Head of Commercial

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Flint Bishop as Head of Commercial.

The Head of Commercial is responsible for leading the firm’s Commercial team, working with a wide range of clients. This is a key placement for the firm, providing advice and bespoke training to clients on a range of commercial areas such as contract law, data protection and intellectual property.

Our commercial contract lawyers frequently work with managing directors and finance directors in organisations of all types and sizes, from owner-managed businesses to global PLCs, operating in a range of sectors.

Direct Reports: One Associate and one shared PA

Reporting to: Chief Executive, Qamer Ghafoor

Fee-earning responsibilities:
 

Manage a varied caseload of complex matters that will include:

Drafting and negotiating a wide range of business to business contracts

Drafting standard agreements including terms of sale and contracts of distribution and agency

Drafting standard terms for sales to consumers

Advising on data protection compliance including desktop audits and time-sensitive matters as they arise

Providing transactional support to the corporate team

As well as managing a personal caseload of more complex matters, the Head of Commercial is responsible for taking on additional workload where necessary in the instance that the department is nearing full capacity.

Ensure personal legal knowledge is kept up to date and new advancements are communicated to the wider team.

Management responsibilities:

Setting and presenting an annual strategic plan for the Commercial team – work closely with the CEO & COO to construct team targets in relation to fees, time recording & business development.

Assist with the annual budget review process.

Hold a monthly departmental meeting to report on team performance – follow up with one-to-ones as and when required.

Attend quarterly Heads of Department meetings to represent the Commercial team.

Attend monthly one-to-ones with the CEO & COO – report on departmental priorities and financial performance.

Provide supervision of matters for more junior fee-earners, sign off work as and when required.

Oversee the Personal Development Plans for each team member, ensure individual goals are met throughout the year through mentoring and technical guidance.

Ensure appropriate allocation of fee-earning matters within the team – regularly assess capacity of fee-earners and delegate work effectively.

Proactively drive the performance of the team – achieve continued financial growth year-on-year.

Assist with the recruitment process for Commercial vacancies – including proactive headhunting and drafting job specifications/adverts.

Conduct interviews with the HR Manager for all Commercial candidates.

Business development
 

Work alongside the Business Development team to ensure there is a cohesive and proactive strategy for managing current and prospective clients.

Take an active lead in managing the client experience. Attend client meetings where necessary.

Prepare and conduct external training sessions on commercial law for prospective and existing clients.

Report regularly on business development figures to CEO.

Compliance

Work alongside the Head of Compliance to ensure all audit requirements are upheld within the Commercial team, this includes ISO, Health & Safety and data protection.

Conduct regular file audits for junior fee-earners. Feedback to the individual and the Head of Compliance.

You will:

Possess exceptional client care skills

Be a highly effective communicator

Have excellent organisational skills

Be highly motivated and able to add value to the role

Be a team player and able to get on with others

Possess networking and client development skills

Have intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office

Disclosure will be required in the event that a position is offered.

About Flint Bishop

Flint Bishop is a multi-award winning, UK top 200 law firm with some of the most talented legal experts in the Midlands.

We represent leading UK organisations including government agencies, public sector bodies and PLCs, providing pragmatic and solution-orientated advice, which is nationally recognised by both the legal and business community.

Recognised as a ‘leading firm’ by both Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500, the outstanding quality of our staff and service levels is underlined by our ISO quality assurance accreditations, industry awards and peer ranking.