Who we are?
Linklaters is a global law firm, providing legal services in 20 countries and through 30 offices.
We have been named as one of The Times’ Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality for the 10th year running, recognised by Stonewall as a top 10 employer for LGBTQ+ inclusion, and by the Social Mobility Employer Index as a top employer for advancing social mobility.
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced Paralegal/Support Lawyer with a strong background in drafting, reviewing and negotiating Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and other commercial contracts to join our team. The successful candidate will support lawyers and business stakeholders across a broad range of legal matters, ensuring contracts are progressed efficiently and in line with internal policies and risk requirements. Experience with contract lifecycle management, stakeholder engagement and legal operations would be beneficial. This role operates on a hybrid working model and requires regular attendance in the office.
Key Responsibilities
- Draft, review and negotiate a high volume of NDAs, confidentiality agreements and other standard commercial contracts, ensuring they align with company policies and risk parameters.
- Support the preparation, review and management of a range of commercial agreements, including supplier, services, consultancy and technology-related contracts.
- Coordinate contract review processes, liaising with legal teams, business stakeholders and external parties to ensure timely execution.
- Identify legal and commercial risks within agreements and escalate non-standard provisions to appropriate legal counsel.
- Maintain and update contract templates, playbooks and precedent documents.
- Manage contract workflows and approval processes, tracking progress against deadlines and ensuring completion of required actions.
- Liaise with internal stakeholders and external counterparties to facilitate the efficient progression of contractual matters.
- Coordinate document execution, filing and contract administration activities, ensuring records are maintained accurately.
- Provide regular updates to stakeholders on contract status, key issues and outstanding actions.
- Contribute to process improvement, knowledge management and legal operations initiatives to drive efficiency and consistency across the team.
Candidate Requirements
- LPC, SQE, law degree or (foreign) qualified lawyer.
- At least two years' experience as a Paralegal, Contract Specialist or Support Lawyer within a law firm or in-house legal team.
- Significant experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating NDAs and other commercial agreements.
- Strong understanding of contract review processes, legal documentation and risk identification.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and work collaboratively with lawyers, business teams and external counterparties.
- Proven ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to engage with stakeholders at all levels.
- Highly organised, proactive and detail-oriented, with a commitment to delivering exceptional service.
- Able to work independently, exercise sound judgement and take ownership of matters from initiation through to completion.
- Experience with contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools and legal technology platforms would be advantageous.
- Ability to work on a hybrid basis, attending the office in line with team and business requirements.
Third-party provider
Linklaters engages with a third-party provider for the provision of contractor and temporary staff. Therefore, upon acceptance of a temporary role at Linklaters, you will be engaged under a contract for services through our preferred third-party provider. You will not be employed by Linklaters, or have any employment or worker relationship with Linklaters.
Technical Skills
This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.
Application Policy
Applications and CVs (direct or via agency) are only accepted online via the portal. Queries related to this role must be directed to the recruitment team ( tempbtrecruitment@linklaters.com) and not partners, practices or stakeholders.