Legal Director (Head of Legal - Litigation & Recoveries)

Insolvency Litigation | Credit Enforcement | Specialist Lending Environment

The Context

An established and growing specialist finance business is seeking to appoint a senior legal professional to take ownership of litigation, recoveries and enforcement across a live lending portfolio.

The organisation operates in a fast-moving, commercially driven environment where legal decisions directly influence financial outcomes. It is not a business where legal operates at a distance. Instead, it sits at the centre of decision‑making, working alongside credit and finance to manage risk, protect asset value and resolve complex lending situations.

This appointment represents a key addition to the senior leadership structure, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer. The role has been deliberately defined with clarity of focus: to lead litigation, enforcement and recoveries with accountability for outcomes, not simply advice.

The Role

This is a role for a lawyer who is comfortable operating where legal judgement and commercial reality intersect.

You will take full ownership of insolvency litigation and dispute resolution across the portfolio, shaping and executing enforcement strategies in relation to borrower defaults, distressed exposures and recovery scenarios. External counsel will be engaged where appropriate, but responsibility for direction, pace and outcome will remain with you.

Alongside litigation, you will oversee the recoveries and collections function, ensuring that performance is actively managed and continuously improved. You will be expected to bring structure, discipline and commercial clarity to the way recoveries are approached, with a focus on achieving the best possible outcomes in the most efficient manner.

The role requires close engagement with internal stakeholders, particularly credit and finance, contributing directly to decision‑making in time‑sensitive and often complex situations. You will be expected to form clear views, provide decisive input and take responsibility for the consequences of those decisions.

This is not a purely advisory position. It is a role defined by ownership, accountability and delivery.

The Individual

You are likely to be a Partner, Legal Director or senior disputes lawyer within a regional or national law firm, with a strong grounding in insolvency litigation, restructuring or banking disputes. Alternatively, you may already be operating in‑house within a lending, credit or recoveries environment and are seeking a broader and more influential role.

You will have developed a reputation for sound judgement, the ability to navigate complex situations and a willingness to take responsibility for outcomes. You are commercially aware, pragmatic in your approach and comfortable operating without the safety net of purely advisory work.

You are motivated not only by technical excellence, but by the opportunity to apply that expertise in a way that has direct and visible impact.

This role will appeal to individuals who want to move closer to the commercial reality of the situations they are advising on, and who are prepared to take ownership of both decisions and results.

The Environment

The business is entrepreneurial, fast‑paced and outcome‑focused. Decisions are made quickly and accountability is clear. There is an expectation that senior individuals will engage directly, contribute meaningfully and operate with a high degree of autonomy.

For those coming from private practice, the role offers a shift away from billing targets and time recording, without sacrificing complexity or responsibility. For those already in‑house, it offers broader scope, greater ownership and closer proximity to strategic decision‑making.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to step into a role where legal expertise is not peripheral but central to the success of the business.

You will be responsible for shaping litigation strategy, influencing recoveries performance and contributing directly to commercial outcomes. Over time, there is scope for the role to evolve into a broader legal leadership position for an individual who demonstrates both capability and ambition.

The remuneration package reflects the seniority of the role and includes a base salary in the range of c£125,000 to £175,000 dependent on experience, together with bonus and long‑term incentive arrangements.

Applications

Applications and enquiries are invited on a strictly confidential basis.