Legal Counsel

This is a full-time, permanent position on Crick terms and conditions of employment.

Summary

The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.

The Crick is a leading centre of biomedical research and innovation. It promotes connections between researchers and disciplines and between academic institutions, healthcare organisations and businesses. Dedicated to research excellence, the Crick has the scale, vision and expertise to tackle the most challenging scientific questions underpinning health and disease. It has a strong national role — training scientists and developing ideas for public good.

In this role, you will be helping the Crick deliver its scientific strategy in compliance with legal, charitable and regulatory requirements.  You will be part of the Crick’s Legal, Governance and Compliance team (also known as LGC) - a team of lawyers, co sec managers and contract specialists responsible for legal, contractual, regulatory, data protection and company secretarial matters.  We provide legal advice and transactional support to all parts of the Crick.  We oversee data privacy compliance jointly with the Information Technology team and provide a full secretariat service to the boards and committees of the Crick and its subsidiaries.

This is a busy role in a friendly team where colleagiality, professionalism and attention to detail are key.  You will provide commercial legal advice and transactional support for all parts of the Crick including the Science, Information Technology Office, Building Services, Communications, Translations, Human Resources, Grants, Finance and Procurement teams. The work is varied reflecting the range of activities at the Crick and the different types of relationships with commercial and academic organisations.

You will also help to deliver LGC’s strategy for legal services.  Working closely with the existing team and non-legal colleagues, you will help establish best practice and new ways of working to move the Crick to more ‘self-serve’ and deliver our ambition to run best-in-class legal operations.

About you

It is important that you embody and demonstrate our core values: Bold, imaginative, open, dynamic and collegial.

You are a solicitor or barrister admitted in England & Wales with a current practising certificate, 3 or more years PQE, and substantial experience gained in a leading law firm and/or specialist team.

You have gained general commercial experience, ideally in a science or technology sector, and have a sound understanding of the legal and regulatory context in which the Crick operates.

You have experience of using or developing alternative legal service models.

You have a commitment to the Crick’s vision and core values.

Key responsibilities

These are the key areas and you may be asked to undertake other relevant tasks, in line with organisational requirements:

• Stakeholder management: Develop and maintain excellent working relations with senior and/or key internal and external stakeholders. Support implementation of strategies and frameworks to pursue the Crick’s core purpose and long-term strategic plan.

• Advisory: Provide or procure appropriate advice on laws and regulation (including those pertaining to research, philanthropic and charitable activities), commercial/contract law matters, contract disputes, laws and regulations, taking into account internal policy, process and governance.

• Transactional support: Support contracts and or other legal matters, as lead lawyer or working with another team member. Prepare, negotiate and review contracts  and other legal documents at all stages of the lifecycle - RFP to in-life contract management variations and renewals. Co-ordinate between internal clients and third-parties (advisers, suppliers, collaborators or partners). Type of contracts: buying equipment and services, cloud agreements, employment and secondments, research collaborations, funding arrangements and protecting IP and personal data.

• Legal services innovation: Develop new ways of working for LGC, improve legal operations and delivery of legal services.  As part of a key project to implement a new contract lifecyle management process, you will help streamline the Crick’s contracting process, legal approval process and contract documentation database, create/update processes, templates and knowhow, and create/deliver internal training and guidance supporting more self-serve.

• Legal operations: Oversee day-to-day operations so that workflows and caseloads are managed effectively, accurately and in a timely manner. Use systems and software to optimise the contracting process for both Crick Research and Crick Operations.

• Other: Support and supervise junior team members. Instruct, help select and manage external law firms.

Key experience and competencies

Essential:

• You think strategically. You are a problem-solver or gatekeeper, as the situation demands, delivering legal services to a good standard. You are confident to challenge previous ways of doing things and to drive a matter through to a successful conclusion.

• You have excellent communication skills and an engaging delivery.  You present complex information as clear and simple communications.  You have a concise, compelling written style with strong written accuracy and excellent legal drafting skills.

• You have experience of designing, delivering or using alternative and/or digital legal service models. You are a keen and confident user of technology and like to explore new technologies to foster team working, promote awareness, share knowledge and support compliance.

• You have strong interpersonal skills and influencing skills (eg tact, integrity, confidentiality and patience) with highly developed emotional and political intelligence. You build personal credibility quickly and develop and maintain effective relationships with people with differing perspectives and needs. You exhibit presence and confidence when interacting with people at all levels across the organisation.

• You are a positive, energetic self-starter and team player.  You work effectively in a collegiate environment and consult with colleagues to share expertise and ideas to deliver new outcomes.   You act authentically and consistently and develop self-awareness by seeking feedback from others.

• You are highly organised with strong planning skills and the ability to prioritise competing demands and tight deadlines. You have a methodical approach and an excellent attention to detail. You are flexible, self-motivated and resilient under pressure.

Desirable:

• Experience of both in-house and private practice.

• More specialist IP, corporate (and/or charity), property, research, philanthropy and/or data privacy experience.

• A mix of significant transactional and advisory experience.

Working relationships:

• Broad-based user group (scientific and non-scientific staff)

• All science teams – Group Leaders, Scientists, STP Leads, Translations, Grants, Biological Research Facility and research administration staff.

• All Operations teams – Sourcing, Information Technology, Building Facilities & Infrastructure, Public Engagement, Human Resources, Grants, Finance, Insurance and Philanthropy