Legal Manager/In-House Counsel

Job posted by: Thomson Reuters Foundation - Wed, 5 Apr 2017

Job Details:

Organisation: Thomson Reuters Foundation

Deadline Fri, 12 May 2017

Job type: Contract

Location: United Kingdom

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Legal Manager/In-House Counsel

Maternity cover: Fixed Term Contract, 12 months, with potential permanent position

Thomson Reuters Foundation

The Thomson Reuters Foundation is recruiting a Legal Manager/In-House Counsel (Maternity Cover), who will act as in-house counsel for the Foundation’s internal legal needs, as well as working on the TrustLaw global pro bono service.


The Foundation stands for free, independent journalism, human rights, women’s empowerment, and the rule of law. We expose corruption worldwide and play a leading role in the global fight against human trafficking. We use the skills, values, and expertise of Thomson Reuters to run programmes that trigger real change and empower people around the world, including free legal assistance, journalism and media training, coverage of the world’s under-reported stories, and the Trust Conference.


TrustLaw is the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global pro bono program. Our mission is to spread the practice of pro bono worldwide to drive social change. We help high-impact NGOs and social enterprises to grow, streamline their operations and navigate complex laws and regulations by connecting them with free legal assistance from the best law firms around the world. We also deliver groundbreaking legal research on key social and policy issues that our members use to support their advocacy and law reform efforts.
Launched in 2010, TrustLaw has grown to include over 3,700 members in 175 countries, including over 650 law firms and in-house legal teams and over 3,000 NGO and social enterprise members.


The Foundation is seeking a highly skilled and dynamic lawyer to:

  • advise the Foundation on commercial agreements, potential contentious issues and other strategic legal issues (approximately 50%); and
  • support the TrustLaw team to run its global pro bono service, primarily focusing on scoping legal requests from NGOs and social enterprises and managing strategic research programmes (approximately 50%). 

Based in London in Thomson Reuters’ Canary Wharf office, the successful candidate will work closely with TrustLaw’s team of 21 people across 8 countries.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

In-House Legal Counsel

Primary provision of legal advice to the Foundation and its four main programmes on a range of issues, including:

  • review and negotiation of a range of commercial contracts and agreements, including partnership agreements, funding agreements, service contracts, terms & conditions for websites and services;
  • handling potential disputes and litigation (briefing outside counsel where necessary);
  • media law issues (content partnerships, licensing agreements, defamation/libel claims);
  • charity law issues; and
  • other strategic legal issues (note that employment law expertise is not required as we rely on external advisors for this).
  • Briefing and liaising with external legal advisors on issues where you do not have the expertise or capacity to assist. Lawyers in the TrustLaw team are also able to support you on issues where they have expertise.

Legal Manager, TrustLaw


  • Scoping requests for pro bono legal assistance from our community of NGOs and social enterprises so that the requests clearly explain the legal needs.
  • Managing pro bono requests, including connecting the pro bono client with lawyers and follow up with the parties involved.
  • Designing, scoping and managing cross-border research programmes that address the most critical social and policy needs facing our NGO and social enterprise members.
  • Leading the annual TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono.
  • Representing TrustLaw and the Thomson Reuters Foundation by speaking publicly on our work at panels, conferences, or other speaking engagements.
  •  Supporting the team on thought leadership projects including the TrustLaw social enterprise and impact investing training courses.

The candidate

  • An experienced lawyer with strong corporate/commercial legal skills (any experience with media law and/or charity law would be a plus). You will have at least 4 years post-qualification experience in private practice or in an in-house team.
  • While expertise in all of the legal areas outlined above is not essential, broad legal and commercial knowledge and the ability to issue spot is critical.
  • Experience, or a demonstrated interest, in the pro bono sector, with knowledge of key global pro bono trends and/or experience working with the charitable, philanthropic or social enterprise sector.
  • The proven ability to work with a diverse range of stakeholders, from senior corporate executives and partners of top law firms to social entrepreneurs, NGOs, media organisations, funders, multilateral organisations and any other beneficiaries of our services.
  • Fluent in English, with excellent written and spoken communication skills and an ability to adapt messages to different audiences.
  • Ability to work quickly under pressure, to prioritise work and meet deadlines to drive projects to completion.
  • An independent self-starter with an ability to design their own agenda and take responsibility to advance and complete projects.
  • A strong team player, able to communicate effectively with a global team
  • Experience using Salesforce would be favourable. 

This is a maternity cover position, (12 month fixed term contract) with the possibility of becoming permanent. You will be based in Thomson Reuters’ offices in Canary Wharf, London. The salary is commensurate with experience.

Deadline for applications: 1 May 2017.

To apply for this position, send your CV and covering letter describing how you meet the specifications for this role and what you bring to it to trustlaw@thomsonreuters.com with subject line “Legal Manager/In-House Counsel”.



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