Senior Legal Counsel - Litigation

As Senior Legal Counsel (Litigation), you will play a key role in managing a wide range of complex and high-value disputes across the Tesco Group. These include High Court litigation, regulatory investigations, ESG-related claims, and commercial disputes, working closely with senior stakeholders across the business.

You will be responsible for:

Advising on civil litigation and pre-action disputes across Tesco’s diverse business areas.

Strategically partnering with business stakeholders (including Technology, Quality, Product, Distribution, and Tax) to provide confident, commercial advice—working with the business, not just for it.

Collaborating with key internal teams:

Group People Safety – advising on internal and regulatory investigations, enforcement actions by local authorities, and Coroners’ inquests.

Insurable Risk – providing strategic input on material cases such as Employers' Liability, Equality Act claims, and personal injury matters.

Customer Engagement Centres & Customer Service Specialists – supporting the resolution of complex, lower-value claims and complaints.

Group Communications – advising on press inquiries, public statements, and reputation management.

Supporting the wider Group Legal function as needed, including in areas such as Technology, ESG, IP, Product, and Group Security & Investigations.

Managing external law firms on substantive High Court litigation, significant People Safety matters, and complex smaller-scale claims.

Keeping the Head of Legal and stakeholders informed through horizon scanning, legal and industry updates, and proactive identification of litigation trends or concerns.

Delivering litigation-related training across the Group Legal team and broader business functions.

Enhancing and streamlining legal processes through the use of technology, automation, templates, process maps, and best-practice tools.

You will need:

3+ years’ post-qualification experience (PQE) gained at a leading law firm and/or in-house legal team.

A broad mix of litigation experience, which may include commercial, technology, supply chain, class action, ESG, or other complex disputes—ideally within a retail environment or advising retail clients.

Skilled at simplifying complex issues, seeing the bigger picture, and balancing legal risk with commercial priorities.

Eager to learn and adaptable—ready to upskill in new areas and build business knowledge quickly, with a cross-functional mindset.

Calm and efficient under pressure, with strong matter management and organisational skills.

What's in it for you:

We’re all about the little helps. That’s why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you – both in and out of work. Click Here to find out more!

Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary
Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
Private medical insurance
26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 years’ service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave
Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

About us:

Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is 'Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day'. Serving means more than a transactional relationship with our customers. It means acting as a responsible and sustainable business for all stakeholders, for the communities we are part of and for the planet.

We are proud to have an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. At Tesco, we not only celebrate diversity, but recognise the value and opportunity it brings. We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued, and make sure that all colleagues are given the same opportunities. We're a big business with diverse working patterns and many business areas which means that we can find something that works for you. Everyone is welcome at Tesco.

We have recently announced that we will be moving towards a more blended working week – combining office and remote working. Our offices will continue to be where we connect, collaborate and innovate. Please talk to us to about how this can work for you.

NOTE: Should you be successful in your application, your offer will be subject to and conditional upon you providing your bank account details on your agreed start date.

We're proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we're committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please visit https://www.tesco-careers.com/accessibility