General counsel jobs · permanent, interim and fractional

General counsel jobs: what the seat is, and what our board lists

A general counsel is the most senior lawyer inside a company. The seat advises the board and the executive team, sets how the company manages legal and regulatory risk, signs off the contracts and disputes that matter, and decides what goes to outside law firms. In some companies the general counsel also acts as company secretary.

Many general counsel are solicitors, which brings duties of its own. The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s guidance for employers of in-house solicitors sets out that they are personally accountable for meeting their professional obligations, and describes the checks and balances they provide to help an organisation behave legally, fairly and ethically. An employer hiring a general counsel is hiring that independence.

What the board below lists

The board shows the roles on our board for this seat, general counsel and head of legal roles, permanent roles first where the posting says full-time. Each card says how the employer advertised the role: permanent, interim or fractional. If the seat has nothing current, the board says so and shows the nearest roles, labelled as what they are. We recruit permanent, interim, fractional and part-time general counsel.

Head of legal jobs the same seat, or the one below

Head of legal jobs cover two different seats. In a smaller company head of legal is the top lawyer, doing the general counsel’s job under a plainer title. In a larger one the head of legal runs a function or a region and reports to the general counsel. Read the reporting line: a role that reports to the chief executive and attends the board is a general counsel role, whatever the advert calls it.

Search head of legal, general counsel, legal director and in-house lawyer jobs together; employers use all four. If the seat carries a board appointment, the duties of a company director come with it, and directors stay legally responsible for the company’s records, accounts and performance.

The interview tests the same three things whatever the title: the commercial judgement you bring to a deal, how you handled the hardest dispute or regulatory issue you owned, and how you manage outside counsel and their budget.

How to get a general counsel job qualify, then move in-house

The usual route starts with qualifying as a solicitor. The SRA’s Solicitors Qualifying Examination route asks for a degree or equivalent, passes in SQE1 and SQE2, two years’ qualifying work experience, and the SRA’s suitability checks. Barristers and lawyers qualified elsewhere also reach the seat; the SRA sets out how qualified lawyers can qualify through the SQE.

If the role describes you as a solicitor, you need a current practising certificate; the SRA’s practising certificate guidance sets out when one is required. Employers check the Solicitors Register, so keep your entry current.

The Law Society’s guide to becoming an in-house solicitor notes that in-house roles are not only about legal advice but about understanding the business and handling its more strategic questions. Its In-house Network supports lawyers in corporate, public and not-for-profit roles. The usual route runs through legal counsel and senior legal counsel roles, often after private practice, into head of legal and then general counsel.

Interim and fractional roles are a route in as well. If you take one through your own company, the off-payroll working rules (IR35) may apply; a medium or large client decides the status, based on how the engagement runs in practice.