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Legal Counsel

Job Reference selfridges/TP/121643/1158

This job has been closed.

Number of Positions:
1
Contract Type:
Permanent
Contract Details:
Permanent
Salary:
Competitive
Working Hours:
37.5
Location:
London
Closing Date:
25/10/2019
Job Category:
Legal
Region / Division:
London - Wigmore Street

Job Introduction

Selfridges today is more than just the sum of its products - it's a shopping experience that promises to surprise, amaze and amuse its customers by delivering extraordinary customer experiences. Our people are central to us achieving this.

The purpose of the role is to deliver extraordinary legal solutions with commercial flair, curiosity, creativity and care to enable Selfridges to achieve its vision of being the destination for the most extraordinary customer experience

A bit about the role

A Selfridges’ Legal Counsel needs to understand Selfridges and its vision of being the destination for extraordinary customer experience. The role will require the candidate to embrace Selfridges as a whole, from its customer facing front-of-house teams to the back-of-house functions that are needed to run a truly omni-channel, global, luxury retailer. The Legal Counsel will need to be a good influencer, make strong relationships, be a positive, pragmatic decision maker and work well in a fast-paced environment to help identify risk and balance common sense with legal expertise.

They will need to be outgoing, curious, naturally intuitive and empathetic, placing value in people and demonstrating a passion for Selfridges’ business. They will be comfortable in questioning colleagues and external advisors to gain understanding and offer challenge, to advise and support colleagues within the business. 

 

Key Areas of Responsibility:

  • To ensure the business is advised promptly, proactively, commercially and pragmatically to help Selfridges be as effective as possible in achieving its strategy, vision and purpose.

 

  • To advise key stakeholders on legal issues affecting the business in a commercially savvy way, taking into account the nature of the business, its risk appetite, providing a steer and offering a view.

 

  • To keep colleagues and key stakeholders up to date on relevant law, compliance, legal requirements and best practice.

 

  • To provide sound legal advice to the business, in plain English and without jargon; sometimes using and managing advice and support from external lawyers.

 

  • To assist with legal process, disputes/ litigation and business transactions. Draft, review, negotiate and administer legal and transactional documentations. Support on business projects. Analyse and identify legal risks and implications.

 

  • Support the legal team to be a high performing team; inspiring, supporting, coaching, supervising and leading, as required, to help the legal team get to the core of a problem quickly, to navigate legal requirements and issues whilst supporting colleagues to achieve their goals to drive the business forward.

A bit about you

Qualifications/ Training

  • Excellent academics and great legal experience, relevant to this role and this business.
  • A newly qualified solicitor with 0 – 6 months post-qualification experience

 

Experience:

  • General commercial legal experience (no specific experience or expertise required) / able to pick up any and all legal problems and queries
  • In-house experience desirable, or candidate to be able to demonstrate an understanding of the in-house role, its pace, demands and requirements

 

Technical Skills:

  • Contract law and the general commercial laws and issues affecting a retail business
  • Knowledge and experience of advising on some or all of the following:
  • consumer law
  • data privacy
  • compliance such as money laundering, health and safety, other regulatory matters
  • intellectual property
  • licensing law
  • property (landlord and tenant) / construction law
  • employment law (advising HR, TUPE)

 

Personal Attributes/ Behavioural Skills:

  • positive, self‐driven and resourceful
  • excellent problem‐solving, analytical and organisational skills;
  • sense of curiosity and creativity;
  • sound interpersonal and communication skills;
  • an ambassador for the legal team and the role of the lawyers;
  • respectful and challenging - able to influence business stakeholders;
  • excellent written and spoken English;
  • excellent attention to detail, even whilst working under pressure;
  • a commercial and pragmatic approach to legal issues;
  • an ability to distil complex legal issues into concise and user-friendly advice or documents;
  • able to work under pressure and meet deadlines;
  • able to adapt, change pace or direction and multi-task;
  • an understanding of excellent customer service from the customer and service provider’s perspective;
  • able to manage budgets, consider financial implications, plan resource;
  • a strong work ethic and an unwavering commitment to Selfridges’ values.

A bit about us

We are a shop run on imagination: a place where the world’s most covetable brands combine with the most extraordinary spectacles, events and ideas for an experience like no other.

We have challenged the rules of retail from day one, whilst demonstrating our unwavering commitment to sustainability.  In 2016, we were the first to be awarded with recognition for the ‘World’s Best Sustainability Campaign by a Department Store’ at the IGDS Global Department Store Summit, in-line with its focus on buying better and inspiring change. We are also recognised as the Best Department Store in the World (2010, 2012, 2014 & 2018) underlining our place at the forefront of retail. In 2018 we were recognised as a LinkedIn Top Company to work for.

Our vision is to be the destination for the most extraordinary customer experience, and our people are central to us achieving this.  As an employer we are committed to making Selfridges an exciting, inspiring and fun place to work