Commercial Legal Counsel

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Company Description

McDonald’s has run its business in the UK since 1974 and currently operates over 1500 restaurants across the UK and Ireland, serving almost four million customers each day. McDonald’s is one of the UK’s largest private sector employers, employing over 170,000 people.

 

Hybrid Working
This role is based in our East Finchley office working 3 days in the office and 2 days remotely

 

Job Description

At McDonald’s UK & Ireland, we’re proud to serve almost four million customers every day - but what really keeps our business moving is the people behind the scenes. Our teams work together to bring great experiences to life and our Legal function plays a big part in helping the business grow with confidence. As our new Commercial Legal Counsel, you’ll be right at the heart of that work, helping colleagues across the organisation make smart, informed decisions.

You’ll join a friendly, collaborative Legal team that supports everything from digital innovation to marketing campaigns to supply chain partnerships. Reporting to the Managing Counsel, you’ll work closely with teams across the business, offering practical, down‑to‑earth legal advice that helps us move quickly while doing things the right way. This is a visible, impactful role with the opportunity to influence decisions across one of the UK & Ireland’s most iconic brands.

 

What You’ll Be Doing:

  • Drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements
  • Supporting the Marketing team with advice on campaigns, promotions, social media and CRM activity, and staying up to date with the latest advertising rules and guidance.
  • Working closely with our IT and Digital teams on SAAS agreements, MSAs and other tech‑focused projects.
  • Partnering with our Global IP colleagues on trademarks and broader IP matters.
  • Advising on data protection issues, including GDPR compliance for new projects, DSARs and contractual data protection clauses.
  • Providing practical, day‑to‑day advice across a wide range of commercial issues - from supply chain and marketing to employment, litigation, insurance, finance, tax and competition law.
  • Helping the business stay ahead of legal and regulatory changes by shaping policies, training and communication.
  • Contributing to cross‑functional project teams on strategic initiatives and risk management.

Qualifications

 

What You’ll Need:

  • A qualified solicitor (England & Wales or Australia/New Zealand/Commonwealth) with around 3-6 years’ PQE or equivalent experience.
  • Experienced in preparing, reviewing and negotiating a broad range of commercial contracts.
  • Prior in house or secondment experience is an advantage
  • Comfortable advising on digital marketing and advertising matters, with a good understanding of the regulatory landscape.
  • Familiar with ESG related legal issues and able to support the business as expectations and standards evolve.
  • Confident managing regulatory updates and helping colleagues understand what they mean in practice.

Additional Information

Company Vision and Culture…

Our Global vision is to build a better McDonald’s and in the UK and Ireland we are working hard to be the UK & Irelands best-loved restaurant company.

McDonald’s is defined by its culture. Our culture shapes and informs everything we think and everything we do. Our culture influences the way we interact with each other, and how we interact with customers, franchisees and suppliers. Our culture motivates and inspires us to attract and retain great talent, creating positive, energising, exceptional working environment for us all.

Our values drive our culture and shape our beliefs, our priorities and our actions. They influence the decisions we make, how we treat one another and how we show up as a brand to the world.

Serve: We put our customers and our people first
Inclusion: We open our doors to everyone
Integrity: We do the right thing
Community: We are good neighbours
Family: We get better together

At McDonald’s we are People from all Walks of Life... 

People are at the heart of everything we do, and they make the McDonald’s experience. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture that means people can be their best authentic self in our restaurants and offices, which helps us to better serve our customers. We have a strong heritage of diversity and representation within our communities, which we are proud of. The diversity of our people, customers, Franchisees and suppliers gives us strength.

We do not tolerate inequality, injustice or discrimination of any kind.  These are hugely important issues and a brand with our reach and relevance means we have a very meaningful role to play.

We also recognise our responsibility as a large employer to continue being active in our communities, helping to develop skills and drive aspirations that will help people to be more aware of the world of work and more successful within it, whether with McDonald’s or elsewhere.”

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