Paralegal Jobs

Legal Counsel

These are exciting times for the charity, and we now have an excellent opportunity for a solution oriented and highly professional self-starter with outstanding diplomatic and interpersonal skills to join the busy Legal and Governance Department.

If you are a qualified Solicitor or Legal Executive in England & Wales, then apply today!

Position: In-House Legal Counsel

Location: Devon/hybrid (onsite attendance currently anticipated to be 1-2 days per week)

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week, 08.30-16.30, Monday-Friday

Salary: £52,000 per annum

Contract: 12-month fixed term contract starting as soon as possible

Closing date: 6 March 2025. We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised date and therefore encourage early submissions.

About the Role

As Legal Counsel, you will play a pivotal role in identifying, managing, and mitigating legal risks to protect the Charity’s interests and uphold its reputation. Working as part of A dedicated legal team, you will be responsible for delivering a high-quality legal service that supports the Charity’s strategic objectives and operational needs, providing expert legal advice and guidance across a wide range of matters, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and best practice.

Your principal duties and responsibilities will include: 

• Providing accurate, relevant and timely advice to internal clients across a broad range of legal topics

• Identifying and assessing legal risks across the Charity’s activities and developing effective strategies to mitigate them.

• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of legal agreements, including grant-funding agreements, research and collaboration agreements, Memorandums of Understanding and other bespoke contracts.

• Liaising closely with external law firms, maintain contract management processes to ensure strong control of costs, compliance and the provision of high-quality and cost-effective legal support. 

• Advising on governance matters, ensuring compliance with relevant laws, including health and safety, safeguarding, company law, and fundraising regulations.

• Keeping up to date with legal developments, identifying areas for improvement within the Charity.

• Supporting the development of more efficient legal processes and workflows to enhance operational effectiveness.

About You

You will be a qualified Solicitor or Legal Executive in England & Wales, with substantial post qualification experience in commercial / contract law, either in-house or with a reputable law firm.

You will also have:

• Strong business acumen with ability to assess and manage legal risk and offer commercial/practical advice.

• Strong technical legal skills, including research, analysis, and drafting.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively explain legal points and their impact on the Charity clearly and concisely to stakeholders. 

• Willingness to learn and step outside of your comfort zone regarding the type of legal work you carry out. 

What you get in return…

• Competitive pension.

• Life assurance.

• 31 days holiday (including Bank holidays), rising to 34 with each full year of service.

• Wellbeing team.

• Recorded Pilates classes.

• Long service awards.

• Healthshield plan

• Free parking.

• Subsidised restaurant and shop.

About the Organisation

The sanctuary is one of the UK’s largest international animal welfare charities, currently supporting projects in over 35 countries worldwide, working for a world where donkeys and mules live free from suffering and their contribution to humanity is fully valued.

The Charity is a Disability Confident Employer, committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people (children and adults) and expects all staff and volunteers to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to safer recruitment processes, including an application for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where required for the post.

You may also have experience in areas such as Solicitor, Legal Executive, Legal Counsel, Paralegal, Junior Solicitor, Junior Legal Executive, Junior Legal Counsel, Paralegal Lead, Legal Officer, Lead Solicitor, In House Solicitor, In House Legal Executive, In House Legal Counsel, In House Paralegal. #INDNFP

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation

Our charity

Campaign Against Antisemitism is the UK’s leading organisation fighting antisemitism, and we continue to break new ground through our litigation.

We have brought private prosecutions, judicial reviews, regulatory complaints, and actions for libel, and we were the complainant in the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party.

Having established the effectiveness of litigation in forcing action by the authorities and bringing antisemites to justice, we have now decided to increase the number of cases that we bring each year, especially in relation to antisemitism on campuses and online.

The opportunity

As our in-house General Counsel, you will be at the forefront of the fight against antisemitism. You will work to hold antisemites to account and force the authorities to fulfil their duty to protect British Jews.

This role is an important strategic hire for Campaign Against Antisemitism. The charity is committed to this senior management role and has secured long-term funding for it. You will report to the Chief Executive and work closely with our trustees directly.

This is an unparalleled opportunity to collaborate with some of the UK’s most renowned lawyers to change the way that racism is addressed in the UK, gain litigation experience across a broad range of disciplines, and work with major law firms and leading counsel to devise legal strategy.

Experience

You must have at least four years’ experience post-qualification as a solicitor or barrister in at least one of the fields below or with ample experience in litigation and working with senior legal teams:

• Crime, such as communications or public order;
• Regulatory law, such as professional conduct or charity law;
• Administrative law, such as judicial review;
• Defamation; or
• Equality and human rights.

It is fully understood that you will not be an expert in every area of law that our work involves, which is why you will work with our network of pro-bono legal experts and external counsel, who are counted amongst the very best in their professional specialisms. In areas of law that are not your specialism, you will be led by a specialist practitioner.

Nature of the work

The work will involve:

• Bringing private prosecutions against antisemites;
• Challenging the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) when it fails to prosecute antisemitic hate crime;
• Subjecting inadequate decisions by public bodies to judicial review;
• Submitting regulatory complaints and advising regulatory bodies;
• Bringing and defending defamation cases;
• Working with some of the most renowned lawyers in the country who assist us on a pro-bono basis and running our legal network;
• Advising victims of antisemitism;
• Drafting documents including correspondence, internal policies, particulars of claim, and witness statements; and
• Supervising compliance with charity and data protection laws, and assisting with employment and contract questions.

The team

To assist you in your work, you will have the support of:

• A full-time paralegal who reports to you, supporting you in case triage, case progression, drafting, internal compliance and contract management;
• A full-time Casework Manager who reports to you, with extensive experience in criminal casework, case triage, evidence management, and victim support;
• The specialised volunteers within our investigations and enforcement units, who are accustomed to preparing evidence and seeing cases through to their conclusion, often doggedly, over years through multiple appeals;
• Our pro-bono lawyers whose expertise is drawn from the full range of the fields above and who practise at the top of their specialisms;
• Access to legal databases and materials; and
• Operational, communications and administrative support from full-time colleagues working with you in our London office.

Your personal characteristics

You will be meticulously organised and precise, even under pressure, and operate with total discretion. Your work will require you to prioritise effectively, respond fast and think analytically. You will have excellent interpersonal skills and be comfortable working as part of a large and growing team. Above all, you will be passionate about fighting for equal treatment for Britain’s Jews.

Are you a skilled legal professional looking for a role where you can truly make a difference? As Legal Counsel at The King’s Trust, you’ll play a crucial role in ensuring compliance across the organisation while providing expert legal guidance on contracts, intellectual property, data protection, and charity law. Working closely with teams across the Trust, you’ll help manage legal risk, support key decision-making, and ensure our mission is delivered with integrity and confidence.

This is a dynamic and influential position where you’ll review and negotiate contracts, oversee regulatory compliance, and lead on legal policies that impact young people and the communities we serve. You’ll also mentor and develop a Legal Adviser, ensuring a high standard of legal support across the organisation.

If you’re a passionate legal expert with a strong background in commercial, charity, and data protection law, and you’re looking for a meaningful challenge, we’d love to hear from you.

Join us at The King’s Trust and be part of a team that empowers young people, champions best practices, and upholds the highest legal and ethical standards. Apply today to make your impact!

The King’s Trust is looking for a Deputy General Counsel to lead the Legal Team and be a key member of the senior leadership of the Safeguarding, Legal and Assurance Function, and Company Secretary of The King’s Trust Trading Limited. This role is a 12-month fixed term contract, and we would consider part time (4 days per week) for the right candidate.

You will be working closely with the General Counsel & Company Secretary and lead on complex, challenging and meaningful projects across The Trust. You will be a qualified solicitor with significant post qualification legal experience gained in house.

Proactive and solutions-focused, your excellent communication and interpersonal skills will enable you to build effective trusted relationships and influence at all levels, including the most senior. You will need to be well-versed in most areas of charity and commercial law, adept at providing legal advice and assistance and able to undertake company secretarial and legal compliance matters.

Flexible, you will be able to quickly expand your knowledge and experience in new areas of law and governance as part of a high performing team. In addition, your excellent planning and organisation skills will enable you to prioritise and multitask as you work at the heart of the organisation’s governance, improving processes and achieving positive change. You will lead the Legal Team (including the Data Protection Officer), responsible for managing their workload, their personal development and wellbeing. 

YESS is seeking a vibrant and engaging person with relevant leadership experience to take over as CEO, to consolidate and build on recent growth and maintain YESS’s reputation as a leading national employment law advice charity.

About Us

Your Employment Settlement Service (YESS) is a legal advice charity and a company limited by guarantee. Established in 2014, we provide free and affordable employment law advice to people and organisations who cannot source this elsewhere. We do not litigate; our focus is on maintaining working relationships where possible or reaching negotiated agreements where it is not. We are approachable, collaborative, and constructive. Aggressive or adversarial styles have no place at YESS.

As well as advice work, we also have a growing mediation practice. We contribute to many working groups and panels to represent the needs of lower paid and vulnerable workers in the development of legal advice provision and employment law.

Typically, 10-20% of our work is grant funded, benefiting clients on low or no income (although this is currently under 10%). A small amount comes from donations. The remainder comes from paying clients.

The Role

As CEO, you will lead our dedicated team of lawyers and support staff, oversee the delivery of our strategic goals, and act as the public face of the charity. You will work with and advise the Board of Trustees, in relation to YESS’s activities, performance and strategic direction. You will raise awareness of our approach and activities, to bring in new work and funding, and contribute to the public discourse on employment relations and employment law.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery of YESS’s charitable objects particularly the delivery of free and affordable advice services to lower paid and vulnerable individuals.
• Provide leadership to a small hybrid-working team, ensuring effective working supported by appropriate resources and supervision.
• Maintain and develop sources of revenue-generating legal work.
• Identify and secure funding from trusts, foundations, and donors.
• Strategically manage YESS’s finances.
• Ensure processes are in place for the effective engagement, motivation, performance management and support of staff, consultants, and volunteers.

About You

We are looking for someone who is experienced in the delivery of legal advice services with strong leadership experience, ideally gained in the charity sector. You may be a currently practising employment lawyer, but this is not imperative as no client work is required.

Essential attributes:

• Experience in the delivery of revenue-generating employment legal advice services gained in charity and/or private practice settings (in the capacity as either a qualified lawyer or as someone who has managed/directed qualified lawyers in the delivery of such advice).
• Commitment to YESS’s fundamental principle of resolving workplace disputes without litigation.
• Experience of leadership and strategy development.
• Excellent at relationship-building and communication, with proven networking skills.
• A desire to spread awareness of YESS’s work and influence policy development in employment relations and employment law.
• Experience in organisational growth and change management.
• Understanding of finance including budgets and cashflow.
• Commitment to implementing technology to make the most of YESS’s limited resources.

Desirable attributes:

• Fundraising and donor management experience
• Administration of grants and evaluating project outcomes
• Understanding of charity finance
• Understanding of finance in a legal services context, including work in progress, utilisation and lock up.
• Experience of working with trustees or other volunteer governance roles
• Experience of leading/managing staff remotely

What We Offer

• Salary: £65,000 per annum (pro-rata for part-time). Discretionary bonus dependent on organisational performance. 
• 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays (pro rata for part-time)
• Home working with flexibility of office attendance
• Pension contribution
• A supportive, inclusive work culture that values flexibility and work-life balance

If you are ready to lead a dedicated charity that is making a real difference to people with problems at work, we would love to hear from you.

A full digital information pack is available on request or by beginning an application via this site. 

An informal and confidential conversation about this position with the current CEO, Karen Teago, is encouraged before applying. Please contact us in confidence to arrange this, giving a selection of your available dates/times to speak.

Application format: CV and covering letter (letter no more than 3 pages)

Closing date for applications: 28th March 2025

Interviews: First interviews are likely to be offered in the week of 7th April with second stage assessment to be arranged thereafter.