Head of Legal

Location: Lancashire

Salary: £45,000 - £50,000

Working arrangement: In office

Monday to Friday ( 36 hours per week)

Overview & Opportunity:

Achieve Professionals have partnered with a leading UK business broker who are looking for an individual to lead their in house legal team.

The Role:

• Manage and resolve contractual disputes and claims with clients, including issues relating to engagement terms, fees and service delivery.
• Assess legal risk and commercial merit in disputes, providing pragmatic, solution-focused advice aligned with business objectives.
• Draft, review and negotiate settlement agreements, waivers and other dispute resolution documentation.
• Lead on pre-action correspondence, letters before claim, and all dispute-related legal communications.
• Oversee the progression of claims and disputes, including instructing and managing external counsel where required.
• Own, maintain and continuously improve the organisation’s standard terms and conditions and client engagement contracts.
• Advise on, review and negotiate contractual variations and bespoke client clauses, balancing legal risk with commercial priorities.
• Provide day-to-day legal support and clear, commercially focused advice to senior leadership and operational teams on contractual matters.
• Develop and maintain internal legal guidance, templates and processes to ensure consistency and efficiency across the business.
• Support compliance and risk management by tracking dispute trends, maintaining accurate records, and recommending improvements to reduce recurring issues.

Requirements:

• Fully qualified solicitor (or equivalent) with authority to sign off and issue legal claims within remit.
• Proven experience in contractual dispute resolution, including settlements, negotiations and contract drafting/review, ideally in-house or within a law firm.
• Strong understanding of contract law, including limitation of liability, termination provisions, fee structures and dispute resolution clauses.
• Excellent drafting skills, particularly in letters before action, settlement agreements and contractual documentation.
• Experience managing or supervising junior staff or a small legal support team.
• Commercially minded, able to balance legal risk with operational, reputational and commercial considerations.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple matters, prioritise effectively and work under pressure.
• Confident communicator, capable of explaining complex legal issues clearly to non-lawyers and handling challenging conversations professionally.
• Experience in a professional services environment such as advisory, brokerage or corporate services (desirable).
• Experience dealing with complaints, claims or disputes in a regulated or higher-risk environment (desirable).
• Familiarity with professional indemnity insurance considerations in relation to claims and settlements (desirable).
• Professional, calm and solutions-focused approach, particularly in contentious or high-pressure situations.
• High integrity and sound judgement, able to know when to defend a position and when to recommend compromise.
• Collaborative working style, able to engage effectively with leadership, operations and client-facing teams.
• Proactive mindset, with the ability to identify recurring contractual issues and drive improvements to contracts, processes and risk controls.

Company Benefits

• 23 days’ annual leave plus statutory bank holidays.
• 4x death in service benefit.
• More to be discussed at interview stage