Good Law Project: Public Law Litigator

The Good Law Project is a not-for-profit membership organisation that uses the law to protect the interests of the public.  We challenge abuses of power, exploitation, inequality, and injustice. 

Founded by Jolyon Maugham QC, we devise and bring novel, strategic legal cases to enhance the rule of law, drive demand for further legal change and, increasingly, to strengthen and uphold environmental laws. We use the debate generated by our cases to inform and engage.

The Good Law Project is bold. We challenge the status quo and we stand up for what is right regardless of who our opponents are.

We are primarily funded by members of the public, through membership subscriptions and donations, as well as crowdfunded case-specific donations to cover the costs of our litigation.   

The Good Law Project is busier than ever and now plans to hire a senior public law litigator to join the legal team. 

About the role

GLP is looking for a senior public law litigator, who has considerable experience of running their own litigation matters, most likely through working recently in a senior role in private practice.

The job will have a heavy focus on environmental litigation, but will also involve some litigation protecting the precariat (in particular in employment law).

The role requires an independent lawyer, who has minimal need for supervision on day-to-day casework. They will be part of a small legal team within GLP, reporting to the Legal Director, but will spend the majority of their time as a secondee to a dynamic boutique disputes law firm, sitting within the Human Rights and Climate Change litigation practice. This will provide professional support and structure within which to conduct casework, as well as access to additional resource for larger or more complex cases. 

Job description

Purpose: to identify, conduct and manage casework within the Good Law Project’s litigation portfolio, with a particular emphasis on environmental work. 

Reports to:  Legal Director 

Contract type:  we have committed funding for this role for two years and anticipate that it will be permanent.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and management of allocated casework, including instructing and working with expert counsel;
• Early development of new cases which create social value and environmental benefit, making recommendations to the Legal Director regarding their viability and merits;
• Identifying and working with partner organisations to achieve shared goals through strategic litigation.
  

Person Specification

Although this is not a campaigning role, it is unlikely to suit those who are not working – or have not recently worked – in private practice at a senior level.

• Experienced public law litigator with a proven track record in complex litigation;
• Employment tribunal experience useful but not essential;
• Excellent legal research, writing, advisory and advocacy skills;  
• 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 (including in relation to science, technology, carbon and energy markets and policy), commercial, political, and legal material;
• Independent, and confident in putting forward and discussing new ideas;
• Excellent organisational skills, capable of setting priorities in area of responsibility and meeting  (often tight) deadlines;  
• A demonstrable interest and (ideally) experience in climate law/litigation and related issues;
• Knowledge of UK political landscape;
• Commitment to a high standard of professional behaviours, including collaboration, honesty and integrity
  

Salary: £60,000 pa

Hours: five days a week

Location: Home working currently due to COVID-19; ultimately working in central London (on two sites) with some flexibility.  

To apply, please send your CV with a short covering letter (of no more than one page) outlining why you are interested in the role, and how you meet the requirements, together with the details of two referees.  Please send your application to info@goodlawproject.org with the subject line “Senior litigator application”.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.