Job Title: Assistant Legal Counsel

Department: Legal & Compliance

Reports to: General Counsel

Grade and Salary: £55,000 - £60,000

Contract: Full time; Permanent

Location: Hybrid – London, EC4A and homeworking

The opportunity:

This role would suit a junior transactional lawyer looking to make their first move in-house. It will be an interesting and varied role with the ability to become involved and play an essential role in transactions at the forefront of social impact investing as well as supporting the growth and success of Big Society Capital as an organisation.

The role will give the successful candidate broad exposure to all areas of BSC’s work although the candidate will spend the majority of their time between supporting the investment team and working on internal corporate/commercial and regulatory matters alongside colleagues in the Legal & Compliance team. 

What you will do:

Investment work

• Support the Investment Group with term sheet discussions and identifying and addressing initial legal issues in respect of a proposed investment

• Alongside colleagues in the legal team, assist with the negotiation of legal documentation, representing BSC and working with co-investors, and assist with the completion process for BSC’s investments

• Participate in the management of investments over their lifetime, including any amendments to legal documentation and any waivers that may be required

• Participate in the process to restructure or exit investments

• Support colleagues in the legal team with instructing and working with external counsel

• Maintain a knowledge of BSC’s legal obligations relating to the investments and make sure BSC has all necessary legal documentation in place and properly stored

Corporate legal and regulatory work

• Support colleagues across the office with legal and regulatory queries

• Support colleagues in the legal team with reviewing new legislation and implementing consequential changes to BSC’s processes and policies

• Support client investment initiatives, including through investments and the design and implementation of policies and processes

• Alongside colleagues in the legal team, draft and negotiate research contracts, non-disclosure agreements and other commercial contracts

• Work with colleagues in the legal team to build and share know-how and best practice across Big Society Capital and its portfolio companies, including training and templates

• Alongside colleagues in the legal team, maintain a knowledge of BSC’s legal obligations and make sure BSC has all necessary documentation in place and properly stored

• Any other duties as may be required from time to time by Head of Legal

What you will bring:

Essential Experience

• English law qualified solicitor

• Knowledge and experience of transactions

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge and experience of investment funds

• Knowledge and experience of commercial contracts

• Engagement with the third sector in some capacity

Qualifications:

English law qualified solicitor

Skills, Abilities and Attributes

• Demonstrates a high level of proficiency in written and spoken English

• Strong communication skills

• Systematic approach to work with high attention to detail

• Project management, research and analytical skills

• Approachable and strong team player but able to work self-sufficiently

• Flexible and willing to take on different tasks as required

• Enthusiastic and proactive

• Resilient and can cope with ambiguity and change

• Well organised and able to prioritise

• Looks to find innovative solutions to problems

Embody Big Society Capital core values:

Ø Purposeful –We are passionate and energetic in our work to bring about our long-term vision of a thriving social investment market that enables positive social impact.

Ø Pioneering Spirit - We give our team the autonomy and flexibility to be entrepreneurial and creative. We have the courage to push boundaries and a restless drive for change

Ø Openness - We listen, learn, experiment and collaborate. And we are adaptive and flexible in responding to what we learn.

Ø Rigorous - We take a rigorous approach in all we do. We expect the highest standards and continually strive for excellence

Ø Respectful - We are genuine in both our approach and aspiration. We value each member of our team and our partners for what they bring.

Other terms

Location: We are a UK-based business with an office in the Chancery Lane area of London, accessible to a number of public transport links. Our current approach allows colleagues to spend 40% - 60% of their working hours in the office, and the remainder from home. We hope that this working pattern encourages Big Society Capital employees to achieve a healthy balance between work and personal life, as we continue to adapt to the changing needs of our diverse workforce.

Right to work: Unfortunately we cannot consider visa sponsorship for this role, and candidates must have existing right to work in the UK.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Big Society Capital is committed to being a diverse organisation that is truly representative of the communities we serve. We therefore welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly those under-represented in the social impact investment sector (e.g. people from LGBTQIA+; racialised; disabled; under-served communities)

We are an equal opportunities employer with an inclusive environment where all employees can contribute to their fullest potential. We want every colleague to be able to deliver their work with dignity, equality, comfort and independence. Our office is fully accessible with step-free access and an open-plan set up. We are open to accommodation requests regarding assistive technologies, accessibility tools, flexible working or any other reasonable adjustments that will make working or visiting here more accessible for you. If you have a disability or other access needs and require any support to assist you through the recruitment process, please get in touch with Nica Gordon (People and Talent Officer) at ngordon@bigsocietycapital.com

How to apply:

Please apply via Applied by Sunday 28th April at 23:59pm.

Applied is a platform designed to minimise unconscious bias in recruitment. You will be asked some work-based questions which are reviewed anonymously by the hiring panel. Please note, while you will upload your CV, it will not be viewed by panel members at this stage, so we ask that you give full consideration to each answer.

Please note: we screen for answers generated by Chat GPT. To get a 5 star score, we ask that your Applied answers are authentic and reflect your own knowledge, skills and motivations.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an initial telephone interview for all candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the job. We are defining a disability in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, as a person who has a physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. You will be asked in your Applied application whether this applies to you. 

Interviews

R1 interviews will be held w/c 6th May - in person

R2 interviews will be held w/c 13th May - in person

Interview dates are subject to change

You can find out more about our recruitment approach here