Legal Counsel - Employment

An exciting new opportunity to join News UK working in the Employment Legal team. This is a new, permanent role which offers a chance to demonstrate and develop your knowledge and experience in a fast-paced and dynamic media organisation. 

The team: 

The Employment Legal team is a key part of our full-service legal department.   We are a collaborative group of experts specialising in a wide range of legal areas including corporate, M&A, commercial, IP, technology, property, media, compliance and data protection law.   In this role you will have the the opportunity to work on a broad spectrum of matters across all parts of the business.

Your role: 

You will be working closely with a Legal Director and a Senior Legal Counsel.  Your primary focus will be to provide timely and commercially astute employment legal advice to our HR team and business leaders.  This is a fast-paced role where you will manage multiple competing priorities at once, and we value flexibility to ensure internal clients receive timely employment legal advice which meets their needs.   

Day to day:   

• Partner with HR colleagues in the UK and Ireland, advising them and the business on various employee relations matters such as grievance and disciplinary processes, performance management, contractual issues, employment status, sickness absence management and the application of company policies. You will also advise on diversity and inclusion matters and a myriad of other ad hoc queries as they arise. 

• You will draft and negotiate contracts, e.g. settlement agreements, independent contractor agreements and apprenticeship training supplier agreements.

• You will assist with commercial contracts and corporate transactions, including advising on TUPE transfers, conducting due diligence and drafting contractual provisions on employment matters.

• You will advise on AI-related queries as they relate to the employee and talent populations.

• You will work with the HR team to review and update policies and precedents and assist with the development of new policies and precedents when needed.
  
  

• You will have the opportunity to assist with employment litigation, training and providing key legal updates to the business and the HR team. 

• You will carry out legal research (including using specialist legal AI tools) and be responsible for maintaining internal and intra-group risk registers.  

• You will draft, review and negotiate talent and retainer contracts and have involvement in conducting tax status assessments for our independent contractor population, working in collaboration with our Tax team.

What we are looking for from you: 

• A qualified solicitor (able to practise in England and Wales) with experience in a quality private practice employment department.

• Ideally some in-house experience (including secondments). 

• Strong PQE with comprehensive knowledge of UK employment law and best practice and confident advising independently. 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey legal advice clearly and concisely in a commercial context.

• A methodical approach to work, with a strong focus on accuracy and quality.

• Someone who demonstrates natural interpersonal skills and a positive, collaborative approach to working with colleagues at all levels across the business.

• A dynamic and agile person; able to work to deadlines and prioritise tasks in a demanding and fast-paced commercial environment.

• Ability to carry out all responsibilities in a way which supports the company’s values and promotes high ethical standards.
     

News UK is one of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multi-format brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose, we exist to promote a fair society, freedom of speech and a little bit of fun. Rethinking continually the business of storytelling, we represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter.

At News UK, we embrace a hybrid work model, currently requiring a minimum of three days per week in the office. This approach fosters collaboration, innovation, and team spirit within our workspace. Certain roles may necessitate additional in-office days; please discuss this with your recruiter for specific requirements.

Life at News

Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose. We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter. We inform our audiences so that they can make decisions based on trusted information.

We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter most. To ensure these stories resonate with as broad an audience as possible, it is essential that our organisation reflects the diversity of the people we reach. Whether through age, gender, ethnicity, disability, social class or sexuality, we are committed to representing the rich variety of voices that make up our society. And we champion a culture where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and thrive as we continue to innovate and drive long term sustainable growth. This is done through our Diversity Strategy.

At News UK, we take pride in our exceptional employee-led networks that bring together individuals with shared interests and create a vibrant sense of community. We believe our networks play a vital role in fostering a collaborative and supportive work culture at News UK. Groups that we support include the African & Caribbean Network, Parents and Carers, and LGBTQ+ group News Is Out, and the Apprentice Society.

Benefits

Some of our benefits include:

• Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions

• Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly in person/ virtual exercise classes

• ‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme

• Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books

• Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks

• Access to exclusive events and competitions with exciting brands such as talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times. Weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities

• Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling

• A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%

• Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays and up to 4 volunteering days per year

We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to perform to their best when applying for a role. If you would like to receive any information in a different way or for us to do anything differently to support you to apply for any of our roles please contact us on [email protected].