Legal Counsel

Construction Lawyer – Melbourne, Australia APNA 

Together, we open opportunities with our connected thinking. 

Mott MacDonald is a leading engineering, management and development professional consultancy firm and one of the world's largest employee-owned companies. We're here because we support, empower and trust brilliant people to take on tomorrow's biggest challenges.

Our purpose is to improve society in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities. A fundamental part of this is respecting each person’s differences and striving to meet their needs.

Our values: Progress, Respect, Integrity, Drive, Excellence.

About the role

You will be a part of our well respected and valued APNA (Asia Pacific New Zealand and Australia) Legal team involved in multiple different territories, covering established jurisdictions such as Singapore, Hong Kong/Greater China, New Zealand and Australia. The majority of your duties will be for Australia.

The successful candidate will have circa. 2-5 years of experience gained through private practice and/or in-house, preferably with a focus on corporate, commercial and construction law. You will have the opportunity to gain experience in a wide variety of legal disciplines including, contract law, commercial and corporate law, construction and engineering law, dispute resolution and insurance law.

The location of the role is Melbourne, Australia, but you will be involved with projects across Australia, and Asia as needed.

You will have excellent drafting, communication, collaboration and negotiation skills. You will be a person who can manage your own workload and be self-reliant and a self-starter. You must be equipped with excellent teamworking and interpersonal skills, as you’ll be providing advice to staff and working with clients and key stakeholders on significant projects that shape communities.

Job Description

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including design consultancy agreements, subconsultancy agreements, joint venture agreements and framework agreements.
• Review and identify compliance or departures against Mott MacDonald’s governance requirements and assist project teams with procuring the necessary internal approvals.
• Confidently advise business on applicable laws, jurisdictions and regulations.
• Revise and maintain legal templates and guidance on the companies intranet website for use across the business, ensuring they reflect current best practice and legislation.
• Draft and update legal guidance to raise awareness of contemporary legal issues and new laws and regulations.
• Advise business on litigation and insurance matters, which may include liaising with external legal counsel and technical experts.
• Assisting all members of the APNA regional Legal team.
• Support other parts of the Legal Department including those located outside APNA, such as the Ethics & Compliance, Data Protection and Company Secretary teams.

Candidate Specification

• Qualified lawyer with 2-5 years PQE and holding or eligible to apply for an Australian Practicing Certificate.
• Relevant experience either in private practice or in-house.
• Good practical experience in the application of legal concepts and commercial law.
• Good analytical skills.
• Ability to multitask, problem solve, and balance competing priorities.
• Ability to confidently communicate effectively and confidently with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to work autonomously or as part of a bigger team and with drive.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Our benefits package is designed to enhance your experience:

• Agile working environment, supporting our people to work flexibly
• Life, personal accident, and salary continuance insurance
• Employee resource groups including social clubs, and Inclusive Network for Women
• Annual health checks
• Professional development