Join to apply for the Legal Counsel role at Markel

Looking for a role that will have a meaningful impact in the award‑winning Markel legal team? We are looking for an individual who will play a key role in a variety of work from negotiating and drafting commercial contracts; advising on corporate transactions or expansions into new territories; fending off or initiating a lawsuit; exploring novel areas of law and their business impact; or responding to major global events.

The Opportunity

We are a lean, actively engaged in‑house legal department supporting the International division of Markel in the UK, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Canada. Our lawyers come from highly regarded law firms or in‑house teams and are committed to excellent standards of work and client service. The team supports a wide range of corporate and business activities, focusing on high‑risk, high‑value areas where we can add strategic benefit, helping clients navigate challenges and enable opportunities. We work closely with underwriters, claims adjusters, directors and strategy and finance teams, sometimes alongside external legal advisers. We support and encourage ongoing development and training—legal, commercial and professional—and foster an inclusive, supportive environment where lawyers can grow and flourish. We aim to continuously improve processes and share learnings within the team and with the business, offering a hybrid work schedule and flexible arrangements to suit individual team members.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Support strategic corporate projects, including M&A.
• Review, negotiate and agree on commercial and insurance‑related contracts.
• Be open to learning about different areas of law as required and directly support a wide range of internal stakeholders.
• Act as the link between our business and external lawyers, in the UK and in jurisdictions around the world.
• Analyse the impact on the business of UK and international legislative and regulatory developments.

Our Must‑haves

• A UK legal qualification and legal experience in, or advising a regulated industry (insurance experience ideal but not essential).
• Drafting and negotiating experience with commercial contracts.
• Ability to support and deliver projects autonomously, taking initiative.
• Confidence in advising and communicating with key stakeholders, translating legal ideas to a real‑world context both verbally and in writing.
• Capability to manage a mixed portfolio of work, pivoting according to changing priorities.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Flexibility, pragmatism, problem‑solving attitude and willingness to work on a wide range of projects.

What’s in it for you?

• A competitive starting salary plus annual bonus and strong benefits package.
• 25 days paid holiday plus Bank Holidays, with the option to buy/sell extra leave.
• Comprehensive benefits covering pension, private medical and dental cover, life assurance, travel insurance, income protection, season ticket loan and more.
• Countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop your career with full support and resources.

Are you ready to play your part?

Choose ‘Apply Now’ to fill out our short application so we can learn more about you.

Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates seeking flexible working patterns.

We are an equal‑opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at rec@markel.com or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.

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