Legal Counsel

About the Role

We are seeking a commercially astute Legal Counse l (circa 1–3 years’ PQE) to join our in-house legal team at a rapidly growing engineering consultancy operating across the Irish, UK and European markets. This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated lawyer to gain broad, hands-on exposure to a dynamic in-house environment supporting a business that is expanding both organically and through acquisition.

Responsibilities

Mergers & Acquisitions

As Legal Counsel you will support the Legal team and wider business on the full lifecycle of M&A transactions, from initial screening through to completion.

Assist with legal due diligence on acquisition targets, including reviewing corporate, commercial, employment and property records and preparing due diligence reports.

Help coordinate input from external advisers and other internal stakeholders (finance, tax, HR) during transactions.

Support post-acquisition integration, including onboarding of acquired entities into group policies, contracts and governance structures.

Help maintain group corporate structure charts and ensure entities remain in good standing and compliant with statutory obligations.

Compliance & Risk

Support the development, implementation and monitoring of group policies and compliance frameworks.

Help identify, assess and manage legal and contractual risk across the business.

Assist with training and awareness initiatives to embed good compliance practice across the organisation.

Commercial & Contract Support

Provide day-to-day commercial legal support to the business, including drafting, reviewing and negotiating a range of contracts.

Advise internal stakeholders on contractual and legal risk in a clear, practical and commercially focused manner.

Support the management of disputes and claims as they arise, liaising with external counsel where required.

Negotiate disputes and settlements under contracts as required

Develop and maintain strong relationships with clients and vendors, and act as the main point of contact for any contract-related queries

Support various strategic projects across the wider management and legal team

Provide training and guidance to internal teams on contract-related matters

Essential Requirements

Qualified Solicitor or Barrister in Ireland and/or the UK.

Circa 1–3 years' post-qualification experience gained in-house and/or in private practice.

Experience of, or strong exposure to, M&A, due diligence, corporate governance, compliance or commercial contracts.

Commercially astute, with the ability to translate legal risk into practical, business-focused advice.

Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to negotiate effectively, build relationships and communicate with stakeholders at all levels.

Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage a varied workload, competing priorities, and ability to succeed in a physically dispersed team.

High attention to detail and strong drafting and analytical skills.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

An accurate, pragmatic approach to advising the business

Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to develop and streamline processes and implement best practices

Desirable Requirements

Prior experience in, or exposure to, the engineering, construction or consultancy sector.

Experience working within a lean, in-house legal team supporting a growing business.

Additional information

For this position you can expect occasional travel up to 10% of the time

What We Can Offer You

Being part of ORS means more than just a job, it means joining a company that invests in you and your ambitions with transparency, structure and support.

We are delighted to offer a suite of benefits when you join ORS, which include:

Competitive salary

Performance-related bonus

Pension scheme with matching contributions

Remote-first hybrid model – use your home as a base and any of our office locations as you see fit

Work from abroad

Flexible working hours

Access to over 60 health disciplines through our Kara Connect Platform

Continuous Professional development (CPD) programme & funding

Paid maternity, paternity and fertility leave

Company and birthday annual leave days

Death in Service benefit

Tax saver - travel and bike to work

Culture, social, wellness and CPD committees

Talent Development Programmes

Access to leading career coach Gerry Duffy

About ORS

ORS is a world-class multidisciplinary building consultancy with more than 30 years of delivering technical excellence across the built environment. Our mission is simple but powerful: We endeavour to make the lives of our team, clients, partners and communities happier and better in the ways that really matter every single day.

Don’t just take our word for it! ORS has won numerous awards, recognising our Great Place to Work culture.

Awarded Consultancy Firm of the Year at the Irish Design & Build Awards 2026

Great Place to Work certified 27th Best Small & Medium Workplace in Europe 2026

Winner of the Workplace Excellence Awards Best Workplace for Remote & Distributed Teams 2026

Winner of the Workplace Excellence Awards HR Team of the Year 2026

Winner of the Workplace Excellence Awards Best Workplace for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 2026

Winner of the Engineering Consultancy of the Year at the Engineering Excellence Awards 2025

Winner of the Graduate Programme of the Year at the Engineering Excellence Awards 2025

Winner of the Best Company to Work For at the Irish Design & Build Awards 2024 & 2025

Winner of the Best People Development of the Year at the Engineering Excellence Awards 2024

Winner of the Recruitment & Retention Strategy at the Workplace Excellence Awards 2024

Great Place to Work certified consecutively since 2017

Top 3 Company Best Workplaces in the medium-sized category at the Great Place to Work awards 2025

Best Workplaces for Health & Wellbeing 2025 Great Place to Work

Engineers Ireland CPD Accreditation since 20217

Silver Accreditation through Investors in Diversity 2025

Winner of the Engineering Consultancy of the Year at the Engineering Excellence Awards 2025

Winner of the Graduate Programme of the Year at the Engineering Excellence Awards 2025

Winner of the Best Company to Work For at the Irish Design & Build Awards 2024 & 2025

Winner of the Best People Development of the Year at the Engineering Excellence Awards 2024

Winner of the Recruitment & Retention Strategy at the Workplace Excellence Awards 2024

Great Place to Work certified consecutively since 2017

Top 3 Company Best Workplaces in the medium-sized category at the Great Place to Work awards 2025

Best Workplaces for Health & Wellbeing 2025 Great Place to Work

Engineers Ireland CPD Accreditation since 20217

Awarded for Hybrid Way of Working at the 2022 Great Place to Work Awards

Silver Accreditation through Investors in Diversity 2025

ORS is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive company culture. We foster a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects and supports their individual strengths and experiences.