Location: United Kingdom - Candidates can work remotely with occasional travel to the office
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-Time or Part-Time Pro Rata (5 or 4 days per week)
The Role
FILE is seeking a Lead Lawyer to support our strategy and grants teams in assessing the opportunities and risks associated with funding partners that may be involved with litigation.
You will provide expert legal guidance internally, help shape FILE’s policies and processes, and act as a trusted advisor to colleagues making decisions about funding partners that may be engaged in litigation, with consideration of justice, equity and inclusion in how risks and opportunities are assessed. While FILE is not – and you will not be – actively or directly involved in litigation, your strategic insights will ensure FILE’s grant‑making is responsible, effective, and aligned with our mission.
You will also contribute to shaping FILE’s policies and processes in this area and act as a trusted advisor to colleagues across the organisation. In addition, you will engage with external partners to support broader sector understanding within philanthropy of funding partners that may be engaged in litigation.
You will be supervised by the Regional Director (North America & Transnational Finance), however, your work will be global in scope and as such, you will have close working relationships with key colleagues across departments and geographies.
Key Responsibilities
* Providing clear, practical legal advice and strategic guidance to colleagues on opportunities, processes, and risks associated with funding partners engaged in litigation, including considering partners’ potential exposure to adverse costs and broader justice and equity implications
* Acting as a trusted sounding board to colleagues considering funding partners’ litigation‑related work, to enable high‑quality decision‑making on relevant grants
* Contributing to the effective design and implementation of FILE’s policies and processes for managing risks associated with funding partners that may be engaged in litigation
* Supporting colleagues to apply these policies consistently and confidently in practice
* Building internal capability through training and guidance about risk and opportunities related to funding partners that may be engaged in litigation
* Working collaboratively and inclusively with colleagues across departments who bring diverse perspectives and complementary expertise, including from FILE’s legal, strategy and grants functions
* Supporting the development of sector‑wide thinking within philanthropy about funding partners that may be engaged in litigation
About You
We know that long lists of criteria can be discouraging and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they meet all of the criteria. If you feel you meet at least some of the essential criteria, we still encourage you to apply.
We also recognise that skills and experience can be gained in unexpected places, so we welcome applications from candidates who feel they have relevant skills for the role, gained from a wide range of professional, lived, and learned experiences.
* Qualified lawyer (current or past) with litigation experience
* Strong understanding of strategic management of litigation procedures in civil and/or common law jurisdictions (with a strong preference for experience with litigation in common law jurisdictions)
* Skilled in assessing and managing complex legal and strategic risks
* Ability to provide clear and practical legal and strategic advice to non‑legal audiences
* Strategic thinking, communication, and collaboration skills
* Demonstrated ability to apply justice, equity, diversity and inclusion principles in professional practice, including in decision‑making, advising, or stakeholder engagement
Benefits
FILE is committed to creating a workplace that supports our staff to do their best work and develop professionally. FILE offers a generous annual leave policy and additional time‑off work to support wellbeing. Amongst other benefits, FILE offers private healthcare, enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave, enhanced sick leave, flexibility working remotely and also abroad and a matching contribution to a pension scheme.
Representation and Culture
FILE recognises the under‑representation of historically marginalized communities and individuals in climate, nature and philanthropy spaces. We are committed to developing an organization that represents the world we are looking to protect and building a culture that supports such.
In doing so, FILE is committed to building policies and practices that ensure no current or prospective employee is discriminated based on disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.
#J-18808-Ljbffr