Legal Counsel – Employment Law

Our Client, a well-established British workforce solutions and recruitment company with almost 50 years of experience in the UK market, is now looking for an experienced Legal Counsel (Employment Law) to join their team.

Location: UK-based company
Type: Full-time, Remote
Start date: ASAP
About the company:

A British workforce solutions and recruitment company with nearly 50 years on the UK market. It has its HQ in Manchester and offices in London and Cyprus. The company employs around 200 people directly and places close to 5,000 contractors with client organisations, so employment law is at the core of its legal work.

About the role:
Despite the title, this is a hands-on, mid-level position rather than a senior management role. You'll be the company's only full-time in-house lawyer and will report to the CFO. You'll work alongside a fractional senior lawyer (UK-qualified, 30 years' experience), who takes the lead on major client contracts and on cases that reach tribunal.

Responsibilities:

Employment Law & Dispute Resolution

• Handle employment claims, complaints and disputes from employees and contractors, from the initial enquiry through correspondence, negotiation and settlement
• Liaise with ACAS and other regulatory bodies, and agree and negotiate settlement agreements where appropriate
• Prepare and hand over cases that proceed to tribunal to the senior lawyer and external counsel
• Provide guidance on employment legislation to HR and operational teams, including matters related to agency and contingent workers
• Monitor legislative changes and work with HR and compliance teams to keep policies, processes and training materials up to date

Supply Chain Compliance & Overseas Workers

• Carry out due diligence on 2nd-tier suppliers and umbrella companies to ensure supply chain compliance with HMRC requirements
• Support the onboarding and vetting of overseas workers, including verification of identity, qualifications and right to work
• Provide legal input on supply chain issues and support the compliance and audit team with escalations

Contract Management

• Maintain the company's contract database and an accurate audit trail of non-standard terms
• Draft, review and negotiate operational contracts, including service agreements, leases, contractor terms of engagement, extensions and variations
• Support the senior lawyer on major client contracts and terms of business

General Legal Support

• Provide day-to-day legal advice on data protection (GDPR), IR35, modern slavery, health and safety, and commercial matters
• Identify legal and commercial risks and propose practical, commercially workable solutions

What We Expect of You:

• Honesty and integrity and professional commitment
• Improve internal contract management processes and due diligence
• Ensuring processes are in place and carried out to effectively manage supply chain compliance
• Pre-empt non-conformances contingent workforce supply chain
• Provide guidance and process necessary for GDPR, IR35 and industry regulation compliance
• Provide guidance and process necessary for compliance with health and safety regulatory requirements
• Showcase a commitment to Rullion's values

Requirements:

• Hands-on experience in employment law in the UK or Cyprus, including handling employment claims and disputes independently
• Qualified lawyer with 1+ years of PQE. Candidates without a formal qualification will be considered if they have substantial practical experience in employment law, well beyond 2 years.
• Solid understanding of employment legislation and its practical application
• Experience in drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts
• Right to work in the country of residence. Visa sponsorship is not provided.
• Commercial, pragmatic mindset: able to highlight legal risk while suggesting practical solutions
• Strong negotiation skills and the confidence to challenge management when needed
• Flexible and open to different perspectives; takes ownership of decisions and is comfortable acknowledging mistakes
• Fluent English, written and spoken

What You Bring to the Role:

• A track record of managing employment claims end to end, from the first letter to a signed settlement agreement, with minimal supervision
• Experience taking contracts through their full lifecycle: drafting, negotiating, execution and post-execution changes, including non-standard terms agreed with clients
• Experience owning a legal area on your own, for example as a sole in-house lawyer or the lead on a claims caseload. This matters more than formal management experience.
• Familiarity with the regulations that apply to the recruitment and staffing sector, such as IR35, the Agency Workers Regulations, the Conduct of Employment Agencies Regulations and umbrella company arrangements
• An understanding of how a recruitment business works, so your legal advice fits how the business actually operates

As a Plus:

• UK qualification or UK legal education. Cypriot lawyers who studied or trained in the UK are a strong fit.
• Hands-on experience in the recruitment, staffing or contingent workforce sector
• Supply chain compliance experience is not required, as the company provides training during the first month

The company offers:

• Fully remote work; office attendance is not required
• Permanent full-time employment
• The key in-house legal role with direct access to leadership
• Day-to-day support from a highly experienced senior UK lawyer
• Varied, hands-on work across employment law, contracts and compliance
• A flexible, democratic and people-oriented working environment