This Dairy Legal Counsel job description sets out the main duties, qualifications, skills and measures of success for the role, which is also known as In-House Lawyer, Commercial Lawyer, Corporate Counsel or In-House Solicitor. Download it free as a Word or PDF template and adapt it for your own vacancy.
| Job title | Dairy Legal Counsel |
| Also known as | In-House Lawyer, Commercial Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, In-House Solicitor |
| Department | Finance, legal and corporate |
| Reports to | General Counsel |
| Direct reports | None |
What does a Dairy Legal Counsel do?
Provides practical legal advice across the commercial life of a dairy business. Drafts and negotiates customer, supplier and co-packing contracts, protects brands and intellectual property, and supports managers on employment, property and compliance matters.
Dairy Legal Counsel duties and responsibilities
Commercial contracts
- Draft, review and negotiate contracts with retail, food-service and ingredient customers
- Negotiate supplier contracts for packaging, ingredients, equipment, energy and services
- Prepare co-packing and toll manufacturing agreements covering quality, liability and recall
- Advise on liability, warranties, pricing mechanisms and termination rights
- Maintain contract templates and the contract register
Intellectual property and brands
- Manage trade mark filings, renewals and the brand portfolio
- Review packaging, labelling and marketing claims before launch
- Protect recipes, know-how and confidential information through agreements and controls
- Act against infringement and handle brand disputes with external counsel
Employment
- Advise on employment contracts, policies and restructuring
- Support HR on disciplinary, grievance and dismissal cases
- Handle employment claims with external counsel where needed
Property
- Advise on site and farm leases, purchases and disposals
- Manage rights of way, easements and utility agreements for sites
- Support planning and environmental matters linked to site property
Compliance support
- Deliver training on competition law, anti-bribery and data protection
- Review privacy notices, data sharing agreements and data subject requests
- Support internal investigations, audits and regulatory enquiries
- Keep the business informed of relevant legal changes
Dairy Legal Counsel qualifications and experience
Essential
- Qualified lawyer admitted to practise in a relevant jurisdiction
- Post-qualification experience in commercial law, in-house or in private practice
- Experience of drafting and negotiating supply and customer contracts
- Working knowledge of intellectual property, employment and property law
- Ability to give clear, practical advice to non-lawyers
Desirable
- In-house experience in food, dairy or consumer goods manufacturing
- Experience of co-packing or toll manufacturing agreements
- Knowledge of food labelling and marketing claims rules
- Experience of competition law compliance
Skills and attributes
- Drafting and negotiation
- Commercial awareness
- Clear communication
- Managing a busy caseload
- Attention to detail
- Building trust with internal clients
How success is measured
- Contract turnaround times against agreed service levels
- Contracts signed on approved terms, or with documented approval of departures
- Trade mark portfolio kept current with no lapsed rights
- Disputes resolved within budget
- Compliance training delivered to planned audiences
Working conditions and safety
Office-based, with some travel to sites and customers. Occasional urgent work outside normal hours, for example on recalls or time-critical deals.
- Lead by example on health, safety, food safety and animal welfare
- Uphold the code of conduct and all legal and compliance requirements
- Raise concerns and report incidents promptly
Dairy Legal Counsel interview questions
Use these questions to assess candidates for a Dairy Legal Counsel role. Each one includes what a good answer shows.
- What are the key clauses in a co-packing agreement for dairy products?
What a good answer shows: Covers specifications, food safety, intellectual property, capacity, pricing, liability, recall, insurance and termination. - How do you approach liability caps in a contract with a major retailer?
What a good answer shows: Understands the risk, seeks reasonable caps and exclusions, and escalates significant exposure for approval. - How do you protect a dairy brand when entering a new market?
What a good answer shows: Clears and registers trade marks early, checks local rules, and monitors and acts against infringement. - What do you check before approving marketing claims for a new product?
What a good answer shows: Checks claims are accurate, substantiated and lawful, including nutrition, health and sustainability claims. - Sales need a supplier contract signed today on the supplier's terms. What do you do?
What a good answer shows: Identifies key risks quickly, negotiates the critical points and records any accepted risk with proper approval. - A co-packer's product is recalled under your brand. How do you support the response?
What a good answer shows: Reviews contract rights and insurance, preserves evidence, supports communications and protects recovery claims. - How would you deliver competition law training to a sales team?
What a good answer shows: Uses practical examples on pricing and information sharing, and makes it easy to raise concerns. - A manager asks you to keep a possible compliance breach quiet. What do you do?
What a good answer shows: Explains that it must be reported, follows the policy and escalates to the General Counsel. - How do you manage competing priorities from several business teams?
What a good answer shows: Agrees priorities based on risk and value, communicates timescales clearly and escalates conflicts early. - How do you make legal advice easy for non-lawyers to act on?
What a good answer shows: Gives a clear answer, explains the risk in plain language and recommends a practical next step.
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Frequently asked questions
Provides practical legal advice across the commercial life of a dairy business. Drafts and negotiates customer, supplier and co-packing contracts, protects brands and intellectual property, and supports managers on employment, property and compliance matters.
Employers usually look for: qualified lawyer admitted to practise in a relevant jurisdiction; post-qualification experience in commercial law, in-house or in private practice; experience of drafting and negotiating supply and customer contracts.
A Dairy Legal Counsel usually reports to the General Counsel.
Yes. Download the free Word template, add your location, contract and salary details, and adapt the duties to your site. You can then advertise the role on Dairy Jobs.
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