In house Legal Counsel
Methods, United Kingdom
Job Description
Methods is recruiting for an experienced In House Legal Counsel - TMT to join our growing business on a permanent basis in our London office.
Please note due to COVID 19 restrictions this role will be remote until restrictions have been lifted.
Methods:
Since our establishment in 1990, Methods has partnered with a range of central government departments and agencies to transform the way the public sector operates in the UK. We are the largest privately owned consultancy working exclusively for the public sector. Our goal is to make a positive difference to the public sector, both through the use of technology and the expertise of our people. To help safeguard public-facing services and apply digital thinking to make sure the future of our public services is centred around our citizens.
At Methods we believe in working with a human touch which sets us apart from other consultancies, system integrators and software houses. We do not focus solely on profits or targets; we have a customer-centric value system and focus on doing what is right for our clients.
These goals are shared by our sister companies, Methods Analytics Limited and CoreAzure Limited. Both trade independently of Methods, but share common shareholders and thus have a close working relationship with Methods, acting as part of the ‘group’.
All three companies operate across the whole public sector: in central government; local government; and ALB’s. The majority of the work undertaken is project based, awarded following successful bid proposals submitted under the Crown Commercial Service’s Framework Agreements’ structure.
Requirements
The role of the In House Legal Counsel is to provide general legal and commercial support to each of the companies in the ‘group’.
There will be a significant focus and time spent on working on commercial contracts issued under the Crown Commercial Service’s Framework Agreement structure, to ensure that the companies’ risk profiles remain robustly managed. Additionally, the management of contracts and flow-down agreements with numerous subcontractors is of equal importance. Annual contract values can range from the tens of thousands to many millions of pounds on an individual basis.
The In House Legal Counsel will be responsible for:
- Negotiating and drafting a wide range of commercial contracts with customers and supplier, including SaaS contracts; cloud service agreements; license agreements; Government Formwork Agreements; and other types of IT and Technology agreements and NDAs, to ensure legal and commercial interests are protected.
- Providing legal advice on all issues within the organisation, in particular providing guidance on various areas of UK law including contract, company, employment, and other legal matters arising in an Information Technology business.
- Working hand in hand with the Bid and Sales team advising on all Government Frameworks, including, amongst others, G-Cloud 12, DOS 4, Consultancy One, Tech Services 2.
- Supporting contractual procurement activities to ensure that legal and commercial objectives of third party contracts are effectively tracked and delivered and consistent with policies and guidelines. Maintaining up-to-date records of third party contracts and ensuring that IPR is effectively managed.
- Providing advice on GDPR data protection legislation to ensure compliance with statutory requirements. Negotiation of all data Protection Agreements, monitoring changes in data protection law and identifying and evaluating company’s data processing activities.
- Providing guidance on correct interpretation of key terms and conditions of contracts and giving counsel on IP law matters, including the ownership and assignment of IP in commercial contracts, cyber security regulations, contracts law, company secretarial matters, employment law, commercial law and data protection law.
- Building relationships across the business and interacting with key stakeholders and acting as a representative of the group when dealing with external stakeholders and clients.
- Establishing best legal practice and helping up-skill the wider organisation.
- Establishing a corporate-wide, consistent policy for the retention, management and evaluation of outside counsel.
- Identifying legal issues and risks and to advise the business on strategies and solutions for mitigating any such legal issues and risks.
- Responsible for handling client and contractual disputes and supporting in litigation.
- Monitoring and keeping the business units advised of legislative changes and case-law affecting the conduct of the Company’s business.
- Advis