Legal Coordinator

Reports to : Head of Legal
Hours : 37.5 per week over 5 days (Monday to Friday)
Holiday : 25 days per year plus bank holidays
Probationary period : 3 months
Benefits : An additional 3 days holiday between Christmas and New Year, Flexitime policy, 5% pension contribution, Cycle to Work scheme
Start date : As soon as possible

We are River Action

We are a campaign organisation on a mission to rescue Britain's rivers from the impacts of agricultural, sewage and industrial pollution. We take a creative and bold approach to campaigning, blending sharp strategy with positively disruptive tactics to inspire real action. We support grassroots movements, galvanise public opinion, influence government policy and drive industry change.

We are a small, dedicated and talented team of positive disrupters and community mobilisers who work collaboratively to deliver our strategy to urgently protect and restore our rivers for the benefit of people and nature.

Find out more about our mission and our team on our website .

Who we’re looking for

Do you want to be part of a movement making waves to clean up the UK’s rivers? Are you passionate about using the law as a tool for change? Do you have the legal and research skills to amplify our impact? If so, we want you to join our team.

We are looking for a highly capable, ambitious, well-organised, energetic, proactive and diligent individual with legal experience (academic or professional) to play an integral role in developing and delivering our growing legal, policy and advocacy work.

You don’t need to be a qualified or practising lawyer, but you do need to have a law degree or equivalent and familiarity with environmental law. You’ll understand the importance of winning in both courts of law and of public opinion. You’ll be passionate, eager to learn and committed to making change happen quickly.

If you’re committed to River Action’s mission and want to be at the forefront of environmental law, policy and advocacy, we’d love to hear from you.

Essential experience and skills

• Demonstrable UK legal experience (academic and/or professional), ideally including environmental, public and administrative law. A law degree or equivalent is required.
• Excellent legal research, drafting and communication skills.
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into accessible and impactful messaging.
• Strong organisational and interpersonal skills with demonstrable experience of coordinating multiple projects, working flexibly and at a fast pace.
• Good understanding of strategic litigation and using the law as a tool for change.
• Proven ability to produce high quality work under pressure.
• Excellent IT skills.
• Commitment to River Action’s mission and to working collaboratively across the sector.

Desirable experience and skills

• Qualification as a solicitor or barrister.
• Experience working in a similar role.
• Experience working in the UK’s environmental sector.
• Experience with strategic litigation and using the law as a tool for change.
• Experience with instructing and managing external lawyers.
• Experience working with parliamentarians and of UK parliamentary procedures.
• Media/spokesperson experience.

What you’ll be doing

As Legal Coordinator, you will play a crucial role in shaping River Action’s fight for cleaner rivers by acting as the link between legal expertise provided by external lawyers and River Action’s day-to-day campaigning, policy, advocacy and operational work.

The role will involve working closely with River Action’s Head of Legal to use the law and legal strategies to strengthen and improve environmental protection of the UK’s rivers. This exciting role will include scoping, developing and managing strategic litigation to achieve systemic change as well as supporting River Action’s policy and advocacy work. You’ll also support the River Action team to build successful campaigns to challenge polluters, hold government and regulators accountable, and push for policy reform.

• Support the Head of Legal in scoping, developing and managing River Action’s legal work, including commissioning legal services from external lawyers and providing instructions on legal matters.
• Produce legal research and analysis to inform and support River Action’s strategic litigation, policy and advocacy work.
• Work with the campaigns team to develop impactful legal actions as part of creative and positively disruptive campaigns to deliver organisational goals.
• Work with the communities team to identify opportunities for River Action to support communities through legal action, including by developing the River Rescue Kit and other initiatives to extend impact.
• Engage with and obtain information and evidence from claimants, complainants, expert witnesses and other sources to support legal actions and campaigns.
• Develop an in-depth understanding of UK legal and policy frameworks relating to rivers and ensure colleagues are kept up to date with changes.
• Monitor legal developments including caselaw and legislative proposals, working closely with the Head of Legal to understand the implications and opportunities for River Action’s work.
• Ensure team members are well-briefed on the latest legal developments (both River Action’s work and wider developments) to support their external engagement.
• Prepare and contribute to legal and policy briefings for River Action and its eNGO partners and for public and political audiences.
• Contribute to River Action’s policy and advocacy work, ensuring our positions are considered and evidenced.
• Contribute to shaping River Action’s positions and key messaging so they are relevant and accurate.
• Provide legal support for River Action’s campaigning and operational activities, including by researching relevant laws and by commissioning external legal advice on non-contentious matters.
• Support colleagues to ensure River Action’s campaigning and communication activities and outputs are legally compliant and help to protect the charity from defamation, copyright infringement or other claims.
• Write articles and act as spokesperson for River Action in owned and earned media.
• Work across the team to track, record and report impact.
• Support River Action’s fundraising activities including contributing towards funding proposals, pitching and reporting.
• Review and respond to legal queries that come to River Action, escalating to the Head of Legal or other colleagues as appropriate.
• Administrative duties including developing and maintaining River Action’s legal documentation, processes and systems on the organisation’s shared drive.
• Build relationships and partnerships across the legal sector and environmental sector to inform River Action’s work and contribute to the wider movement.

General duties and responsibilities

• Follow all charity policies and procedures.
• Actively participate as part of the team.
• Help to promote a positive, healthy and happy work environment and team culture.
• Actively engage in professional development and training.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across River Action, external lawyers and stakeholders to deliver our mission.
• Undertake any other duties as reasonably required.

As a small and agile team, we value flexibility. While these are the core responsibilities, staff may be asked to take on additional tasks as needed. If any task becomes a regular duty, the job description will be updated in consultation with the staff member.

Location

You will work from home with some travel required to London and across the UK.

The full team meets in person at least four times per year. These are multi-day meetings held in different locations in the UK. Additional UK travel will also be required. The fast-paced nature of our work and small size of our organisation means we are in very regular contact, ensuring a strong connection across the team.

Diversity and inclusion

We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace. We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from candidates who are underrepresented in the environment sector.

Don’t meet every single requirement? We know that long lists can be daunting and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they are 100% qualified. If you like the look of this role but your past experience does not align perfectly with everything in the job description, we’d still love to hear from you. You may be just the right person for this role.