Legal Counsel
THE ROLE
Legal Counsel
We're seeking a Legal Counsel to join as the second lawyer in our International legal team, helping to scale Quince's presence across the UK and EU and shape how the legal function supports our international business. You'll own matters and projects end-to-end and support the full scope of the business, including commercial contracting, employment, logistics, IP, data protection and product compliance.
This is a high-autonomy, foundational role for someone who is comfortable with ambiguity, makes sound judgments without established playbooks, and takes ownership from day one. You'll work directly with leaders and cross-functional partners across product, engineering, operations, HR, logistics, marketing, merchandising and customer service to launch and scale our UK and EU presence, build practical legal processes from scratch, and move priorities forward with a bias for action.
Critical to this role: you'll be hands-on, doing legal work directly rather than delegating to external counsel. You'll manage external relationships pragmatically, balancing specialist advice with cost efficiency. You'll say 'yes, and here's how' more often than 'no' - while protecting the business from material legal risk.
Responsibilities
Generalist Legal
Legal contact for UK and EU-based teams and issues
Provide strategic and day-to-day counsel across a range of commercial, regulatory, and operational matters
Key focus on scaling the UK business to new EU markets
Escalate material legal issues to the Legal Director; own resolution of day-to-day matters independently
Horizon scanning for relevant UK and EU legislative updates
Employment
Work with People Director to build UK and EU playbooks and policies.
Support Legal and People Directors with onboarding, terminations, restructures, and performance issues across multiple jurisdictions
Support the Legal Director with employee-related inquiries, compliance and team growth in UK and planned EU offices
Help maintain awareness of emerging employment law changes in UK and target EU markets
Data Privacy & Consumer Protection
Advise on UK and EU GDPR, including data subject rights, transfer mechanisms (SCCs, adequacy decisions), and cookie compliance
Advise on marketing practices, pricing strategies, sustainability claims, and consumer protection regulation (e.g., CMA, ASA guidelines)
Collaborate on privacy policies, terms of service, and consent flows
Assist Legal Director with interactions with UK and EU regulators and support handling of data subject access requests and breach notifications
Ensure product claims, environmental claims, and sizing/sustainability representations comply with UK/EU standards
Technology, AI & Digital Innovation
Advise on AI governance, responsible AI frameworks, and bias/fairness considerations in product and marketing
Support the procurement and deployment of AI and machine-learning tools; flag legal and compliance risks
Review technology platform contracts, including SaaS, APIs, cloud infrastructure, and third-party data services
Keep the business informed on emerging technology regulation, including the EU AI Act, and UK AI frameworks
Advise on intellectual property ownership and licensing of AI-generated content and outputs
Commercial, Compliance & Operations
Draft, review, and negotiate vendor contracts, logistics agreements, SaaS licenses, and supplier agreements end-to-end
Provide legal support for fulfillment operations, including 3PL, warehouse, and distribution arrangements
Manage external counsel relationships efficiently; handle simpler matters in-house to control costs
Ensure compliance with product labeling, environmental standards (e.g., plastic packaging, textiles regulations), and trade regulations and monitoring of compliance thresholds as operations scale.
Support supplier compliance and ethical sourcing (labor practices, ESG commitments)
Intellectual Property & Brand
Advise on UK and EU trademark registration, protection, and enforcement strategy
Support IP ownership documentation for software, designs, and AI-generated assets
Assist with monitoring and responding to IP infringement and counterfeiting issues
Work with operations and product teams on trade mark compliance in packaging and marketing
Risk & Governance
Assist the Legal Director with pre-litigation matters, disputes, and inquiries
Liaise with outside counsel on specialist matters (IP litigation, regulatory defense); manage costs
Establish and maintain risk register for UK/EU operations; flag emerging legal and regulatory risks
Qualifications
Required:
UK-qualified solicitor with 5+ years PQE (post-qualification experience)
Strong generalist background, ideally with top-tier law firm training and in-house experience at a high-growth, technology-led or retail company
Demonstrated ability to deliver pragmatic, commercial legal advice and operate independently with minimal supervision
Proven track record of owning legal projects end-to-end and building legal processes and frameworks from scratch
Comfortable working cross-functionally with business stakeholders, non-legal teams, and distributed teams
Proactive, business-minded, and hands-on with a strong bias toward execution and clarity
Ability to manage a high volume of work independently, prioritize effectively, and make sound legal judgments with incomplete information
Commercial pragmatism and comfort operating in a fast-paced, high-growth environment without established playbooks
Confidence using AI tools and incorporating AI to increase efficiencies in legal team delivery
Preferred:
Experience with product liability, environmental regulations (textiles, packaging), or ESG compliance
Experience advising on AI governance, responsible AI, or machine learning deployment and familiarity with the EU AI Act, UK pro-innovation AI regulation, and Digital Markets Act
Experience supporting EU expansion and advising on multi-jurisdictional compliance