Full job descriptionRole: Pharmaceutical Legal Counsel
Location: Welwyn Garden City / Hybrid (3 days per week in the office)
Hours: Full-time
Pay: £450 - £580 (PAYE) per day or £595.96 - £768.13 (UMB) per day
Contract: 12-month contract, inside IR35
Start Date: 7th September 2026, subject to compliance checks


An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Pharmaceutical Legal Counsel to join one of our longstanding global clients.
This role will provide comprehensive legal support across the UK and Ireland, advising on commercial pharmaceutical law, data protection, clinical trials, regulatory matters and wider legal risk. The successful candidate must be able to start as soon as possible and will be required to work from the Welwyn Garden City office three days per week.


Benefits
*12-month contract opportunity
*Hybrid working with 3 days per week in Welwyn Garden City
*25 days holiday + bank holidays
*On-site free parking
*Exposure to complex pharmaceutical, R&D and data protection matters
*Opportunity to work closely with senior legal and commercial stakeholders
*Collaborative in-house legal environment


The Requirements
*Qualified lawyer in England and Wales
*Previous pharmaceutical or life sciences industry experience is essential
*Strong practical knowledge of UK data protection laws, including UK GDPR
*Experience advising on UK commercial pharmaceutical law
*Experience reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements
*Strong understanding of legal and commercial risk within regulated environments
*Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills
*Ability to provide pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice
*Must be available to start as soon as possible, subject to compliance checks


Desirable:
*Experience supporting clinical trials and negotiating Clinical Trial Agreements
*Knowledge of medical device regulations and digital health legislation
*Familiarity with the ABPI Code and wider healthcare compliance standards
*Experience supporting R&D or global pharmaceutical programmes


The Role
*Provide legal support across UK and Ireland business activities
*Advise on commercial pharmaceutical law, competition law, data protection, marketing, advertising, anti-bribery, litigation and disputes
*Manage operational data protection matters, including Data Subject Requests and privacy incidents
*Support local and global R&D teams with clinical trial regulations and agreements
*Review, draft and negotiate commercial and clinical agreements
*Identify and mitigate commercial and legal risks
*Provide practical legal guidance to stakeholders across multiple business areas
*Maintain and update legal templates, agreements and internal tools
*Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and advise on their impact
*Support ethical and compliant business practices across the organisation


If you’re keen to join an exceptional team who can offer broad pharmaceutical legal exposure, senior stakeholder engagement and the opportunity to support complex UK and Ireland operations, then please apply to this Pharmaceutical Legal Counsel role below or call Chloe McCausland on between 8:30am - 5:00pm.