Legal Counsel

Adarga Ltd; City of London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Defence Tech company is seeking a talented Legal Counsel to maintain their legal function and support growth. The candidate should have over 5 years of experience in house or private practice and ideally in sectors like AI or Defence. Key responsibilities include managing commercial legal responsibilities, providing advice, and drafting agreements. This role is located in London and is a contract position.

Qualifications

• Proven experience either in-house or in private practice.
• Experience in technology, software, AI or Defence sectors is desirable.
• Ability to manage and prioritise competing stakeholder demands.

Responsibilities

• Managing general commercial legal responsibilities.
• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Advising on legal issues and risks in employment law, IP and privacy.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Ability to work independently

Commercial approach

Enthusiasm for new challenges

Education

Qualified solicitor/lawyer (5+ PQE)

Job description

About Adarga

Adarga is the UK’s only sovereign Defence Tech company specialising in applied AI solutions across intelligence, operations and planning. In an era of information overload, our technology enables mission partners to act with speed, clarity and confidence. By unlocking the value of data, we help them make better decisions that deliver mission‑critical outcomes.

Our team blends domain specialists and technologists, a mix we believe is essential to building AI that is both cutting‑edge and operationally relevant. With foundations in NLP, computational linguistics and graph technology, we now draw on the latest ideas in generative AI and knowledge representation to define and build the next era of sovereign AI capability for Defence and National Security.

To work at Adarga you must care deeply about the mission. We exist to support those with the ultimate task: upholding the liberties and values that define our society. In today’s contested, multipolar world, this cannot be taken for granted.

We want people who thrive in dynamic environments, who want to own decisions, who want to drive a vision. If that is you, get in touch!

The Role

Adarga is operating at the cutting edge of the AI revolution, tackling legal and regulatory questions that are often untested and shaping the future of AI policy and governance. We are seeking a talented Legal Counsel with a strong commercial background to maintain Adarga’s legal function and play a pivotal role in supporting our mission and growth.

The successful candidate will work closely with all areas of the business and will play a key role in supporting Adarga’s growth. You will work on a broad range of projects across multiple jurisdictions, manage a varied workload, and operate with a high degree of independence and ownership, demonstrating a proactive mindset and great critical judgement.

We are looking for someone who will be a trusted adviser to our colleagues, providing pragmatic advice and finding creative solutions to problems. You will work closely with senior leadership and external advisors, ensuring Adarga’s legal strategy aligns with our business goals. This position is based in London at our Temple office.

What will you be doing?

• Managing Adarga’s general commercial legal responsibilities.
• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements.
• Advising on legal issues and risks in areas such as employment law, IP and privacy.
• Advising on special projects as needed, such as new product developments, fundraising and M&A.
• Providing training to employees on relevant legal issues.
• Reviewing and implementing company policies and procedures.
• Producing and/or maintaining standard agreements.
• Conducting research on various multi‑jurisdictional legal issues.
• Contributing to legal team operational initiatives including process improvement and development of best practices.
• Supporting our CFO with some Company Secretary responsibilities.

What do you need?

• Qualified solicitor/lawyer (5+ PQE) with strong post‑qualification experience either in‑house or in private practice.
• Experience in technology, software, AI or Defence sectors is desirable but not essential.
• Experience working in a start‑up or other fast‑paced and dynamic environment is desirable but not essential.
• Ability to work independently and autonomously as well as collaboratively as required.
• Commercial and pragmatic approach.
• Ability to manage and prioritise matters and competing stakeholder demands.
• Enthusiasm for new challenges and upskilling in different areas of law.
• Strong communication skills.

Employment Details

• Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level
• Employment type: Contract
• Job function: Legal
• Industries: Law Practice