senior legal counsel job description

While your responsibilities vary depending on the company you work for and the industry, some of the common tasks include: providing legal advice: as a senior legal counsel, you assess the legal risks associated with company processes and policies. You also advise managers on legal issues, from corporate laws to compliance concerns and privacy and data laws. To provide the best legal advice, it is important to stay updated on any new laws that may affect business operations. For instance, if the government sets new standards for working hours or the minimum wage, you advise the company on how to ensure compliance. negotiating commercial contracts: as a senior legal counsel, you review contracts and agreements from vendors and company business partners. If the company is making changes, you supervise drafting employment contracts and review them to ensure they adhere to legal standards. Aside from internal contracts, you assist the company with significant business transactions. For instance, you review the contracts for finance agreements and negotiate terms with third parties to ensure the company receives favourable conditions. ensuring compliance with industry standards: as a senior legal counsel, you prevent lawsuits by ensuring compliance with industry standards. For instance, you ensure the company follows consumer protection laws and adheres to regulations associated with work safety and work hours. handling legal matters: when your company is facing a lawsuit, you develop a legal strategy to tackle the issues. You represent the organisation in court proceedings and handle any litigation that arises. In case of settlement, you work with third-party lawyers to negotiate settlements and resolve legal disputes. assigning duties to legal counsel: as a senior legal counsel, you perform various administrative duties, such as hiring legal counsel or other workers for the legal department. You also assign duties to junior legal counsel members and supervise them.

As a senior legal counsel, you work in various industries, including manufacturing, mining, construction, and telecommunications. Since you handle legal matters for one company, you work in-house in the legal department. While you spend most of your time negotiating contracts and arranging settlements in your office and conference rooms, your job also involves travelling. You represent your client in the courtroom and sometimes go for arbitration at the complainants’ office. When you work for a group of companies, you travel to the sister companies for advice on legal matters.

who are your colleagues?

Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include compliance officers , legal secretaries and legal assistants. You might also be working in close proximity to paralegals and lawyers, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, legal counsel , HR administrators and operations managers .

The work schedule of a senior legal counsel is Monday to Friday, typically from 9 am to 5 pm. Most of the time, you work traditional business hours, but when the company is facing legal issues, you work evenings and weekends to handle the matter. Travelling to meetings in different states or countries could also increase your work hours.

Your career as a senior legal counsel starts in an entry-level legal counsel role. The experience you gain as a senior legal counsel prepares you for executive roles in your industry. Some legal counsel become chief executive officers or chief operations officers. Since you have extensive experience, you can become a legal consultant or legal advisor.

advantages of finding a senior legal counsel job through randstad

Finding your senior legal counsel job through Randstad provides important advantages such as: a wide variety of training and development opportunities an experienced contact person to provide help if needed a range of opportunities in your area get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job temporary and permanent contracts Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a senior legal counsel is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Thousands of people earn a permanent contract every year with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.

what is the role of a senior legal counsel?

As a senior legal counsel, you head the legal department of a company. You handle any legal matters that arise and provide in-house counsel on various issues affecting the business. You also review and negotiate contracts and handle mergers.

how do I become a senior legal counsel in Australia?

To become a senior legal counsel in Australia, you should get a bachelor of law degree or pursue a Juris Doctor if you have an undergraduate degree. Once you complete the mandatory PLT training, you must work under an experienced lawyer for 18 months to be admitted to the state’s bar. You also require some experience or industry-specific knowledge.

how much do senior legal counsel make in Australia?

A senior legal counsel makes an average of $163,750 per year. Your earnings fluctuate with experience and educational qualifications. You start with a salary of $141,000 per year, while the most experienced workers earn over $223,500 annually.

how can I be a good senior legal counsel?

You require legal knowledge and commercial awareness to excel as a senior legal counsel. You also need strategic thinking and the ability to adapt to the changing industry dynamics.

is senior legal counsel a good career?

Yes. Working as a senior legal counsel prepares you for executive roles in the company. With your legal expertise and industry-specific knowledge, you can become the chief executive officer.

how do I apply for a senior legal counsel vacancy?

Applying for a senior legal counsel job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here .

Working as a senior legal counsel

what is a senior legal counsel?

As a senior legal counsel, you provide legal advice to companies or organisations. You work in-house to handle any legal matters that arise in the company. You also guide the company in making decisions that could have legal implications. Since you are actively involved in the organisation, you understand its operations, which helps you provide tailored legal advice that helps your clients achieve their commercial goals.

A senior legal counsel works for one company or a group of companies. Since you understand the industry intimately, you provide guidance on compliance with existing regulations. For instance, you ensure mining and manufacturing work environments meet Australia's Work Health and Safety laws. You also review manufacturing guidelines to ensure the company meets Food Safety Standards requirements.

Aside from contract negotiation and supervising policy development, you represent the company in court. You handle any litigation and lawsuits arising from business activities. That means you represent the client in courtrooms, mediation, and arbitration. Sometimes, you negotiate settlements on behalf of the company. Due to the complexity of your duties, you require extensive legal knowledge and work experience practising law.

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average senior legal counsel salary

The average salary of a senior legal counsel in Australia is $163,750 per year. When you have only a few years of experience as a legal counsel, you start with a lower salary of $141,000 per year. After working as a senior counsel for several years, you build your expertise and take home a salary of $223,500 per year.

what factors affect the salary of a senior legal counsel?

As a senior legal counsel, your experience determines your earnings. Having experience in legal matters improves your earnings. However, if you have additional knowledge of the industry you are working in, you can negotiate a higher remuneration package. Industry knowledge allows you to provide tailored legal advice and ensure compliance with industry regulations and laws.

The size of the organisation also influences your earnings. When you work for one company, you have fewer duties than a senior legal counsel in charge of a group of companies. Working for a group of companies involves complex responsibilities since you should be familiar with the local laws of the sister companies and ensure compliance. Hence, you earn a higher remuneration than a senior legal counsel who handles legal matters in one company.

Want to know what you will earn as a senior legal counsel? Check out what you are worth with our salary checker.

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types of senior legal counsel

As a senior legal counsel, you can provide general legal advice or specialise in specific aspects of the law. For instance, a senior legal counsel specialising in employment laws protects the rights of employers and employees. You use your knowledge of labour laws to deal with legal issues from workplace disputes, such as discrimination, unfair dismissal or breach of contract. Your job is to advise the company on termination processes and the legal implications of employment contracts.

Some senior legal counsel professionals specialise in mergers and acquisitions. You negotiate contracts and review any laws that could prevent successful mergers or acquisitions. You also draft contracts and merger documents to ensure they are legally binding.

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working as a senior legal counsel

If you are a lawyer and prefer working in corporate settings, being a senior legal counsel could be suitable for you. Read on to discover the specific duties, job prospects, work environments, and work schedules of senior legal counsel.

senior legal counsel job description
While your responsibilities vary depending on the company you work for and the industry, some of the common tasks include:
- providing legal advice: as a senior legal counsel, you assess the legal risks associated with company processes and policies. You also advise managers on legal issues, from corporate laws to compliance concerns and privacy and data laws. To provide the best legal advice, it is important to stay updated on any new laws that may affect business operations. For instance, if the government sets new standards for working hours or the minimum wage, you advise the company on how to ensure compliance.
- negotiating commercial contracts: as a senior legal counsel, you review contracts and agreements from vendors and company business partners. If the company is making changes, you supervise drafting employment contracts and review them to ensure they adhere to legal standards. Aside from internal contracts, you assist the company with significant business transactions. For instance, you review the contracts for finance agreements and negotiate terms with third parties to ensure the company receives favourable conditions.
- ensuring compliance with industry standards: as a senior legal counsel, you prevent lawsuits by ensuring compliance with industry standards. For instance, you ensure the company follows consumer protection laws and adheres to regulations associated with work safety and work hours.
- handling legal matters: when your company is facing a lawsuit, you develop a legal strategy to tackle the issues. You represent the organisation in court proceedings and handle any litigation that arises. In case of settlement, you work with third-party lawyers to negotiate settlements and resolve legal disputes.
- assigning duties to legal counsel: as a senior legal counsel, you perform various administrative duties, such as hiring legal counsel or other workers for the legal department. You also assign duties to junior legal counsel members and supervise them.
work environment

As a senior legal counsel, you work in various industries, including manufacturing, mining, construction, and telecommunications. Since you handle legal matters for one company, you work in-house in the legal department. While you spend most of your time negotiating contracts and arranging settlements in your office and conference rooms, your job also involves travelling. You represent your client in the courtroom and sometimes go for arbitration at the complainants’ office. When you work for a group of companies, you travel to the sister companies for advice on legal matters.
who are your colleagues?

Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include compliance officers, legal secretaries and legal assistants. You might also be working in close proximity to paralegals and lawyers, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, legal counsel, HR administrators and operations managers.
work schedule

The work schedule of a senior legal counsel is Monday to Friday, typically from 9 am to 5 pm. Most of the time, you work traditional business hours, but when the company is facing legal issues, you work evenings and weekends to handle the matter. Travelling to meetings in different states or countries could also increase your work hours.
job outlook

Your career as a senior legal counsel starts in an entry-level legal counsel role. The experience you gain as a senior legal counsel prepares you for executive roles in your industry. Some legal counsel become chief executive officers or chief operations officers. Since you have extensive experience, you can become a legal consultant or legal advisor.
advantages of finding a senior legal counsel job through randstad
Finding your senior legal counsel job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a senior legal counsel is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Thousands of people earn a permanent contract every year with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.

4

education and skills

If you want to be a senior legal counsel, the first step is becoming a lawyer and member of the Law Council of Australia. Pursue a bachelor of law, which takes five years, or complete a Juris Doctor programme if you already have a bachelor's degree in a different field. A Juris Doctor course takes three years and equips you with the knowledge required to handle legal matters.

With your law degree, you can progress to a postgraduate qualification, such as a Master of Laws, which takes two years. Alternatively, complete the Practical Legal Training (PLT). Apply for admission to your state's bar, and after 18 months, get a practising certificate from the Australian Bar Association.

senior legal counsel skills and competencies

A senior legal counsel requires the following skills to excel:

legal knowledge: as a senior legal counsel, you provide advice on legal matters affecting the company. Hence, you require extensive legal knowledge in corporate law, tax law, employment law and property law. Your legal knowledge helps you draft policies and ensure the company is compliant with the legal requirements.
strategic thinking: as a senior legal counsel, you assist companies in significant changes. For instance, you handle significant financial agreements, mergers and acquisitions. Your strategic thinking helps you steer the company in the right direction. Strategic thinking and adaptability to changes are also useful skills in dynamic industries.
leadership skills: as a senior legal counsel, you are the head of the legal department. Your leadership skills help you motivate and inspire your team to achieve the company's goals.
communication skills: as a senior legal counsel, you represent the company in courtrooms and settlement meetings. Your verbal communication skills help you explain your ideas clearly. You also rely on your written communication skills to create contracts and employment agreements.

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FAQs about working as a senior legal counsel

Here, you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the profession of a senior legal counsel.

what is the role of a senior legal counsel?

As a senior legal counsel, you head the legal department of a company. You handle any legal matters that arise and provide in-house counsel on various issues affecting the business. You also review and negotiate contracts and handle mergers.
how do I become a senior legal counsel in Australia?

To become a senior legal counsel in Australia, you should get a bachelor of law degree or pursue a Juris Doctor if you have an undergraduate degree. Once you complete the mandatory PLT training, you must work under an experienced lawyer for 18 months to be admitted to the state’s bar. You also require some experience or industry-specific knowledge.
how much do senior legal counsel make in Australia?

A senior legal counsel makes an average of $163,750 per year. Your earnings fluctuate with experience and educational qualifications. You start with a salary of $141,000 per year, while the most experienced workers earn over $223,500 annually.
how can I be a good senior legal counsel?

You require legal knowledge and commercial awareness to excel as a senior legal counsel. You also need strategic thinking and the ability to adapt to the changing industry dynamics.
is senior legal counsel a good career?

Yes. Working as a senior legal counsel prepares you for executive roles in the company. With your legal expertise and industry-specific knowledge, you can become the chief executive officer.
how do I apply for a senior legal counsel vacancy?

Applying for a senior legal counsel job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here.

senior legal counsel.