Legal Counsel

Vice Chancellor's Office

Closing Date: 

Monday 11 March 2019

Interview Date: 

Wednesday 28 March 2019 

Reference: 

1935

The University of Greenwich is proud of its 125 years of history as an educational institution which provides opportunities for people of potential, regardless of background, and which enhances society through research and enterprise. The University has around 40,000 students and staff (including around 16,000 students at overseas partner institutions), and campuses at Greenwich and Avery Hill in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and at Medway in Kent.

The University is seeking to appoint a qualified solicitor to provide specialist legal services, professional advice, guidance and support to the University’s executive and senior staff on a wide range of legal matters relating to the University of Greenwich and its subsidiaries, including commercial matters, student issues, employment matters, litigation, academic partnerships and compliance with legislation and regulations. 

Responsibilities of the Legal Counsel will include reviewing and drafting legal contracts and agreements; providing day to day advice on a wide range of legal and compliance matters; managing complex student and staff casework (e.g. complaints, appeals); managing litigation by or against the University; working with a wide range of internal colleagues; and representing the University’s interests through pro-active engagement with external stakeholders. The Legal Counsel will act as the main contact and liaison point with the external law firms on matters referred to external lawyers, and will manage and oversee the relationships with external law firms to ensure that the University obtains high quality and timely advice on a cost-effective basis. 

The Legal Counsel will also manage specific compliance areas delegated by the University Secretary to ensure that the University meets legal and regulatory requirements, including (but not limited to) the Modern Slavery Act, the Competition and Markets Authority’s guidance for universities on consumer protection law, and the Companies Act. As the University’s Insurance Officer, the post holder will manage the relationships with the University’s insurers to ensure that value for money is achieved, and will work closely with the Senior Executive Officer (University Governing Body) to provide advice and assistance to colleagues on insurance matters.

You will be a UK qualified solicitor as recognised by the Law Society with a current practising certificate issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. You should have a broad range of proven success and practical experience in legal practice, including a proven ability to successfully negotiate complex and sensitive matters for, and on behalf of a range of individual and/or corporate clients or organisations, and experience of providing clear, timely and practical legal advice to a wide range of stakeholders, including senior colleagues, board members or equivalent. You should have experience of employment matters and commercial and contract matters. Experience of working in a similar in-house role in a higher education or an equivalent environment is desirable but not essential.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Peter Garrod, University Secretary (universitysecretary@greenwich.ac.uk, 020 8331 8860).

We are looking for people who can help us deliver our mission of transforming lives through inspired teaching and research, through our values.