Associate Legal Counsel (4028)

Dartford, England, United Kingdom

12/3/2024

Laing O'Rourke continues to succeed and grow within the industry. Strengthened by a strong pipeline and forward order book of infrastructure & construction projects, the business has identified a need and opportunity to expand the existing team through the appointment of an associate legal counsel.

As a key part of the Legal team, this role will be responsible for the legal aspects of a portfolio of construction projects. A key focus is to protect the position of Laing O'Rourke through strong and effective contract creation and administration.

Key Responsibilities

• Review of Bids: assess project risk as part of the broader bid team, reach an aligned position with project bid teams as part of win strategy, and brief Business Executives to obtain governance approval.
• Win to Contract: drafting, negotiating, and advising on the final main contract position, briefing Business Executives to obtain governance approval and drafting, negotiating and advising on professional appointments, subcontracts, and other ancillary documents such as parent company guarantees.
• Holistic approach to the management of risks throughout the life of the projects– including advice on various contractual relationships including:
• Proactive, regular advice from a dedicated legal resource – familiar with the project portfolio, project teams, relevant third parties, the supply chain and LOR's commercial objectives.
• Provision of ad hoc legal advice in relation to compensation events – identify/determine whether an event qualifies, assistance in preparation of submissions to PM.
• Supply chain-facing issues e.g., provision of security, negotiation of sub-contracts, assessment of CEs, etc.
• Opportunity to support Research & Development projects and be involved in more strategic business initiatives, such as Sustainability.
• Training / Developing and sharing of “best practice” / “lessons learned” briefings with project team and consequently for application in LOR.
• Reporting to broader LOR team and Business Executives as required by our internal governance processes.
  
  

Skills, Knowledge, Attributes

Key Competencies

We are looking for someone who is passionate about continuous improvement and who fosters a growth mindset. As the team continues to become more integral and relied upon within the business for both counsel and guidance (in addition to practical legal work) it is essential that the individual can forge trusted relationships with the project leadership teams and executive stakeholders. You will need a persuasive and collaborative style and be able to understand the business implications and drivers in relation to the solutions proposed. This includes knowing when to push an agenda and when to compromise.

Technical

• Qualified solicitor, with background in construction/projects and non-contentious experience
• Exposure to both standard and bespoke forms of contracting including NEC, JCT, FIDIC and various contracting structures (single stage, 2 stage, frameworks, management contracting, construction management etc)
• Pro-active attitude to addressing key legal issues facing building and infrastructure projects.
• Experience of major projects both in the UK and internationally.
  
  

Personal

• Highly autonomous mindset with superb attention to detail
• Interested in business and commercial objectives and a desire to contribute to organisational success.
• An understanding of legal versus business risk
• A strategic lens and ability to see the bigger picture.
• The ability to develop close working relationships with stakeholders, moving from transactional to a trusted business partner.
• An ability to forge and maintain strong business relationships, ensuring engagement from a legal perspective on projects and procurement processes, while also being able to constructively challenge stakeholders where required.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and change, alongside a patient approach and a political savviness to navigate a more complex organisation.
  
  

About Us

Laing O'Rourke are an international engineering and construction company delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure and buildings projects for clients in the UK, Middle East and Australia.

Certainty, reliability, quality – this is what our clients want. And at Laing O'Rourke, we have more than 150 years of experience delivering it. Laing O'Rourke's story is one of energy, passion, ambition, people and teamwork. We harness the power of our experience, stretching back over a century and a half to deliver certainty for our clients.

As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we would like to enable access to candidates with long term health conditions and disabilities through the ‘Offer an interview scheme'. This supports applicants that meet the essential criteria by offering an interview for the advertised position. Please let us know prior to interview what adjustments are required as well as discussing how we can support you in the workplace.

We want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you need the application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please email resourcingteam@laingorourke.com