Solicitor

Cambridge Enterprise is looking for an experienced and dynamic Solicitor to work with their General Counsel to provide legal support to the Seed Funds team. If you want to use your legal training to contribute to society, this may be the role for you!

Cambridge Enterprise is the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge and is part of Europe’s most successful research and technology cluster. Our mission is to help University of Cambridge innovators, experts and entrepreneurs make their ideas and concepts more commercially successful for the benefit of society, the UK economy and the University.

Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds (CESF) is the venture investing arm of the University and sits at the heart of Cambridge Enterprise. We are responsible for finding, creating and funding spin-outs from the most exciting and innovative technology emerging from the University.

All our companies have the potential to change the world and make a difference. Our portfolio includes contains clean energy, sustainable materials, quantum computing, next generation batteries and optimisation software. The CESF team plays a vital part in translating the technology into commercial success and to date these spin-outs have gone on to raise more than £2bn from other investors.

This is a part-time role (0.8 FTE) based at the University’s West Cambridge site at the Hauser Forum and will ideally be office-based for 2-3 days per week (or more if preferred).

Full time salary is from £45,000 – £50,000 pro-rated, based on individual’s skills and experience.

This position will remain open until filled.

The Role:

As a Solicitor, you will work alongside the General Counsel Seed Funds to provide day-to-day support for the Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds (CESF) team on all matters of legal practice, delivering excellent quality legal advice across its portfolio of companies. This includes drafting, reviewing and negotiating terms for Investment Managers/Directors on investment documents, company resolutions and other legal matters. The role also includes managing post-deal legal matters such as Written Resolutions and ad hoc consent matters. At times, reviewing and redrafting of template legal documents for use and access by the Seed Funds team is needed. This role requires staying informed of changing market norms, relevant regulations, and laws applicable to investments and transactions with particular familiarity of the National Security and Investment Act and SEIS/EIS and some familiarity with EU and US standard practice (e.g., SAFEs).

The Solicitor will directly assist the General Counsel with numerous responsibilities including: negotiating transactions with other funders and portfolio companies, sometimes on behalf of the Investment Manager/Director; compliance, risk and legal issues affecting the team’s work; more complex legal matters such as company exits, fund administration or negotiations as necessary.

How you’ll contribute:

• Work with and support members of the Seed Funds team to complete a range of legal matters, through advising, drafting and negotiating investment documents and other transactions such as sales and exits
• Use their expertise to manage and mitigate legal risk while liaising with Seed Funds team on commercial imperatives
• Manage other portfolio company legal matters such as written resolutions and consent matters, and interactions with historical portfolio companies
• Assist the General Counsel in advising Head of Seed Funds and Deputy Head of Seed Funds on legal matters relating to fund administration
• Advise Seed Funds team on compliance, risk and legal issues affecting the team’s work
• Review and redraft template legal documents as needed
• Deliver relevant legal training to the Seed Funds team and more widely to CE and the founders of portfolio companies
• Assist the General Counsel in managing and maintaining relationships with the University Legal Services Office and external counsel, including Parkwalk and CIC.
• Maintain up to date files and databases in the agreed format
• Contribute new ideas to increase the success of Seed Funds
• Stay up to date with changes to legislation, particularly in relation to laws, rules and regulations that directly affect Seed Funds and any other duties as may be reasonably required 

Skills & experience:

• Strong legal experience
• 2 years’ or more post graduate experience in private corporate and company law
• Development, implementation, evaluation and delivery of multi-party legal documentation in a variety of legal situations with focus on business transactions
• Experience with venture capital, mergers and acquisition and private equity
• Track record of effective use of legal principles in a business setting with a needed commercial outcome
• Successful negotiation of legal agreements with various third parties
• Experience in AIM IPOs (and / or NASDAQ) and main market fundraising desirable
• Experience in university commercialisation at any stage; knowledge of University Licensing desirable
• Delivering decisive and credible advise in a variety of legal situations to a wide variety of stakeholders
• Understanding of the technology spin-out legal process; deep familiarity with full suite of venture investment documents
• Informed of changing market norms, regulations and laws pertaining to investment
• Knowledge of National Security and Investment Act, Enterprise Investment Scheme
• Knowledge of various ESOP schemes desirable
• Familiarity with US investment norms and instruments (e.g. SAFE) desirable
• Ability to multi-task and manage several simultaneous legal transactions / issues
• Strong ability to organise, prioritise and work flexibly on multiple projects
• Dynamic approach to legal problem solving being creative and entrepreneurial
• Effective communicator to non-legal professionals and high-profile academics
• Proficiency in Excel and working with Capitalisation Tables
• Confident Microsoft Office 365 user; familiarity with Dynamics365
• Good knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud or equivalent development suites

These are our ideal requirements, but we know some people are less likely to apply for the role unless they are 100% qualified. We promote a diverse, inclusive and empowering culture at Cambridge Enterprise, so please apply if you meet the majority of these competencies.

Benefits:

We offer exceptional benefits and invest greatly in our team’s happiness, wellbeing, and growth. We are proud to have won a Platinum Award for being one of the best employers in the Eastern Region.

Our benefits include:

• 30 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
• Generous University pension scheme with an employer contribution of 21.6% with 9.8% employee contribution
• Flexible working environment with the opportunity to work from abroad for up to 90 days per year for most roles
• Family friendly policies (including enhanced parental leave & childcare benefits, fertility leave, and pregnancy loss leave)
• Mental health & wellbeing support
• A commitment to personal development, including free access to LinkedIn Learning
• Retail & travel discount cards and schemes

This is alongside a modern office space on the West Cambridge site (home to a thriving academic and research and development community) and the chance to work in a vibrant team in one of the world’s leading Technology Transfer offices.

Equal Opportunities Statement:

Cambridge Enterprise is an equal opportunity employer and will strive to reduce unconscious bias throughout our hiring process. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran, neurodiversity status or disability status.

We endeavour to embrace diversity, and promote an inclusive environment for all employees, and actively work towards this with our EDI Working Group.

If you have any questions regarding the interview process, or if you need any reasonable adjustments to be made, please don’t hesitate to contact us at people@enterprise.cam.ac.uk. 

Apply now: