Legal Counsel, The Financial Times
3 month FTC
More information about location
Global business publication
Posted today
Global business publication
1001+ employees
Posted today
More information about location
1001+ employees
Company mission
The FT has an uncompromising mission: delivering independent, quality information, news and services to individuals and companies around the globe. It’s the cornerstone of our reputation and the heart of our ambitions for the future.
Role
Who you are
- Solicitor qualified in the UK
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Strong commercial contract drafting skills and legal knowledge, with a good understanding of copyright, licensing, indemnity and liability issues
- Demonstrates commercial awareness that takes strategic objectives into account
- Highly organised, flexible and with the ability to prioritise and keep colleagues and managers informed
- Can build effective relationships within the legal team and wider business
Desirable
- Previous in-house experience
- A forward-thinking approach to legal practice, with a strong interest in—or practical experience of—utilising advanced legal AI tools to design workflows and agentic solutions that improve efficiency
What the job involves
- The Financial Times is recruiting for maternity cover for one of the commercial contracts lawyer roles based at our office in Belfast, Northern Ireland OR based fully remotely anywhere in the UKThis is a three month fixed term maternity cover position, and we are looking for someone available for an immediate start
- This is a salaried position
- The FT’s highly regarded in-house legal team is based across offices in both London and Belfast
- The Belfast team currently comprises four commercial lawyers who report into a Senior Legal Counsel (also based in Belfast) and the FT’s deputy company secretary
- The Belfast legal team provides dedicated support to important business divisions within the Financial Times, including the FT corporate subscriptions and licensing business, the Financial Times Live global conferences and events business (http://www.ft-live.com), FT’s thought leadership business, FT Longitude, and the FT Specialist range of titles
- Advising the business on contracts with clients from a wide range of industries and jurisdictions
- Engaging directly in negotiating contract terms with external customers
- Providing highly responsive and commercial advice
- Managing contracts which are usually based on standard templates, but can be subject to extensive negotiation
- Understanding how the templates reflect the FT’s business model and updating templates as required to meet changing business needs and product developments
- Delivering training to business partners
- Using leading legal AI tools to develop and implement agentic solutions that streamline workflows and enhance the delivery of high-quality legal advice
Salary benchmarks
Our take
Founded in 1888, the FT has grown into one of the world's biggest online and broadsheet economics and business news providers. It has a strong focus on financial journalism and economic analysis, and provides this essential analysis to companies and individuals across the world.
As well as economics and business, the FT also offers sections on opinion, life and arts, how to spend, and more. In 2022, six of its writers won awards in science, data and investment categories, illustrating the breadth and quality of the FT’s journalism.
The company adapts well to changes in the market to maintain its readership. For example, it recently launched a digital hub and weekly newsletter called Cryptofinance to shine a light on the digital asset industry and how innovations are rippling into mainstream finance.
The FT Group employs more than 2,300 people worldwide, including 700 journalists in 40 countries. It includes the FT, FT Specialist, and a number of services and joint ventures. FT's focus on providing impartial, high-quality content has gained it a record-paying readership of over a million, three-quarters of which are digital subscriptions.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Company benefits
- A range of training courses as well as confidential career coaching and mentoring
- Flexibility - working from home, job sharing, compressed weeks, and flexible working hours
- Enhanced parental leave, flexible leave allowance and paid volunteer leave
- Pension contribution
- Local health coverage plans
- Gym memberships and healthcare schemes, professional counselling sessions, 24-hour employee wellbeing helpline, weekly meditation classes
- Financial wellbeing products and services
Company values
- Ambition
- Curiosity
- Integrity
- Trust
- Inclusion
- Subscriber focus
Company HQ
City of London, London, UK
Articles
Leadership
Jon Slade
(CEO)Jon Slade became CEO in July 2025 after 20+ years at the FT. A key leader in its digital shift, he’s driven growth, social impact, and sustainability across the business.
Roula Khalaf
(Editor)Following a degree at Columbia University and four years at Forbes, Khalaf joined the FT in 1995 as Associate Editor and Middle East Editor. Since January 2020, she has served as Editor.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at The Financial Times
Rukasana Bhaijee (Head of Diversity & Inclusion)
- D&I annual report
- Reporting pay gaps
- Next generation board
- Employee networks, including Proud FT, FT Embrace, FT Women, FT Families, FT Sustainability, FT Mental Health and FT Access,
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