Legal Counsel - Commercial Lawyer - Associate Director - Permanent - London

EY is a global network of professional services firms engaged in consulting, transaction, assurance, and tax services with member firms in over 150 countries worldwide. The UK firm of Ernst & Young LLP has over 1,500 partners and over 21,000 employees.

The UK Legal team is well established and highly regarded. Led by our General Counsel, Lisa Cameron, we comprise 36 lawyers supported by 4 paralegals. The UK Legal team also forms part of a Global legal function.

The opportunity

We have a vacancy for a Senior Legal Counsel – Commercial Lawyer within the Commercial Team which forms part of our General Counsel’s Office, based in our primary London office at London Bridge.

Our Commercial Team supports our entire UK business. We deal with all clients, in all sectors from Global banks to Global technology providers, to pharma, defence and other industries through to leading Government bodies. The work is diverse, ever changing, and no two days are the same.

Our team is currently evolving its operational model which will place us much closer to our clients, dealing directly with those clients and looking at all relevant legal and commercial aspects of the deals we advise on. We see ourselves as enablers of our business, offering pragmatic, business focussed advise which both drives our business forward, whilst also protecting it.

We respond to business transformation and innovation, enjoying a varied and challenging workload, and support the new EY All in Strategy by showing curiosity, intelligence, and energy to deliver prompt, pragmatic, adaptable and commercial legal advice to all levels within our business.

Your key responsibilities

The work within the UK Legal team is highly varied and covers all legal issues arising from the running of a professional services business. Much of the legal work is at the cutting edge of business practice as the firm constantly finds innovative ways to help our clients’ businesses.

This in-house role includes:

• advising on, drafting, and negotiating contracts, such as:
  • Master Services Agreements and Global Framework Agreements with our clients.

• Large complex commercial contracts pursuant to which we provide an ever more diverse range of services (which increasingly relate to AI).
• Managed services and outsourcing agreements.
• Subcontracts, where EY is either the prime, or the subcontractor.
• Collaboration agreements.
• Software and Licensing agreements, both traditional and SaaS.
• Government and public sector agreements.
• Advising on the use of technology, including GenAI, and the provision of technology related services.
• Advising on tenders and RFP responses.
• Advising on, drafting, and negotiating contracts with suppliers.
• Providing legal advice to the firm’s service lines and its other internal support functions such as real estate and facilities, procurement, finance, Talent, IT, knowledge and marketing and the opportunity to be the legal lead on firm-wide projects.

Skills and attributes for success

• Strong team player with excellent negotiation and communication skills.
• Demonstrable commitment to the attributes of our highest performing teams – focus on results, accepting of accountability, committed, embracing healthy conflict, building trust.
• Ability to keep calm and cope well with conflicting and ever-changing deadlines.
• Ability to lead, provide a view, take responsibility and ownership of issues, including an ability to take difficult decisions and provide substantiated arguments.
• Commercial awareness of the business issues facing us as we evolve, coupled with an active desire to get alongside our business, scanning the horizon for new service offerings to provide legal insight and support.

To qualify for the role, you must have

• 8 or more years of post-qualification experience.
• Significant experience gained in-house.
• Ability to provide practical legal advice and support with a high degree of professionalism in a fast-paced environment and to establish a high degree of credibility, respect and trust at all levels including with senior members of the firm, some of whom have a considerable understanding of the law.
• Be a self-starter, adept at responding promptly/juggling deadlines who actively looks to build relationships based on trust and confidence.
• Ideally, experience of advising on the use of GenAI in the context of service provision and experience of using GenAI in the provision of legal services.

What working at EY offers
We offer a competitive remuneration package where you’ll be rewarded for your individual and team performance. Our comprehensive Total Rewards package includes support for flexible working and career development, and with MyReward you can select benefits that suit your needs, covering holidays, health and well-being, insurance, savings and a wide range of discounts, offers and promotions. Plus, we offer:

• Support, coaching and feedback from some of the most engaging colleagues around.
• Opportunities to develop new skills and progress your career.
• The freedom and flexibility to handle your role in a way that’s right for you.

EY is committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We strive to achieve the right balance for our people, enabling us to deliver excellent client service whilst allowing you to build your career without sacrificing your personal priorities. While our client-facing professionals can be required to travel regularly, and at times be based at client sites, our flexible working arrangements can help you to achieve a lifestyle balance.

About EY
As a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction, and advisory services, we’re using the finance products, expertise, and systems we’ve developed to build a better working world. That starts with a culture that believes in giving you the training, opportunities, and creative freedom to make things better. Whenever you join, however long you stay, the exceptional EY experience lasts a lifetime. And with a commitment to hiring and developing the most passionate people, we’ll make our ambition to be the best employer a reality.

If you can confidently demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible.

Join us in building a better working world.