Our client is looking for a Legal Counsel for a permanent position, located in either Aberdeen or Uxbridge (Hybrid Working).

ROLE

We are seeking a Legal Counsel to join our Legal Team in our Aberdeen or Uxbridge office.  As part of the legal group, this role provides legal support and advice to various areas within the business including joint venture negotiations, product transportation agreements, product sales and marketing, procurement of goods and services, acquisitions & divestments, and disputes. Support to teams dealing with several regulators will also be required. The role is primarily focussed on conventional oil and gas although there is some scope to support on the Company’s Net Zero activities. The individual will support several business groups within the organisation and be fully integrated within the Legal / Company Secretarial / Commercial teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Legal Counsel will report to the Senior Legal Counsel - UK, providing support to key stakeholders across the business by:

• Assisting in the protection of the companies legal rights and the identification of legal obligations.
• Monitoring changes in relevant legislation and the regulatory environment and taking appropriate action.
• Liaising with external regulators and advisers, such as external law firms.
• Providing legal advice in relation to all aspects of the business within the UK. This includes a substantial offshore business, so UKCS experience is essential.
• Drafting and negotiating construction tie in agreements, transportation and processing agreements and product offtakes agreements.
• Advising on regulatory compliance issues, in relation to production licences under the Petroleum Act and matters involving NSTA, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the HSE. Experience of working with these regulators and understanding their powers and obligations is essential.
• Participating in joint venture negotiations including forming of consortiums for licence bid purposes, drafting of JOA’s and associated documentation.
• Supporting UKCS business development opportunities including confidentiality agreements and bidding arrangements etc.
• Drafting and negotiation of Sale and Purchase Agreements, Exchange Agreements and Farm-in/Farm-out Agreements and Operating Agreements.
• Liaison with and support to Supply Chain in relation to procurement for production operations,
• Supporting UK oil and gas marketing arrangements.
• Supporting GDPR matters.

REQUIREMENTS

We are particularly interested in you if you have the following skills and knowledge:

• A qualified solicitor, in England and Wales/Scotland, you will have several years post qualification experience required in order to demonstrate your ability to work with a degree of independence, and your ability to handle a busy and extremely diverse workload.
• Experience working in an in-house energy legal team or looking for a first in-house position with in-house secondment experience in UKCS matters.
• Strong client orientation.
• Demonstrated ability to balance legal risks with business risks and communicate effectively to clients.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work in cross functional teams.
• Strong team player
• Excellent computer skills, word, PowerPoint, excel.
• Ability to prioritise, multi-task and work without supervision.