Senior Legal Counsel (Data & Digital)

Helping over ten million people around the world manage their savings, retirement plans and life insurance requires a lot of people behind-the-scenes.  It’s up to us in L&G Group functions – which includes our tech and digital teams, Group Finance, HR, Risk and Corporate Comms to provide the essential support services that all areas of the business need, here in the UK and overseas. Simply put, we enable everyone at Legal & General to do what they do best. That means we’re helping to improve our customers’ lives, and contributing to the success of the business every day.

Your role at a glance

To support the Head of Legal– Technology, Data and IP in providing solution-led pragmatic legal advice to the L&G Group both in the UK and internationally. The role holder will be responsible for a broad range of legal support advising a variety of stakeholders across the L&G Group in a way that allows the business to achieve its aims and which ensures consistent corporate approach is taken across the Group while minimising material legal risk.

Specific responsibilities include providing day-to-day legal support to the Group on: digital and tech related projects including digital transformation projects and new technologies; data privacy, commercial contracts and intellectual property / brand. 

What you'll be doing

To provide pragmatic and solution led legal advice to both L&G Group functions and L&G business divisions ensuring:
        
a)    the Group’s strategic and commercial objectives are, where possible, furthered;
b)    material legal risks are identified and the Group’s position is mitigated and protected to the extent possible within Group risk appetite;
c)    compliance with relevant legislation and regulation; and
d)    all corporate governance aspects are considered.
To provide advice to both Group functions and L&G business divisions relating to:

-    digital transformation projects both in the UK and in our key overseas territories specifically advising on material outsourcing and understanding key risks of providing IT and digital services overseas.
-    day to day management and improvement of key customer facing platforms.
-    implementation of new technologies i.e. AI for the Group, looking at the implications and legal risks and partnering with Risk to enable the business to use these tools in a safe and secure way whilst allowing the Group to innovate.
-    the development of new digital or tech related projects e.g. mobile apps or platforms
-    key third party technology supplier relationships particularly those of a strategic nature or providing SaaS or PaaS or IaaS solutions.

To provide advice and assistance to Group Procurement on strategic supplier relationships including liaising with external counsel to ensure the Group is sufficiently protected within risk appetite and ensuring any residual legal risks are appropriately communicated.

To provide advice to both Group functions and L&G business divisions relating to:
-    data breaches and contentious data privacy issues;
-    contentious data privacy matters; and 
-    cross-divisional data privacy matters, including intra-group arrangements:
in each case to ensure that matters are appropriately managed across the Group while ensuring that the Group’s strategic and commercial objectives are, where possible, furthered.

To provide day to day support on all IP and Brand related matters across the Group.

To provide assistance and advice to other Group Legal lawyers on:

-    division-led digital / tech related projects; 
-    provision of key services intra-group.
To manage external legal fees to ensure business costs are kept to a minimum and manage external legal advice to ensure sound and commercially useful advice is provided to the relevant business areas.

To ensure there is appropriate horizon scanning of legal and regulatory developments and ensure that the business is advised in a timely and appropriate manner.

To provide training and guidance to the business as requested to ensure they are equipped to manage complex matters, topics of interest and/or areas of concern to the business. 

Treating Customers Fairly – responsibility for ensuring that material legal and reputational risks are identified and escalated to the Group General Counsel and the appropriate management / committees in a timely manner and that where remedial activity is required that this is carried out in a timely manner with due consideration of the needs of the customer. 

2.1 or above degree from a recognised UK university (or a similar level of qualification gained from a non-UK university)

• England & Wales qualified lawyer  

-    Experience of working in-house in financial services or an understanding of the UK financial regulatory framework is desirable
-    Background experience from a leading city firm in data protection and privacy
-    Experience or a keen interest in new and evolving technologies and digital transformation
-    Experience or a keen interest in branding / marketing of a large financial services firm and related intellectual property matters
-    An awareness of legislative and best practice change and its applicability to a financial services organisation such as Legal & General Group PLC

• 2-3 + years post qualification experience – please note that this is a guide only and we would be willing to consider applications from individuals with different levels of post-qualification experience.

When you commit to Legal & General, we’ll commit to you too. That means we’ll recognise and reward your hard work, your performance and your contribution.

If you join us, you’ll get access to some great benefits, including private medical insurance, 30 days holiday (excluding bank holidays), a generous pension scheme, life assurance, and Income Protection. You'll receive a car allowance of 12% of your annual salary, and you can participate in our electric car scheme, which offers employees the option to hire a brand new electric car through tax efficient salary sacrifice. We’re also proud to offer competitive family leave. 

You’ll have the opportunity to participate in our annual, performance-related bonus plan and valuable share schemes. And then there are the many discounts we offer that you can take advantage of – both for our own products and at a range of high street stores and online offerings. 

The brand with the brolly is choosing today to change tomorrow.

Since 1836, we’ve grown to become one of the world's largest asset managers, homebuilders, pension providers and insurance brands. 

We’re all here to improve the lives of our customers, build a better society for the long term, and create value for our shareholders - helping to shape a better future for society and the planet.

We need people who share our ambitions, agility and entrepreneurial spirit to help us do it.

At L&G, you’ll find a balance that helps you be your best. Empowered by hybrid working, we’re supported by technology and workplaces that enable us to work effectively wherever we are. We come together in offices to collaborate and connect, and use time at home for individual, focused activities. And, when we achieve great things, we celebrate our success and reward strong performance.

Today, there’s over 10,000 of us, working towards our mission, with plenty of opportunities to grow your career as we grow L&G. Will you join us?

Great minds don’t have to think alike, so we welcome voices from all backgrounds. Bringing together people with different life experiences helps us build empathy with our customers and drive innovation.

We don’t just talk about it, we actively promote diversity and equitable opportunities for all. That means our employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability or protected veteran status. In fact, we embrace every dimension of diversity to reflect the customers and communities we serve.

We think it’s important to create an inclusive environment where we can all belong, contribute and drive progress, where you can develop and grow, and be empowered. We want you to use your voice to help us build a better tomorrow.

We all work differently, and have different needs, which is why. we’re always open to discussing flexible working arrangements. Likewise, we’re committed to finding reasonable accommodations for candidates with specific needs during our recruiting process.

So whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever your story, we'd love to hear from you.