Job Description

Job Title Legal Counsel

Function Legal

Location Head Office, St Vincent Street, Glasgow. Hybrid working - 2 days per week in office.

Job Level: (Internal Reference Only) 5

Contract Full Time / Permanent - 35 hours per week

Role Reports to: Legal Manager

Date vacancy will close 11th September 2026. Where we receive high numbers of applications we may close vacancies early. If you think this is the right opportunity for you please don't delay in applying!

Who we are

Born in Glasgow, made in Scotland and enjoyed around the world. Whyte and Mackay is home to a collection of multi-award-winning global whisky brands led by The Dalmore, Fettercairn, Jura and Tamnavulin Our mission is to be a driving force in whisky, renowned for building brands that stand-out. Enabled by our brilliant community of 675 colleagues, reaching across 17 countries and counting. We're led by our values, continuing to grow and invest and looking for great talent to join our brilliant community. Ready to hear more?

What the opportunity looks like:

The Legal Counsel is an individual contributor who supports the Legal Manager in meeting the corporate governance and commercial legal needs of the business. The role provides practical legal advice across the organisation and is a key legal contact for Commercial, Marketing, HR and Procurement teams.

Regulatory Compliance

• Provide advice, guidance and training on the regulations and controls governing the manufacture, marketing and sale of Scotch Whisky.

• Support the Legal Manager in implementing, maintaining and improving day-to-day compliance and governance, with particular focus on GDPR and data privacy.

Business Partnering and External Relationships

• Guide and influence the business to implement legal best practice.

• Provide legal support and practical advice to HR, Brand, Sales, Production, Procurement, Finance and Logistics.

• Work with external legal and business advisers to secure specialist input for projects when required.

Commercial Contracts

• Draft, review and negotiate commercial contracts to support business activity.

• Translate legal requirements into clear, practical and commercially focused advice for internal stakeholders.

Global Trademark Management

• Support the appropriate management of the company’s trademark portfolio.

• Arrange applications for new trademarks in new territories.

• Help ensure brands are protected through appropriate trademark coverage across relevant jurisdictions.

Company Secretarial Support

• Draft board minutes accurately and in a timely manner.

• Upload required documents to Companies House for group companies

Skills and experience that will help you be a success:

For this role we're looking for:

• Qualified solicitor with the right to practise in Scotland and/or England and membership of a UK Law Society.

• Demonstrable experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts.

• Experience in an in-house legal department is preferred but not essential.

• Experience in one or more of the following areas is essential: intellectual property, employment law, data protection or corporate law.

• Strong organisation and time-management skills, with the ability to support the wider team.

• Effective communicator who can work credibly with stakeholders at all levels.

• Able to form a view, take ownership of issues and provide practical legal advice with professionalism.

• Committed to learning and development, with a constructive approach to process improvement.

We believe that everyone has the potential for growth in our roles! You may feel you don't tick every box for this role, but if you believe you have relevant experiences that could help you succeed we'd much rather you apply rather than rule yourself out based on any self-limiting beliefs!

Why join us:

We offer a competitive salary, bonus package, life assurance, competitive pension, excellent product allowance, 35 days annual leave, plus enhanced family friendly policies. Our Rewards & Benefits page has further information.

Our application process:

If you like what you’ve read and want to explore this opportunity further, please apply before the closing date listed at the top of the advert.

Our team read each and every application, therefore you'll hear back from us in due course.

Candidate guidance on the use of AI in the application and screening process can be found on our career site.

Should you require any adjustments to our recruitment process to help you be at your best then please contact us at HRTeam@whyteandmackay.com and we'll do what we can to support.