Legal Manager
- Recruiter
- Good Law Project
- Location
- London (Greater) (GB)
- Posted
- 04 Oct 2021
- Closes
- 01 Nov 2021
- Vacancy Type
- Solicitors, Barristers
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
- Practice Areas
- Litigation/Dispute Resolution
- Experience Level
- Mid Level
We defend, define and change the law to protect the environment, uphold democracy, and ensure no one is left behind.
Legal Manager
Deadline for applications: midnight 18 October 2021
About Good Law Project
Good Law Project’s mission is to achieve change through the law. We defend, define and change the law to protect the environment, uphold democracy and ensure no one is left behind. We hold Government and others to account through challenges in the Courts. We are a small and young organisation, but we have been expanding quickly, with increasingly prominent and successful legal cases: we had a primary role in overturning the prorogation of Parliament two years ago and have more recently been shining a bright light on Government’s award of pandemic contracts and jobs to their friends and associates. We raise funds directly from the public for our work, and operate on a not for profit basis. We are brave, honest and decisive – those are Good Law Project’s values.
Our website sets out more about what we do: https://goodlawproject.org/ We are committed to holding Government and other powerful actors to account and to tackling issues of injustice, inequality and discrimination experienced by some of the most marginalised groups in our society.
We are now looking for a Legal Manager to ensure that the legal and campaigning objectives of Good Law Project are met by the lawyers we instruct. You will support the Legal Director in developing and managing Good Law Project’s litigation portfolio and liaising with the Good Law Project team to build successful campaigns around those legal cases. You will also instruct lawyers on non-contentious matters.
You will not need to be a lawyer in practice but you will need to be a qualified and experienced barrister or solicitor, ideally with experience of strategic litigation. This position forms part of the “client” side of the legal team so your work will be informed by, rather than consist of, your experience as a practising lawyer.
You will report to our Legal Director and will have some paralegal and administrative support. You can read the full job description and person specification below, and you can see how the role fits into the current Good Law Project team at the end of this application information.
Salary: £50,000 per annum with generous benefits
Hours: 35 hours per week, over 5 days
Contract type: permanent, after completion of 3 months’ probation
Location: Hybrid office in central London (subject to any COVID-19 restrictions) with options for flexibility.
Essential experience and attributes
● Qualified and experienced solicitor or barrister
● A demonstrable ability to grasp quickly new concepts and areas of the law with an openness to learning new approaches, topics and skills;
● Support Good Law Project’s values and demonstrate commitment to its areas of work Desirable:
● Experience and understanding of strategic litigation and using the law as a campaign tool
To apply, please send us one 3-page document consisting of your CV (max one page) with a covering letter of no more than two pages outlining why you are interested in the role, and how you meet the requirements, together with the details of two referees to jobs@goodlawproject.org, with the subject line “Legal Manager”.
Deadline for applications: midnight 18 October 2021
We intend to hold interviews via Zoom between 4 - 9 November 2021, with specific dates/times to be confirmed.
We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, LGBT or relationship status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex or social class. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from ethnic minorities and/or those with lived experience of disadvantage.
The role is advertised as “full-time” however we are happy to discuss and explore flexible options and job share arrangements.
Good Law Project
Job Description and Person Specification
Job title: Legal Manager
Job Purpose: to ensure that the legal and campaigning objectives of Good Law Project are met by the lawyers we instruct. You will support the Legal Director in developing and managing Good Law Project’s litigation portfolio and liaising with the Good Law Projectteam to build successful campaigns around those legal cases.
Reports to: Legal Director
Responsible for: no-one formally at present, though management of one or more members of the legal team may follow
1. Duties and key responsibilities
● Manage external legal teams and provide ongoing instructions on allocated cases
● Liaise with campaign team internally to help manage timing and content on communications and fundraising
● Identify and work with colleagues and partner organisations to achieve shared goals through strategic litigation or legislative change
● Supervise the work of paralegals or administrative assistants who may be supporting you with tasks
● Instruct lawyers on non-contentious matters
2. General Responsibilities
● Be flexible and carry out other associated duties as may arise, develop or reasonably be assigned in line with the broad remit of the position
● Actively support and embed Good Law Project’s values and its positive culture in your professional practice at all times
● Abide by all organisational policies, codes of conduct and practices and legal requirements
● Support and promote inclusion, diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace
● Treat with confidentiality any personal, private or sensitive information about individual organisations, clients, donors and supporters, staff and projects
Person Specification
3. Experience
Essential:
● Qualified solicitor or barrister
● Experience of practising or working with the law in England and Wales, Scotland and/or Northern Ireland
● A good understanding of strategic litigation and using the law as a campaign tool
● Experience in managing a wide-ranging and extensive caseload or matters
Desirable:
● Practical experience with strategic litigation and using the law as a campaign tool
● Experience in instructing counsel and other lawyers in outsourced arrangements
● Experience in leading and managing junior members of staff
4. Skills and Abilities
● Commitment to a high standard of professional behaviours, including collaboration, honesty and integrity
● Strong creative and critical analytical skills, and an ability to grasp quickly new concepts and areas of the law with an openness to learning new ideas
● Confident working with and assimilating complex technical, commercial, political, and legal material
● Self-motivated with ability to work unsupervised, but can also work cooperatively as part of a team
● Accurate and thorough, with attention to detail
● Flexibility and adaptability in attitude and approach to work, with a willingness to ‘muck in’ and support the team with whatever might arise, working towards a common objective
● Strong spoken and written communication skills which engage colleagues and stakeholders, encouraging understanding and participation
● Self-confident and able to take initiative in areas of responsibility
● Ability to manage multiple demands while consistently meeting deadlines
● IT skills in core business applications and in the use of case management systems
● Strong interpersonal skills e.g. approachable and able to demonstrate empathy while being clear about boundaries and organisational requirements
● Ability to problem-solve difficult situations and deal with them calmly and effectively ● Willingness to innovate and seek ways to improve casework and wider organisational systems and procedures
5. Knowledge Legal
5
● Knowledge of public law and other fields relevant to Good Law Project’s work
● Knowledge of UK political landscape
6. Education/Training/Qualifications
Qualification as a solicitor or barrister
7. Other Requirements
● Commitment to the core values and ethos of the Good Law Project – see below
● Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities and an ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work
● Interested and motivated to further own skills and knowledge Our values Brave:
● We are brave and we are bold
● We are fearless of those we take on and the issues we confront
● We challenge injustice where we see it, even if the odds are stacked against us
● We take strategic risks and are open to the possibility of failure
● We challenge each other when it’s in the best interests of Good Law Project, even if it’s uncomfortable
● As employees we step into more responsibility outside of our comfort zone Honest:
● We are honest, open and trustworthy
● We default to transparency both internally and externally
● We proactively share information
● We hold our hands up if we get something wrong
● We are candid about our successes and about our failures. Decisive:
● We are decisive, nimble and responsive
● We are responsive to the changing world
● We take decisive action to turn ideas into reality
● As individuals, we are flexible to the needs of the organisation
● We balance processes and outcomes, recognising that good processes are more likely to deliver good outcomes
Similar jobs
-
New
-
New
-
New