Interim Head of Legal - Corporate / M&A

The Opportunity

We are working with a leading international financial services firm seeking an experienced Interim Head of Legal to provide senior-level legal support and leadership during a 12-month period of cover.

This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially astute lawyer with a strong corporate/M&A background to take ownership of the legal function, advise senior stakeholders and support the business on a broad range of transactional, corporate and commercial matters.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the day-to-day legal function, acting as the principal legal adviser to the business.

• Provide strategic and commercially focused legal advice to senior management and key stakeholders.

• Advise on corporate and M&A transactions, including acquisitions, disposals and strategic investments.

• Draft, review and negotiate complex transactional documentation, including SPAs, NDAs and other corporate agreements.

• Oversee legal due diligence, transaction structuring and execution.

• Advise on corporate governance, company law and wider commercial legal matters.

• Manage relationships with external legal advisers and coordinate specialist legal advice where required.

• Identify and manage legal, contractual and regulatory risks.

• Work closely with senior leadership to support commercial objectives and strategic initiatives.

Candidate Requirements

• Senior qualified lawyer with significant corporate/M&A experience.

• Strong background gained at a leading law firm, ideally complemented by in-house experience.

• Previous experience operating at Head of Legal, Deputy Head of Legal, Legal Director or senior legal counsel level.

• Proven ability to manage complex corporate transactions and provide independent legal advice.

• Experience within financial services, investment banking, private equity or a similarly transaction-focused environment would be advantageous.

• Excellent commercial judgement, leadership and stakeholder management skills.

• Comfortable operating autonomously and advising senior executives.

• Pragmatic, hands-on approach with the ability to manage competing priorities.

• Available for a 12-month contract.

The Ideal Candidate

An experienced senior corporate/M&A lawyer who can seamlessly step into a Head of Legal position, take ownership of legal matters and provide practical, commercially focused advice to senior stakeholders.

The successful candidate will be confident operating independently in a fast-paced, international environment and comfortable balancing strategic legal advice with hands-on transactional work.