About the role

Balfour Beatty has an exciting opportunity for a Legal Counsel to join our Enabling Functions team to work in Canary Wharf, London.

Role Purpose:

• To work as part of the UK business-facing legal team, delivering a proactive legal service to support Balfour Beatty by providing professional guidance, pragmatic advice and practical support on legal and compliance issues.

What you'll be doing

As a Legal Counsel you will:

• Be responsibility at all stages of the lifecycle of our construction projects including reviewing and negotiating upstream and downstream construction contracts and associated JV Agreements, PCGs, warranties and bonds etc., advising on contract administration queries including extensions of time and loss and expense claims and advising in relation to all forms of dispute management and resolution;
• Acts autonomously in analysing and solving problems within established working procedures.

• Build and maintain relationships with managers and employees to ensure that the UK Legal team remains responsive to business needs and expectations;
• Under the supervision of the Managing Counsel or Senior Counsel, engage and manage agreed panel law firms to deal with specific legal issues as required;

General Legal Support:

• Carry out contract reviews in accordance with UK policies and procedures and provide commercial and pragmatic advice in a timely and appropriate manner;
• Advise and assist the UK businesses in the negotiation and drafting of contract terms and conditions with its clients, partners, supply chain members and other stakeholders;
• Advise and assist the UK businesses in the formation, negotiation and drafting of joint venture, consortium and framework agreements, professional services appointments and other key business documentation requiring legal support and input.

• Provide legal support in relation to all forms of dispute management and resolution;
• Conduct/assist with adjudications or other forms of ADR as directed by the Managing Counsel or Senior Counsel and, in consultation with them engage and manage agreed panel law firms in relation to mediation, litigation or arbitration;
• Bonds, Parent Company Guarantees and Warranties;
• Review the wording of bonds, guarantees and warranties in accordance with UK and Balfour Beatty Group policies and provide advice in a timely and appropriate manner;
• Liaise with UK Commercial, Treasury and Group Legal teams to procure bonds and parent company guarantees.

• Deliver discrete legal training for legal team and SBUs;
• Stays up to date with new and changing legislation;
• Maintains own CPD.

• Ensures personal compliance with all Regulations and Company Policies;
• Supports delivery of the Ethics & Compliance agenda by the Ethics & Compliance team;
• Ensures relentless personal focus on Zero Harm.

Who we're looking for

Personal Qualities and Experience:

• Qualified solicitor/barrister; ideally not less than two years PQE, consideration may be given to less experienced candidates displaying requisite skills and experience;
• Knowledge and experience of construction/infrastructure industry.

• Organisation: Good organisational skills; self-starter, prioritises own work and delivers independently to deadline;
• Commercial acumen: Understands business drivers;
• Problem solving: Solutions-orientated, pragmatic;
• Teamwork: Builds productive relationships within Legal team and within SBUs;
• Communication:A
• - Strong verbal and written communication, able to influence and persuade
• - Inputs into client meetings. Presents positions to SBUs in non-legalistic ways, clearly and effectively distilling complex technical concepts into business terms;
• Negotiation: Effective negotiator, robust but flexible approach;
• Forward looking: Looks for ways to innovate and improve ways of working;
• Lives Balfour Beatty Behaviours & Values:
• - Talk Positively
• - Collaborate Relentlessly
• - Encourage Constantly
• - Make a Difference
• - Value Everyone
• - Empathise - Listens, understands and adjusts;
• Supports Build to Last strategy: Lean, Expert, Trusted Safe.

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver amazing projects in challenging conditions; developing, managing and maintaining the vital infrastructure and public spaces that modern economies, societies and communities rely on.

To apply online click here.

About us

Balfour Beattys Enabling Functions includes our centralised HR, IT, Procurement, Finance, Health & Safety, Sustainability and Comms teams. Together we support Balfour Beatty to deliver projects on behalf of our clients. We operate according to our Build to Last values of Lean, Expert, Trusted, Safe and Sustainable.

At Balfour Beatty we are committed to creating a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential, not only because this is the right thing to do, but because it makes us a better business. To ensure we deliver on this commitment, we have a UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the wide range of targeted, proactive, measurable steps we are taking to make this a reality. You can read our UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan in full at www.balfourbeatty.com/value_everyone

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and Women into Construction. In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role.

Further information on Disability Confident can be found at: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/