Commercial Lawyer - Business

Why this job matters

We keep over 1 million business customers connected in 180 countries. We run the fixed and mobile networks that cover 99% of the UK’s non-residential premises, underpin critical national infrastructure and public services and enable trade. We support more than three million more end-users through our UK wholesale operations. Our customers range from big household names, government departments and public service organisations right through to small businesses and new start-ups.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the legal team as a Lawyer supporting Business. YoIn this role you are expected to provide a first class legal, commercial and contractual service to BT’s Sales & Commercial division within Business to help develop market leading products and services, negotiate the contracts that facilitate the sale of these products and services in order to generate good revenue for Business and respond and appropriately deal with issues that may arise during the life of these contracts, with the ultimate aim of helping Business meet its strategic goals. 

You will work with product development teams to ensure Business has suitable contracts with suppliers who underpin the products and services being sold by Business and standard customer-facing terms that encourage customers to buy these products and services with little or no negotiation.

You will have an expert understanding of the approach taken to balancing contractual risk with the overall reward on offer from a customer contract. In doing so, you will need to demonstrate a clear understanding of the link between commercial drivers of a transaction and the contractual terms.

You will be a key member of a bid team for transactions that you work on and interact directly with the customer on the work streams that you are responsible for, including negotiating directly with the customer’s legal representatives.

You will also step in to help with complicated issues that arise during the life of Business’ customer contracts, including helping with updates to reflect changes in the legal/regulatory landscape or providing input to help settle disputes before they become litigious.

What you’ll be doing

You will be looking after circa 10 live matters at anyone time which could be a mix of cutomer bids, renewals, in life advice and varying finance.  Typically this will be across 1-2 large projects and then 6-8 smaller projects.

We already have a strong team in place with 7 in the practice.  The focus of this role will be a broad commercial lawyer covering negotiations of new bids, resignings, ammendments, disputes, pre litigation and also additional project work.

• Act as the lead lawyer on legally complex and high value transactions with Business’ Private Sector customer base in the UK.
• Give clear and pragmatic legal guidance (and formal advice where appropriate) that helps Business understand and mitigate legal risk, and maximise opportunity.
• Work with Business stakeholders on a range of legal matters, including disputes, projects, bids, new initiatives, legal interpretation and legislative changes.
• Develop and comply with BT’s legal and compliance policies and strategies, including development and utilisation of standard contracts for the provision of Business’ standard products and services.
• Be a single point of contact for the stakeholders within your relevant business unit when required, dealing with any issues or escalations they require assistance with to resolve.
• Help to manage our relationship with external legal providers, including engaging their support and/or providing guidance/direction as a matter progresses.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior stakeholders within your relevant business units, advising on the impact of business decisions, identifying legal constraints and recommending solutions that minimise risk and support Business in achieving its strategy.
• Proactively participate in strategic transformational projects in both Business and Legal & Co Sec.
• Ensure that all business activities – including customer sales, standard terms development and product launches – follow the relevant governance and compliance policies and process.
• Identify regulatory, governance and compliance issues and refer them to appropriate owners and support functions. 
• Provide clear and effective briefings, and escalate issues of concern, within the reporting line and to stakeholders.
• Act as an escalation point to help support the legal work being conducted by our legal process outsource providers.
• Make a material and positive contribution to Legal & Co Sec strategy, goals and initiatives.
• Ensure that business is conducted in accordance with BT’s regulatory restrictions, competition law and BT policy, including The BT Code and BT’s trading policies, engaging specialist support and resources where necessary.
• Promote effective risk management – identifying, assessing and managing legal and commercial risk.
• Drive up levels of legal and commercial awareness across Business.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Legal, Regulatory and Compliance teams to support cross-working on Business matters and other legal matters across BT Group.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders to understand their business, strategy and goals. 

Skills and Experiences

PQE: Must be a qualified Lawyer (2 years PQE upwards) or proven relevant experience.  Any exposure in the construction, manufacturing or utilities sector would be highly advantageous but not essential.

• Private sector experience as a commercial lawyer across multiple industries
• Proven Experience of working in a fast-paced and demanding environment and strong record of working on all manner of commercial contracts, especially in the Telecoms & Technology Sectors.
• Drive & Enthusiasm: must be self-motivated, capable of working independently with drive and enthusiasm, and being part of a team.
• Communication: ability to articulate complex issues in a simple way as well as make reasoned, balanced recommendations.
• Preference would be someone who has come from an inhouse team / consultancy as opposed to a traditional law firm.
• Change agent: must passionate about testing the status quo and developing alternatives.
• Communication & Analytical Skills: must possess good communication and analytical skills.
• Business acumen: knowledgeable in business strategy and the drivers of organisational performance.
• Eye for detail: Must be able to spot and explore potential issues
• Pragmatic: The role holder must be pragmatic and solution driven.

There will be a 2 Stage interview Process for this role.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• 10% on target performance bonus
• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme if you pay in 5% BT will pay in an additional 10%
• Option to join the Healthcare Cash Plan or other benefits such as dental insurance, gym memberships etc.
• 50% off EE mobile pay monthly or SIM only plans
• Exclusive colleague discounts on our latest and greatest BT broadband packages
• BT TV, including TNT Sport and the NOW Entertainment membership, and 25% off NOW Sport, Cinema and Kids
• 50% discount for friends and family on EE SIM only plans
• World class training and development opportunities
• Volunteering days so you can give back to your local community

Our leadership standards

Looking in:
Leading inclusively and Safely
I inspire and build trust through self-awareness, honesty and integrity.
Owning outcomes
I take the right decisions that benefit the broader organisation.

Looking out:
Delivering for the customer
I execute brilliantly on clear priorities that add value to our customers and the wider business.
Commercially savvy
I demonstrate strong commercial focus, bringing an external perspective to decision-making.

Looking to the future:
Growth mindset
I experiment and identify opportunities for growth for both myself and the organisation.
Building for the future
I build diverse future-ready teams where all individuals can be at their best.