleted in accordance with our data privacy obligations and shall not impact our ability to directly source the individual for this role.

Legal & Compliance Manager

Function

BM - Matter Optimisation

Location

London

Employment Type

Fixed Term

Reporting to

Head of Re:link

About us

Linklaters is a leading international law firm, providing legal services in 20 countries and through 30 offices. We are one of The Times’ Top 50 Employers for Women, a Working Families top 30 employer, recognised by Stonewall as a top 10 employer for LGBTQ+ inclusion, and by the Social Mobility Employer Index as a top employer for advancing social mobility.

Linklaters specialises in advising the world’s leading companies, financial institutions and governments on their most challenging transactions and assignments. With offices in major business and financial centres, we deliver an outstanding service to our clients anywhere in the world.

Re:link is Linklaters’ flexible lawyer platform. We provide Linklaters' clients and practice groups with swift access to a community of high-quality consultants to solve their flexible resourcing needs.

Re:link is a key part of Limitless, Linklater’s re-designed Alternative Legal Services offering. Limitless draws together Linklaters’ paralegals, support lawyers, legal project managers and legaltech professionals as well as Re:link consultants.

At Re:link we are proud with what we have achieved over 7 years. We have established a market-leading reputation for outstanding client service and as a dynamic, friendly team that genuinely enjoys finding the best opportunities for our talented pool of consultants. We are a highly collaborative, sophisticated team who enjoy working together and supporting each other in all we do.

This is an outstanding opportunity to join a high-performing, problem-solving team in an environment that combines the agility and dynamism of a start up with the support and professionalism of one of the world’s preeminent law firms.

About you

• Legally qualified in England & Wales or comparable Commonwealth jurisdiction with 5+ years’ experience in private practice from a leading international law firm or comparable in-house role.
• Strong employment law experience highly desirable.
• Experience working in or with alternative legal services platforms and/or premium legal recruitment agencies (or other comparable experience) will be advantageous.
• Interest in and experience of AI legaltech.
• Commercial and problem-solver.
• Sets and delivers to high standards, well-organised and structured with excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Comfortable working with senior lawyers and clients.
• Hands-on, flexible, enthusiastic and willing to help the team with whatever it needs.

Your role

• To provide legal advice and services to Re:link leadership and client teams to secure optimal commercial and legal terms of engagement with clients and Re:link consultants.
• Negotiate with clients, manage legal and commercial risks, and ensure adherence to firm-wide employment and legal policies through close collaboration with Legal & Risk teams.
• Drives roll-out of efficient, scalable AI legal tech as part of Re:link legal processes.
• Delivers the above advice and support to the Re:link team on a global basis, including to Re:link’s UK and Middle East teams.

Key responsibilities

• Drafts and negotiates commercial contracts with clients, Re:link consultants and other third parties, in alignment with legal and market best practice, including in relation to both UK and the Middle East.
• Develops and manages Re:link's internal processes and policies to minimise risk and promote best practices.
• Resolves queries regarding contractual terms, practising rights, and regulatory issues for Re:link consultants and clients.
• Coordinates with Linklaters' partners to align Re:link terms with firm-wide client terms.
• Manages and advises on risk and conflict issues during client placements, escalating to Legal & Risk team if necessary.
• Advises on the regulatory, compliance and tax issues arising in relation to cross-border placements involving jurisdictions in addition to the UK and the UAE. While you will not be required to be an expert in these areas, you are expected to coordinate with relevant business teams such as Global Mobility and International Tax to make informed recommendations.
• Drives implementation of AI legaltech tools to support efficient delivery.
• Collaborates with HR and Linklaters employment lawyers on compliance with employment laws and firm policies applicable to Re:link consultants, including in relation to both UK and the Middle East.
• Develops and collaborates with Legal & Risk team on policy framework for use of AI tools by Re:link consultants.
• Leads responses to legal or employee relations challenges, involving Legal & Risk team when needed.
• Provides ongoing training to Re:link team on relevant legal and compliance issues.
• Trains and provides direction to the Re:link Operations team to support the drafting and issue of contracts and other legal and compliance processes and policies.
• Ensures compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) standards.
• Acts as an advisor and sounding board to Re:link senior leadership on policy and risk matters.
• Undertakes other Re:link team projects, activities and priorities where so required, as part of a collaborative global team, including providing cover or additional capacity to other team members during periods of high busyness, holidays or other absences.

What sets us apart

• We offer a truly global work experience and the opportunity to be involved in strategic projects that drive innovation and shape the future of our business
• We belong to a firm that embodies its corporate social, environment, and governance responsibility commitments
• We remain focused on talent and having the best people which will result in a diverse workforce
• Having got the best people, we want them to feel included, valued and respected so they can perform at their best
• We advocate speak-up culture to empower our people in sharing their voices and an open-door policy to ensure they are listened to
• We invest in custom-fit career paths for our people in line with their talents and aspirations
• We provide agile working solutions to meet the changing needs of our people and our business
• We are committed to people first relationships based on mutual trust, respect, and appreciation
• We support the health and wellbeing of our people, providing a safe space to talk about emotions and mental health with access to expert advice as needed
• We invest in developing leaders of the future who demonstrate emotional intelligence and a passion to discover, coach and develop the talents of others

Our commitment to you/Linklaters

We are a friendly, informal team and are committed to providing you with the support and training you need to maximise your potential.

We place great value on working as a team in a positive, supportive, fair and open working environment. We respect and value difference and insist on inclusivity, celebrating all aspects of diversity because we want everyone to feel that they belong.

You will be challenged, mentored and supported in the development of your career and given access to professional learning and skills-based programmes aimed at providing you with the tools to meet your career ambitions.

How to Apply

Applications are only accepted online via the portal. Questions must be directed to the recruitment team on: lateralrecruitment@linklaters.com and not the practice or partners.

Further Information

This list of responsibilities and skills is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for the performance of this job, and as such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

A band of PQE as advertised on a role does not intend to preclude applications from those candidates that may have more or less PQE. Our intention is only to indicate a guideline as to how long we would expect a qualified lawyer to have practised so as to have gained the necessary skills for the role as described.

Equal Opportunities

The firm operates as a meritocracy and, therefore, selection for recruitment is on merit, irrespective of race, colour, age, religion, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation or disability. This assumes that the applicants are fit and able to undertake the job. Selection decisions, and the reasons for those decisions, are recorded in writing at each stage of the selection process. Selection criteria and, where appropriate, technical skills tests are in place to measure an individual’s ability for the safe and effective performance of a job. Those involved in recruitment, selection and dealing with the public are provided with training and guidance in administering equal opportunities.

Please note that we are unable to accept agency introductions for this role. Agency CVs will be immediately declined and deleted in accordance with our data privacy obligations and shall not impact our ability to directly source the individual for this role.

Technical Skills

Compliance Management, Contract Management, Contractual Advice, Document Management, Legal Advisory, Legal Analysis, Legal Drafting, Legal Risk Management, Policy Design, Policy Development, Process Design, Process Improvements, Records Management, Regulatory Compliance

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

Application Policy

Applications and CVs (direct or via agency) are only accepted online via the portal. Queries related to our roles must be directed to the relevant recruitment team and not the partners, practices or stakeholders (lateralrecruitment@linklaters.com for legal roles or ukbtrecruitment@linklaters.com for business team roles).