Legal Counsel - AFC Bournemouth

The Legal department is responsible for providing advice on legal, business and regulatory risks to all areas within the Club. The Club is now seeking a second solicitor to support the General Counsel in managing the Club’s risk and regulatory compliance. This is a hands-on role offering deep integration with the Club’s daily operations. The successful candidate will be expected to provide legal support to all departments within the Club on a range of matters including: commercial, regulatory, property, data protection and football.

Key Responsibilities

Delivering practical legal advice across all departments of the Club.
Assist and/or take responsibility for a broad range of commercial work, including drafting and negotiating sponsorship/partnership agreements; operational agreements; retail and licensing; hospitality contracts; marketing; IT and supplier contracts.
Be responsible for creating template agreements and guidance notes for use by the business.
Assist on matters relating to the Stadium redevelopment project.
Advise on compliance matters across all aspects of data governance, including data protection matters arising out of the Stadium expansion, and assisting in the continued development and improvement of all aspects of the Club’s data governance.
Assist in providing advice and guidance to the Head of Academy on all matters relating to players (including the drafting and legal negotiation of player transfers, player contracts and regulatory queries).
Assist in providing advice to the Head of Women’s Football on women’s football matters or operational queries (including the drafting and legal negotiation of player transfers, player contracts and regulatory queries).
Responsibility for managing (lower value) ad-hoc disputes and litigation.
Advise on football regulatory issues such as ensuring compliance with football regulatory bodies and assisting the Club’s safeguarding department.
Assist in providing ad-hoc legal support to the Human Resources department.
As a member of staff to ensure in all matters, you follow and actively promote the club’s mental health policies and practices to ensure an open, non-judgmental and inclusive environment for everyone engaged with the club.
As a member of staff to ensure that you to adhere to the club’s safeguarding policies and procedures and are committed to our safeguarding values, creating a safe and positive environment for all those who interact with the club.
Obligation to adhere to the club’s health and safety policy and procedures.
As a member of staff to ensure in all matters you follow and actively promote the club’s equality policies and practices to ensure a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for everyone engaged with the club.

The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time; or the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

You will be an England and Wales qualified solicitor with 2-5 years’ PQE, trained and qualified at a leading law firm or in a reputable in-house team.

Essential Expertise:

Significant experience in the drafting and negotiation of commercial contracts.
Broad legal knowledge and clear experience in navigating across a broad range of issues and managing competing deadlines.

Desirable Experience:

Experience and knowledge of property matters.

Key Requirements

The successful candidate must be able to:

Work both independently and as part of team, providing technically sound and commercially focused legal advice.
Be committed, service-oriented and flexible, with the capability to manage multiple workstreams under tight deadlines.
Communicate effectively across all areas of the business explaining legal principles in clear straight forward terms.
Be collaborative, enthusiastic and with a solution driven approach

The Club’s values are at the core of its staff behaviour and how they approach everything they do, therefore we are looking for someone is honest, inclusive, kind, hardworking and loyal.

Benefits

Free onsite parking.
Season ticket and allocation of complimentary/purchased tickets. (all tickets, including season tickets, are subject to availability)
Subsidised lunches and complimentary healthy snacks throughout the day.
Discounts at the club Superstore.
Access to Health Cash Plan with Simplyhealth.
Employee Assistance Programme
Contribution towards eye tests and glasses.
Discounts and benefits from partners and local businesses.
Club pension & Life Assurance Scheme.
Paid parental leave (bank of five days per year).
Club events or other social events throughout the year run by our club social team.
Paid volunteer opportunities (2 days per year).
Paid day’s leave on your birthday.

About AFC Bournemouth

Having established the start of an exciting new chapter in our long and storied history since a takeover in 2022 by chairman Bill Foley, AFC Bournemouth has seen significant investment committed towards sustaining Premier League status.

The construction of a state-of-the-art training facility alongside the arrival of promising young talent from top clubs around Europe have provided the club with a fantastic platform from which to build its on-field expectations.

We have placed an importance on maintaining the same focus on family and community that we have proudly displayed over the years, and delivering that engagement with our loyal supporters is a passionate and integrated backroom staff, working closely together to provide a positive and lasting experience for all.