We are recruiting a Legal Counsel (M&A) for a large software group, which is a division of a huge international listed software group.
The business is part of a global organisation that acquires, manages and builds software companies in various markets.
We are looking for an entrepreneurial individual who will join the UK & Ireland M&A team as the UK&I Corporate M&A Legal Counsel in order to oversee the legal aspects of M&A transactions and businesses in the United Kingdom and Ireland as well as in selected international vertical markets.
You will:
- Be part of a multidisciplinary M&A team to support the company's M&A agenda and secure their dynamic growth
- Serve as the project leader for the legal matters, working closely with the international M&A team and local M&A Managers to pursue acquisitions in the UK and Ireland
- Manage the entire lifecycle of M&A transactions and be responsible for all legal aspects. This includes, but is not limited to, performing legal due diligence, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations, drafting, and commenting on transaction documents, leading negotiations until signing and closing, managing post-closing matters related to a transaction as well as handling integration aspects
- Provide legal advice and guidance to the management team and M&A team regarding M&A-related matters, including deal structures, legal risks, and regulatory requirements.
- Be the first point of contact for legal matters of the business units in the UK. This could entail reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements, supporting with legal advice for different internal projects or advising on disputes
- Report to the Head of Legal based in Europe while being part of a legal team with colleagues across Europe, whose support and know-how you can rely on
About you
We are looking for a pragmatic, commercial deal lawyer who enjoys being part of a high performing team and understands what it takes to execute transactions end to end. Not just identifying risks but helping the business solve for them and keep momentum.
You’ll be comfortable balancing downside protection with the reality of doing deals in competitive processes and you’ll bring the judgement to know when to push when to simplify and when to escalate.
This role is based in the company's Birmingham office, with an expectation of being in the office three days per week to work closely with the UK M&A team and wider stakeholders.
The mindset
- A genuine team player who builds trust quickly and enjoys working shoulder to shoulder with M&A, finance, tax, HR and operational stakeholders
- Commercially minded and able to translate legal complexity into clear options aligned to value speed and risk appetite
- A deal doer attitude that is proactive hands on and energised by getting to signing and closing without cutting corners
- Comfortable operating in a fast-moving international environment and staying calm under pressure
Your experience
- Proven track record of running M&A transactions independently or as clear lead on the legal workstream from diligence through to negotiation signing and completion
- Experience in software or technology preferred but is not a must
- Able to support business units on key commercial agreements where needed
What success looks like in this role
- You will help build a repeatable scalable acquisition capability with templates playbooks and a predictable process that improves with every deal
- You will be the legal partner the M&A team relies on to move quickly and safely identifying risks early proposing mitigations and enabling informed commercial decisions
- You will raise the bar on execution quality while remaining outcome focused and pragmatic
Proposition
- Competitive salary
- A diverse, broad, and independent corporate legal role which you can shape and develop further
- An international group with a very ambitious and continuous growth strategy
- Attractive employment package
- Pleasant and informal working atmosphere with a diverse, fun, and cross-cultural team from every corner of Europe
Next steps
If you are interested in discussing this role, please get in touch with me, Mila Read, Director of Found Legal. I am a specialist recruiter for in-house legal roles in technology companies.
If this opportunity sounds like a good fit, I would encourage you to get in touch as soon as possible, as the client will be starting the interviews shortly.
If your CV is not quite ready, please feel free to reach out for a confidential chat and we can deal with the CV later if the opportunity feels like the right fit.
This role is a rare in-house opportunity for someone with Corporate M&A experience that will allow you to grow and broaden your skills and capabilities in a great industry with a great bunch of people as colleagues.