Job Description

Legal Counsel

Department: Legal

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: London

Reporting To: Ian Mathew

We are looking for an exceptional junior shipping/commodities lawyer to join the in-house legal team at Peninsula, a global marine energy business.

Based in London, the successful candidate will focus on Peninsula’s core business areas of marine energy supply, cargo purchasing and trading, vessel ownership, chartering and fleet management. You will work closely with various stakeholders across the business including Senior Management, traders, shipping, credit, operations and finance teams, who are based in London and in our offices around the world. Working with a high degree of autonomy, you will be drafting and negotiating agreements, structuring transactions, advising the business on ‘real time’ legal issues, and overseeing disputes, within an increasingly complex regulatory and compliance framework in the shipping and trading world.
The role is fast-paced, complex and demanding. The successful candidate will be able to combine first class legal analysis with sound commercial acumen. You will be an excellent communicator, be able to build solid relationships with key stakeholders and will reflect Peninsula’s core values throughout your work.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Advising the commercial teams in Peninsula’s core business areas: marine energy supply; cargo purchasing and trading; vessel ownership, chartering and fleet management.
• Drafting and negotiating a wide variety of contracts including: general terms and conditions, supply agreements, and cargo sale/purchase contracts, across an increasing range of marine energy commodities (including LNG and alternative fuels); bareboat, time and voyage charterparties (for our owned and chartered fleet); and storage agreements.
• Advising on vessel ownership issues such as fleet insurance renewals, vessel registrations, ship management agreements and crewing issues.
• Advising on sanctions and compliance issues related to the core business areas.
• Advising on regulatory developments in shipping and marine energy.
• Advising on developments relating to Peninsula’s sustainability pillar, including LNG bunkering, alternative fuels, emissions trading and carbon neutral bunkering.
• Advising on and resolving significant claims and commercial disputes.
• Instructing and managing external counsel.
  
  

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Thorough training and practice in shipping and/or commodities law.
• Up to date legal knowledge of contracts and the regulatory landscape in the marine sector.
• First-rate legal analysis skills and the ability to understand new legal concepts quickly.
• Ability to give accurate and accessible legal advice in a fast-paced and entrepreneurial commercial environment.
• Ability to understand the commercial context of the issues you are advising on and the implications to the business.
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.
• Ability to build successful relationships with key stakeholders at all levels (both internally and externally).
• The highest standards of professional ethics and integrity.

Desirable

• Experience of advising an international marine business with stakeholders in various jurisdictions.
• Awareness of legal issues and risks in various key jurisdictions (other than England & Wales).
• Engaging presentation skills and experience of delivering training to non-lawyers.
• Demonstrable commercial knowledge of the core business areas.
• Good numeracy and Excel skills.
• Foreign language ability (particularly Spanish).

QUALIFICATIONS / ACCREDITATIONS

Essential

• English-qualified solicitor/barrister/foreign lawyer with relevant post qualification experience at a top City, International or Boutique Shipping/Commodities Law Firm.

Desirable

• In-house experience (secondment or permanent).
• Post-qualification courses in shipping, trading and/or commodities law.
• Relevant post-graduate qualification.