Legal Counsel - Informa Festivals

Company Description

Informa Festivals marks an exciting new chapter in B2B events, bringing some of the world's most influential creative, technology and business festivals together. We’re combining prestigious events like Cannes Lions, Black Hat, Money20/20, GDC, and London Tech Week with cutting-edge marketing intelligence platforms and advisory services to deliver unmissable experiences and insights.

Our festival-led approach reimagines traditional B2B events, creating powerful, immersive experiences that drive innovation and industry advancement. Building on decades of expertise and powered by Informa's international reach, we're shaping the next generation of business festivals.

We’re part of Informa, a global business with a network of trusted brands in specialist markets across more than 30 countries, and a member of the FTSE 100 who are #3 in Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2025 UK list. 

Job Description

This role is based in our 5 Howick Place office.

Role Purpose

We are currently recruiting for a talented Legal Counsel to join the Informa Festivals Legal Team in London, UK. This is an exciting opportunity to become a valued business partner to a global B2B events business.

In this pivotal role, you will report to the Senior Legal Counsel (Marketing vertical), playing a key role in ensuring legal compliance, providing strategic legal guidance, and contributing to the success of our global operations for the Marketing vertical within Informa Festivals. The role will  support our leading  LIONS portfolio of brands, alongside brands such as CMI, TMRE and Effie.

The role requires a proactive, solution-oriented legal mind with broad legal acumen who excels at ensuring compliance with laws, whilst balancing mitigating legal risks with enabling business objectives.

The Informa Festivals Legal Team sits within the Informa PLC Legal & Governance Team, a highly regarded and award-winning business partner to the Informa Group.

Key Responsibilities

As a Legal Counsel, your responsibilities will include:

• Commercial Contracts: drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a diverse range of commercial contracts, such as event venue contracts, customer terms and conditions, supply chain agreements spanning the supply chain, IT agreements, marketing and barter agreements, licensing terms, confidentiality agreements, and procurement RFPs with associated terms and collaboration agreements;
• Template Management: updating various agreement templates to align with changing business policies, legal risks and regulatory compliance requirements;
• Legal Support: responding to ad hoc legal queries from the Informa Festivals division and supporting the Informa Festivals Legal Team with business-as-usual (BAU) activities;
• Intellectual Property: advising on IP-related issues and dispute resolution strategies;
• Risk Management: working with Compliance and others functions on discrete compliance and internal audit projects if required, such as anti-bribery and corruption, trade sanctions and health and safety;
• Stakeholder Engagement: engaging with internal teams across Informa Festivals and the Informa Group to build strong working relationships, including showing initiative and participation in the wider Festivals Legal Team. The role may involve liaising with external counsel, as required.

Qualifications

Key Competencies and Skills

What makes you stand out:

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to influence stakeholders at all levels, including excellent written and verbal communication skills with an ability to explain complex legal issues in a clear and simple manner.
• Commercially minded with strong understanding of business needs and the ability to balance legal considerations with commercial objectives/strategic imperatives.
• Strategic thinking with strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• An enthusiastic and proactive approach to work, with an ability to prioritise effectively.
• Comfortable rolling up your sleeves and managing a variety of tasks simultaneously in a dynamic and fast paced environment.
• An eagerness to learn!
• A keen desire to contribute to a strong, fun and high performing team culture.

Qualifications and Experience

• NQ – 2 years of qualified legal experience (PQE is a given as a guide only) in the UK.
• Demonstrable commercial experience gained in a well-respected law firm, with secondment experience or experience in a prior in-house role desirable.
• An enthusiastic and proactive approach to work, with an ability to prioritise effectively.
• A passion for problem-solving and navigating complex legal landscapes.
• The ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders across multiple regions.
• Strategic thinking with strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Comfortable rolling up your sleeves and managing a variety of tasks simultaneously in a dynamic and fast paced environment.
• An eagerness to learn!
• A keen desire to contribute to a strong, fun and high performing team culture.

Additional Information

We believe that great things happen when people connect face-to-face. That's why we work in-person with each other, or with customers and partners, three days a week or more. When you’re not spending time together in one of our offices or other workplaces – like at an Informa event – you get the flexibility and support to work from home or remotely.

We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone. Here’s some of what you can expect when you join us. But don’t just take our word for it – see what our colleagues have to say LifeAt.Informa.com

Our benefits include:

• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too
• Career opportunity: the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. When it’s time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves
• Time out: 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, plus a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year
• A flexible range of personal benefits to choose from, plus company funded private medical cover
• A ShareMatch scheme that allows you to become an Informa shareholder with free matching shares
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, a healthy living subsidy, access to health apps and more
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programmes
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world

We’re not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most – although not all – of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application.

If you would like to request reasonable adjustments or accommodations to assist your participation in the hiring process and, or in the advertised position, please inform the appropriate Talent Acquisition Partner for the role once they have been in touch. Your request will be reviewed and considered in confidence. At Informa, you'll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law. Ask us or see our website for full information.

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