Morenike Phillips

I am writing to apply for a Commercial Legal Counsel role. I am a Newly Qualified Solicitor currently working in-house as Legal Counsel at the National Physical Laboratory, where I advise on a broad range of commercial, research and technology agreements in a highly regulated and innovation-led environment. My experience has given me a strong foundation in contract drafting, negotiation, legal risk management and stakeholder partnering, and I am keen to bring that capability to a broader commercial legal counsel position.

In my current role, I support strategic partnerships and business-critical activity by drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of agreements, including framework, services, consultancy, confidentiality, collaboration and grant-funded contracts. I work closely with commercial, technical and intellectual property stakeholders to identify legal and commercial risks early, provide pragmatic advice and help the business move forward efficiently while protecting its legal, financial and reputational interests. I have also contributed to improving contract and governance processes to increase consistency and reduce delays, which has strengthened the overall effectiveness of legal support.

What attracts me to Commercial Legal Counsel roles is the opportunity to work closely with the business as a trusted adviser, supporting commercial objectives through clear, practical and solutions-focused legal advice. Alongside my commercial contracts experience, I bring exposure to intellectual property, data protection and regulatory matters, which allows me to assess issues in a rounded and commercially aware way. I would welcome the opportunity to contribute this combination of legal capability, sound judgment and collaborative approach within an in-house team.

• Independently advise on complex commercial and research agreements that support strategic partnerships, revenue-enabling activity and organisational growth.
• Supported the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property across innovation-led projects, helping secure long-term value from research and technology outputs.
• Improved legal and contracting processes to reduce negotiation delays, increase consistency and help the business move more efficiently from instruction to execution.
• Introduced data management improvements in a prior role that reduced administrative processing time by 50%, demonstrating early operational impact alongside legal capability.
• Built credibility with senior stakeholders by providing clear, commercially pragmatic advice that balances legal risk with operational priorities.

• University of Law (2016–2017) – LPC (Pass), Master of Laws (Merit)
• Hull University (2013–2016) – LLB Law (2:1)