Deputy Head of Legal (Family Leave cover - 13 month FTC)
About this role
Who are we
Founded in 1896, Knight Frank was registered as Knight Frank LLP a Limited Liability Partnership, on 3 November 2003, registered in England & Wales at 55 Baker Street, London, W1U 8AN with the registered number of OC305934. Headquartered in London, UK, Knight Frank is one of the world's leading independent real estate consultancies. We work responsibly in partnership to enhance people's lives and environments in over 50 Markets, 600+ Offices, 20,000+ People, 1 Global Network.
At the heart of all we do are our Clients. A relationship built on trust is vital. As trusted partners in property, we act with integrity and care, understanding our clients’ unique needs and consistently thinking about the bigger picture to provide personalised, clear and considered advice across all areas of property. Through our deep understanding of key markets and sectors – both emerging and established – we are dedicated to meeting and exceeding their property goals.
A true partnership is a balanced one, and our People are passionate about, and committed to, making our business inclusive and diverse. We give every individual the space and opportunity to perform at their best and be recognised for the immense value they bring. We empower everyone to have autonomy in their role and encourage them to use their voice in how we can make a positive impact as a firm and shape the future of real estate, the built environment and the impact on the communities we serve. Our collaborative and engaged teams provide excellent and dedicated client service. In our workplace, opinions are respected, everyone is invited to contribute to the success of our business and innovation, and new ideas are celebrated.
In 2021 we celebrated our 125th anniversary and set out Our Desired Future, cemented in three pillars: People Potential, Client Centricity and always Creating our Future, together. Learn more about what sets us apart here.
About The Role
Scope
Established in 1896, Knight Frank is a leading global professional services business, offering agency, consultancy and professional services in the property industry and across Commercial, Residential and Rural sectors. Headquartered in London, Knight Frank now comprises a global network of over 523 offices in 60 territories.
Our Legal Team
We are seeking an experienced Deputy Head of Legal to join us for a period of Family Leave cover on a 13 month Fixed Term Contract.
Knight Frank’s in-house Legal Team supports all areas of the Knight Frank business including its residential, commercial, international and business services divisions. On a day to day basis we advise and partner on a broad range of matters and projects, including drafting and negotiating contracts for services with key suppliers and clients, assisting and leading on the resolution of disputes, supporting with corporate and other strategic projects, data protection, intellectual property and much more.
We are a busy, fast paced team but we can offer you a friendly, entrepreneurial, and supportive environment within which to work. This is a high impact position where you will work with the Head of Legal and other senior leaders to provide legal advice and deliver legal services whilst at the same time helping to shape the future of the legal function.
Responsibilities
Key responsibilities will include:
- Supporting the Head of Legal and senior stakeholders on a range of complex and strategic matters, as well as providing guidance and leadership to the Legal Team.
- As a Deputy Head, you will manage the team in Head of Legal’s absence, acting as the main point of contact to the business for urgent and complex matters .You will also support the Head of Legal in preparing agendas for team meetings, tracking actions and follow up and preparing regular management reports to support strong corporate governance and risk management.
- Legal Operations Lead: Play a key role in helping to develop and re-shape legal operations to ensure that the team is well positioned to support the future growth of the organisation in an effective and efficient way, including:
Developing and implementing operational and service delivery improvements for the Legal Team including through the use and adoption of technology, automation and the appropriate use of AI and overseeing successful delivery of the Legal Team’s annual operational plan. You’ll support and contribute towards the strategic development and daily operations of Knight Frank’s Legal Team
Take a lead in developing the Legal Team’s technical and soft skills, along with implementing individual development plans for the lawyers in the team, managing training budgets and designing and implementing an annual training programme for the Legal Team
Leading on training for the business - You’ll take a lead on ensuring the business is adequately briefed, equipped and ready for relevant changes in the law, as well as generally up-skilling the business to support business growth, efficiencies and strengthen legal risk management
Monitoring and tracking legal developments and proposed changes in the law that may effect KF’s business and planning for relevant impact.
Responsible for supporting with preparation and oversight of budgets, monitoring legal spend and preparation of monthly and quarterly management information , including through improved data.
Leverage data, analytics and reporting tools to generate insights, track KPIs and support smarter decision making.
Supporting with management of panel law firm relationships, ensuring value for money and value add for Knight Frank, conducting regular reviews of Knight Frank needs against law firm delivery.
Responsible for line managing and mentoring at least three members of the Legal Team.
You’ll draft and negotiate complex commercial agreements with our key suppliers, clients and partners in business, including framework agreements, call off agreements and standard terms of engagement.
You’ll be play a lead advisory role on a range of large and complex project based work, including strategic business wide projects.
You will build trusted relationships with key stakeholders, facilitating and supporting change adoption and new operating model adoption.
Professional experience and personal skills profile
10+ Years PQE
You’ll have senior post qualification commercial law experience in an in-house environment, with significant experience of advising on complex commercial agreements and strategic projects, including advising and presenting to senior stakeholders and boards. You will have experience of implementing in-house legal transformation projects including technology solutions and reporting tools to support business growth, efficiencies, improve compliance and risk management and support strong corporate governance.
You will have strong written and verbal communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and manage and deliver complex projects.
You will be comfortable working in a fast paced, dynamic environment where change and transformation are a key theme.
You’ll need to be personable, collaborative, commercially minded and pragmatic in your approach to solving challenges and in your advice. You’ll enjoy being a team player, valuing the individual and working collaboratively. A supportive and friendly team culture should be important to you. You will have experience of and enjoy line managing other team members, including day to day supervision
Competitive salary
Please note: this is a Direct Search led by Knight Frank. Applications from recruitment agencies will not be accepted nor will fees be paid for unsolicited CVs, even if provided by PSL agencies.
Company at a glance
At Knight Frank, we build long-term relationships, which allow us to provide personalised, clear and considered advice on all areas of property, in all key markets. We believe personal interaction is a crucial part of ensuring every client is matched to the property that suits their needs best – be it commercial or residential.
Operating in locations where our clients need us to be, we provide a worldwide service that’s locally expert and globally connected.
Inspired teams naturally provide excellent and dedicated client service. Therefore, we’ve created a workplace where opinions are respected, where everyone is invited to contribute to the success of our business and where they’re rewarded for excellence. The result is that our people are more motivated, ensuring your experience with us is the best that it can be.
At Knight Frank, we value our vibrant online community and appreciate your active participation on our social channels. We strive to maintain a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all users. Please adhere to the following guidelines to ensure a positive experience for everyone:
- We encourage and welcome your comments and feedback, however, they should be shared in a constructive, respectful manner.
- We reserve the right to reject or remove comments that are not in keeping with our policy and to block or ban users/followers who violate this policy.
- Please treat each other with courtesy and respect. Hate speech, discrimination, or offensive content of any kind will not be tolerated.
Our moderators reserve the right to remove any content and any user who violates these guidelines that are intended to maintain a welcoming and respectful community.
Thank you for being a valued member of the Knight Frank community.
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