Associate General Counsel

About us

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

The team you will join

You will join Birketts’ Enterprise Risk, Legal & Governance function at a pivotal point in its development. This is a highly visible, collaborative team with a firmwide remit, working alongside Partners, senior leaders and statutory office holders to help the business look ahead, make confident decisions and respond effectively to change.

Bringing together legal advisory, governance, operational resilience and AML & financial crime expertise, the function plays an important role in protecting and enabling the firm’s continued growth. For the right candidate, it offers the opportunity to shape how these capabilities work together and make a meaningful impact across the organisation.

The work you will be doing

This is a rare opportunity to take on a senior, strategic role at the heart of a growing and ambitious law firm. As Associate General Counsel, you will help set the direction for how Birketts approaches governance, legal risk, operational resilience and regulatory complexity.

You will lead the firm’s evolving Enterprise Risk, Legal & Governance function, bringing together Legal Advisory & Governance, Operational Resilience and AML & Financial Crime into a clear, connected and future-focused model.

Working closely with Partners, senior leaders and statutory office holders, you will influence how the firm anticipates change, manages complexity and makes well-informed decisions. You will turn legal, regulatory and risk considerations into practical business outcomes, helping the firm remain resilient, well governed and positioned for continued success.

This role will suit an experienced legal professional who is ready to move beyond traditional advisory work and take a broader leadership position across governance, risk and organisational capability. It offers scope to shape strategy, develop people and capability, and make a visible contribution to the next stage of Birketts’ growth.

In this role, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership across the firm’s governance, legal, resilience and regulatory capabilities.
• Shape the continued development of the Enterprise Risk, Legal & Governance operating model, ensuring it remains clear, proportionate and aligned to the firm’s ambitions.
• Act as a trusted adviser and constructive challenger to governance forums, leadership teams and senior stakeholders.
• Bring together Legal Advisory & Governance, Operational Resilience and AML & Financial Crime so each area works with clear purpose, accountability and connection.
• Support the identification and escalation of emerging risk themes, helping the firm respond with clarity and confidence.
• Champion operational resilience, assurance and control frameworks that support effective, practical and proportionate risk management.
• Lead and develop a specialist leadership team, supporting capability development, succession planning and continuous improvement.
• Partner with statutory and regulatory role holders to support the effective delivery of their responsibilities and the firm's regulatory obligations.
• Undertake delegated or appointed statutory, regulatory and governance responsibilities, including acting as a designated role holder where appropriate.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone who combines legal credibility with strategic perspective, sound judgement and the ability to influence at senior level. You will be comfortable operating in complex environments, bringing clarity to ambiguity and building trusted relationships across the firm. In addition you will be:

• Legally qualified, with substantial post-qualification experience.
• Experienced in a regulated professional services environment, with a strong understanding of governance, regulatory frameworks and professional standards.
• Confident advising Partners and senior stakeholders on complex legal, regulatory, governance or risk-related matters.
• Able to balance technical excellence with commercial awareness, practical delivery and proportionate decision-making.
• A natural collaborator who can build credibility, provide constructive challenge and bring together diverse perspectives.
• Experienced in leading teams, building capability and improving operating models, governance arrangements or ways of working.
• Able to see how legal, governance, operational resilience, financial crime and wider organisational priorities connect.
• Known for integrity, sound judgement and calm, objective leadership in sensitive or challenging situations.
• Curious about emerging legal, regulatory, technological and business developments, and able to translate insight into action.
• A clear, confident communicator who can adapt style and approach for different audiences and situations

Hybrid Working

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working.

This role attracts a split of 60% office days and 40% working from home days per week.

We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

Benefits

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

• 30 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays
• Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Dress for your Day Policy

You can find out more on our website: https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

Inclusivity and Culture

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.

If you require this advert in an accessible format, please visit https://diversityjobsgroup.com/company/birketts/