Contracts Lawyer

The role

The Client Terms Team in which the Contracts Lawyer sits forms part of the firms General Counsel function providing crucial in-house legal support to the firms offices globally.  The Team is primarily responsible for reviewing negotiating and concluding contracts which the firm is entering into with clients as well as suppliers of goods and services to the firm. The role sits within a busy established Team responsible for ensuring that contracts concluded with suppliers and clients fall within the firms risk policy and align with firm standards practices and values.

Who you will work with

The Team works closely with the firms Head of Legal General Counsel Director of Business Intake the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer  and the Procurement Director as well as the firms partners other lawyers Pricing and Client and Market Development (CMD) and other business professionals across a range of expert disciplines to ensure that contractual commitments are consistent with the firms standards and practices. 

The Team comprises the Head of Client Terms and Contract Solutions (to which you will directly report) and two Contracts Executives. The Team ultimately reports to the firms Head of Legal within the General Counsels office. 

In this role you will work closely with the firms clients and perform the role of a trusted advisor to partners lawyers and other business professionals within the firm.

What you will be responsible for

The role will be to work directly with partners other lawyers and business professionals focussing on:

• The review and negotiation of commercial contracts under which the firm globally acts for its clients. This may be associated with client bids/RfPs panel arrangements or specific matters.

• Delivering advice to the firm on a range of contractual issues including in relation to events and business development initiatives secondment arrangements and NDAs.

• Reviewing and providing input on the commercial contracts which the firm enters into with its material suppliers (IT and non-IT).

• Support with management of client questionnaires.

• Updating terms associated with client use of legal technology tools and platforms made available by the firm or technology platforms that clients may request the firm to interface with.

• Providing in-house legal input to ad-hoc firm projects as well as assisting with updates to the firms standard Terms of Business templates internal policies and processes.

• Supervise the Contracts Executives as and when needed.

• Drive efficiencies in the Teams knowledge management and processes including leveraging technology where appropriate.

What you will do

• Reviewing Framework Agreements Outside Counsel Agreements Policies and Codes engagement letters amendments to the firms standard Terms of Business and similar documents received from clients (Client Terms) to identify provisions which will require amendment/negotiation.

• Liaising with others within the firm on specialist topics (such as IT security data privacy conflicts).

• Coordinating with the Pricing Team where pricing or other commercial issues are also under discussion with the relevant client.

• Incorporating provisions which the firm will want added to Client Terms.

• Preparing responses/mark-ups to Client Terms and communicating the firms position to clients both internally (to relevant partners) and to external clients including negotiating amendments.

• Dealing with requests from clients to amend the firms Terms of Business.

• Updating client terms and internal guidance documents to ensure adherence to those terms.

• Contributing to updates to the Terms of Use upon which the firm makes available legal technology solutions to its clients.

• Undertaking initial review and delegating where appropriate to the firms Client Questionnaire Team to coordinate and seek factual input from others within the firm on client questionnaires.

• Assisting the Client Questionnaire Team to develop precedent responses to common questions and maintaining and updating that information.

• Assisting the Procurement Team to develop update and implement its suite of template contracts for the supply of goods and services to the firm.

• Reviewing requests for amendments to the Procurement Teams standard contracts and draft contracts received from suppliers typically where the Procurement Team has identified a need for legal assistance in order to identify gaps / areas of concern / appropriate amendments.

• Preparing a risk summary to be considered before the firm enters into the contract.

• Assisting Procurement to negotiate amendments to supplier contracts.

• Contributing to the provision of training to the broader Procurement Team to increase their skill set.

• Keeping up-to-date with legal developments and considering if amendments to the firms Terms of Business are necessary.

• Preparing draft amendments to the Terms of Business; and discussing those amendments with internal stakeholders.

• Reviewing draft policies and procedures developed by other teams within the firm and providing feedback.

• Contributing to internal projects involving development and roll-out of new technology relevant to the work of the Client Terms Team.

Qualifications :

Your experience

Skills:

• You will be detailed focussed with strong drafting skills. 

• You will have strong influencing and negotiation skills.

• Flexible to the demands of others and have the ability to work under pressure and on your own initiative.

• The ability to plan and organise effectively in order to meet business priorities.

• You will have the ability to adapt quickly to new processes and technology.

• The ability to form working relationships with others both inside and outside of the immediate team.

• Sound awareness of commercial issues and ability to resolve them pragmatically.

• Flexible and effective verbal and written communication skills and an ability to build and maintain relationships with all members of the Firm. 

• You will be commercially minded with strong analytical organisational and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to work both unsupervised and as part of a team. 

Experience:

• Prior experience as a practicing lawyer.

• Experience in reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts. 

• Previous experience of gathering and analysing information by using it to solve problems in a methodical and practical way.

• Experience working within or alongside a Risk or Compliance function in a professional services firm would be beneficial but is not essential.

Qualifications:

• A Law degree.

How we will support you

From your first day with us you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and development your skills and knowledge. From formal training informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.

You will be working with partners lawyers and business professionals from all of the firms offices and practice areas.

You will have exposure to work which often involves complex high value matters that frequently headline in the financial and business press and also work involving emerging markets and technologies.

You will develop an unbeatable multi-disciplinary skill set as well as client facing skills whilst working with some of the best-known market leaders in their respective practice areas.

We will provide the opportunity for you to develop as a recognised practitioner in the field.

Additional Information :

Hybrid Working

This role follows our balanced hybrid working approach and as long as business needs allow you will be supported to work in a hybrid way with the expectation of working from the office for a minimum of 50% of your time.

What we offer including our broad range of benefits and working environment

When you join Clifford Chance you will have access to a broad range of benefits to support you across many aspects of your personal and professional life including financial wellbeing lifestyle and family friendly benefits. For more information on what we offer specifically in the UK please visit our What We Offer page on our career site. 

Equal Opportunities

At Clifford Chance we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families our firm and society. 

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender gender identity and expression marital or civil partnership status race colour national or ethnic origin social or economic background disability religious belief sexual orientation or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection terms and conditions of employment including pay promotion training transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm.

Find out more about our inclusive culture here

#LI-Hybrid