Maidstone, England, United Kingdom
An experienced In-house Lawyer who is a hardworking and dedicated individual, able to hit the road running and achieve targets and goals in order to ensure the protection of company interests and values through commercial & legal interactions. I'm able to interact with all levels of staff within a company and gain respect for my work ethics and can do attitude. I have a proven record at effectively negotiating contracts, turning around departments to improve results and being admired by my peers as being confident, reliable, dedicated and pragmatic. My commercial experience and legal experience allow me to advise stakeholders from a legal position and also from a commercial aspect.
- Managing all legal client agreements with clients in the business globally. - Based in London, but oversee the legal agreements and negotiations for all offices in the business (16 in total) including South Africa, USA, Vilnius, South Korea and Japan - Negotiating contract terms and conditions directly with clients - Maintaining a risk register for Liabilities - Negotiating major client agreements – MSAs, SLAs - Negotiating client agreements with major focus on IP, Technology, Indemnity - Creating and maintaining stakeholder relationships with parties including CEO, CFO, CCO, Sales Directors and Sales Managers to enable the business to efficiently negotiate contracts, be aware of the implications of legal/commercial risks and communicating changes in legislation or regulations that may be applicable.
Within my current role at ThyssenKrupp Elevator UK as a Contracts Manager/ Quantity Surveyor I have the following responsibilities: - Account Manager for high profile Projects/clients including TK Maxx, Marks and Spencer and Decathlon. - Management of all North Regions, inc Ireland and Scotland – New Installations, Modernisations, Modernisations (New Lift Existing Shaft), Escalators and also now experience of the London Region of projects. - Providing legal assistance to the Finance department in pursuing/negotiating with clients on unpaid applications, debts, suspension notices and delay notices. - The review, negotiation and assessment of contract terms and conditions in order to protect the company’s commercial interests on modernisations and new installation projects. - Assisting project managers/sales with advice on tender terms and conditions etc before meeting with potential clients. - To work within the Commercial Department to support Project managers, Salespersons, Finance and other commercial personnel on a day to day basis with contractual reviews, assessment, negotiation, guidance and agreement on terms and conditions - Ongoing Project support in order to ensure projects are closed out once works are completed and final payments received. - attendance at site meetings, including overnight stays and travel across the country - experience of contracts between £25k and £800k - assisting a group of project managers and salespersons (12) to protect the companies interests from the tender stage
- Working as part of the “Project Purple Team” with the Project Manager I’m currently responsible for simplifying and enhancing the Peabody Groups corporate structure by scrutinising the current contract arrangements they have in place with a number of suppliers and establishing whether the contractual obligations/assets can be transferred, novated or assigned to other entities within the Peabody Group. - All higher value contracts are scrutinised to see if the structural changes will have any effect on the continuation and enforceability of the contracts. - I maintain an audit trail of all my reviews carried out using a database created to enable ease of reference for Directors as well as employees who need to view my current reviews for their respective departments. - I provide clear and concise recommendations to the Responsible Department Director as appropriate on whether any issues will arise with regards to my findings on reviewing their current contractual arrangements and also advising on wording that should be used for any new contractual arrangements they wish to enter to also for the asset/contract In question to be transferred, novated or assigned to another entity within the group at the time of final amalgamation. - I also liaise with the Group Lawyers for remedial action on the contentious clauses, which include Alienation clauses, Reverter clauses, s106 agreements, nominations agreements and no disposition clauses. - Working with the Procurement, Finance, Sales and Facilities Directorates amongst others
- Fee earning work such as initial drafting of Articles of Association, Memorandum of Association, Incorporation of new Academy Trust Companies, amendments to final documents after clients have approved them. - Creation of the Education Department central filing system to ensure that all files are kept correctly as well as being Lexcel and Anti Money Laundering compliant, which includes ensuring that Terms of Engagement letters are created and signed by the client and relevant copies of ID and Proof of address are on file - Closure of all files once matters have been completed - All billing for the Education Department – this covers the billing of 12 other fee earners matters, credit control to ensure that invoices are paid in a timely manner and pursuing when necessary the payment of late invoices - Assisting solicitors with registration of land and managing caseloads to tight deadlines - Maintaining Client relationships to ensure that clients needs are always catered to and they feel enabled to return to us in the future for anything - Handling my own caseload which varies between 30-50 cases at any one time. - Handling property matters for my caseload e.g. Transfers, Lease negotiations, Land Registry Amendments and registrations for School land and property. - TUPE advice to clients converting to Academy status - Commercial Litigation advice regards the prohibition of the transfer of some contracts from a Governing Body to the new Academy Trust Company. advice in relation to Commercial disputes such as contracted services not being provided, termination of contracts and warranties not being granted. - Volunteering at the Southwark CAB housing clinic – assisting tenants with housing issues, rent arrears, housing applications, welfare reforms.
- Assisting solicitors who were affiliated with the business and counsel with the administration of the clients in the most effective/efficient way - Setting up cases on the internal case management system and managing the corresponding paper files, whilst also liaising and updating clients at every stage of the process - Preparing correspondence and drafting documentation, using professional expertise in order to reach a speedy and constructive resolution to all legal issues whilst minimizing risks - Advising clients via telephone, email or written correspondence of their legal requirements and assisting them with how to resolve issues - Managing my caseload which would be around 350 clients each month and over a variety of areas of law including Employment, Conveyancing, Civil Litigation, Consumer Law, Commercial Litigation, Immigration and Company and Commercial Law.