In House Counsel

About the role

We’re looking for an In House Counsel to support the General Counsel in delivering high‑quality, timely and commercially focused legal services to our UK business operating at scale in a fast‑paced, margin‑sensitive environment. The position focuses predominantly on litigation, contracts (including retail and wholesale supply), compliance, regulatory (GDPR, AML, Sanctions, ECCTA) and dispute resolution. The role will involve working closely with the operations, H&S, trading, IT, human resources, marketing, and finance teams to structure, negotiate and deliver robust contracts, manage legal and regulatory risk, and support profitable growth. The work will be varied so we’re looking for someone who is comfortable operating outside narrow specialisms and flexing to the needs of the business.

About Bestway

Bestway Group is a diversified multinational family owned business with annualised turnover in excess of £4.5 billion.  Starting off as a chain of retail convenience stores, the Group has grown to become a diversified multinational business with interests across the wholesale, pharmacy, real estate, cement and banking sectors.  The Group is also the largest overseas investor in Pakistan. 

Owned by the Pervez, Choudrey and Sheikh families, Bestway Group was founded in 1976 by Sir Anwar Pervez OBE H Pk, who remains Chairman.  Serving over 12 million customers and employing over 28,000 individuals, the Group supports and serves communities through its operations across the UK, Pakistan and the Middle East

Responsibilities:

• Drafting, negotiating and advising colleagues on commercial contracts
• Managing a portfolio of commercial and retail and wholesale supply disputes and debt recovery claims
• Drafting and negotiating settlement agreements, waivers and releases, and advising on litigation strategy, litigation risk, proportionality and cost/benefit
• Supporting internal investigations into incidents, complaints, and coordinating document preservation, evidence gathering and internal reporting
• Advising on data protection and privacy issues and supporting compliance with UK GDPR and relevant guidance
• Assisting with compliance matters including in competition law, AML, Sanctions, and ECCTA fields

The Ideal Candidate:

• Qualified solicitor in England & Wales with around 5 years’ post‑qualification experience in commercial law, gained in private practice and/or in‑house.
• Demonstrable experience of managing or co‑managing commercial disputes and litigation.
• Excellent drafting and analytical skills, with an eye for detail and an ability to simplify complex legal issues into clear, actionable guidance.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to build trusted relationships with senior commercial leaders.
• Ability to take matters falling outside of their comfort zone and learn from it.
• Ability to operate effectively, triaging and prioritising workload and delivering clear advice at speed to non‑lawyers.
• Commercially minded and solutions‑focused, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Resilient and adaptable.
• Collaborative team player who builds strong relationships across functions and is willing to “roll up sleeves” to support colleagues during peak trading periods or key projects.
• High levels of integrity with sound judgement on when to escalate issues.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Pension
• 22 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Onsite parking

We understand that no applicant ever ticks every box so please do consider applying should some or most of the above apply.  Bestway Group is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity and inclusion. We welcome people of different nationalities, backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. We want strong, and diverse teams built from talented individuals with different backgrounds identities and experiences.

If this is of interest to you and you would like to learn more, please do get in touch, we are looking forward to hearing from you.