Legal Counsel - Contracts and Compliance

Lambeth Palace Library; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 73,000; Full time

Job summary

An esteemed legal office in London is seeking a qualified barrister or solicitor to provide legal services to the National Institutions of the Church of England. The role involves advising on contracts and compliance within a supportive environment that encourages career growth. The ideal candidate will have strong communication and drafting skills, along with experience in a relevant field. This is an opportunity to impact the operations of key Church bodies while enjoying a competitive salary and benefits, including flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Flexible working arrangements

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Qualifications

• Qualified barrister or solicitor with strong experience in contracts or advisory.
• Ability to provide clear, pragmatic advice on complex issues.
• Excellent communication and drafting skills.

Responsibilities

• Draft and review contracts including grant agreements.
• Provide legal advice on compliance and due diligence.
• Support project development and training in legal areas.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Strong legal drafting skills

Ability to provide pragmatic advice

Education

Qualified barrister or solicitor (England & Wales)

Job description

Join Our Legal Office

The Legal Office is the in-house provider of legal services to the national policy-making and governance institutions of the Church of England (the National Church Institutions, “NCIs”), which are some of the largest charities in the UK (including statutory corporations and a super charter corporation), the largest of which are the Archbishops’ Council, a national policy and strategic decision‑making body, the Church Commissioners, a substantial endowment fund with assets valued at £11.1bn (2024) which has positioned itself at the forefront of Responsible Investment and which supports the mission of the Church, and the Church of England Pensions Board which stewards a £3.4bn fund. The Legal Office also advisesabby: The General Synod, which is a legislative assembly which makes primary and secondary legislation subject to the approval of Parliament.

We are a small, inclusive team which will comprise 17 legally qualified staff, with three paralegals and two support staff. Our professional backgrounds are diverse, with members coming to us from private practice in law firms, the Bar, from government, and from regulators.

Our work is firmly values led and requires the provision of advice on diverse and intellectually stimulating.views of law at the intersection of public and private law. The work is high quality, groundbreaking, engaging, and rewarding. We are a collegiate and supportive team, and we are proud of the work we do.

About the role

As a member of the Legal Office Advisory Team, you will be providing legal services to the National Institutions of the Church of England, focused on giving वरिष्ठ legal advice across a diverse and interesting range of subjects which bear on the operations of the Church Commissioners and other parts of the national Church of England.

You will be joining us at an exciting time for the organisation and the role will offer you the opportunity for genuine career growth and development in a supportive environment, including interaction with some of the most senior stakeholders in the organisation. You will be able to take a leading and meaningful role in existing and new projects.

You will also be a member of the Legal Office’s advisory team, undertaking as appropriate a wider range of duties as a legal adviser within Broken National Church Institutions.

Responsibilities

• Working with senior counsel and other stakeholders in relation to drafting and reviewing contracts (including grant agreements), and supporting effective legal compliance and due diligence.
• Providing timely, legally sound and pragmatic subject matter expertise into national projects including contractual risk reviews, and drafting and amending terms, and negotiating terms with counterparties (both standard and bespoke).
• Supporting the development and roll out of training and knowledge management in connection with contracts and other area of professional practice.
• Provision of advice to the Church Commissioners, the Archbishops’ Council, the Church of England Pensions Board, their boards, committees and staff on legal and procedural issues arising out of their work. Some of these activities are legislative or regulatory inროვე.

Key role requirements

• Hybrid working with some regular weekly travel to London.

About You

The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under‑represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Qualifications

• Qualified barrister or solicitor (England & Wales)
• Strong experience in your chosen area (contracts, commercial, or advisory)
• Excellent communication and drafting skills
• Ability to provide clear, pragmatic advice on complex issues

Please refer to the Job Description for more information about the role and person specification.

What we offer

Your Salary

• A salary of circa £73,000 per annum, plus age‑related pension contributions between 8–15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of your salary.

Your Benefits

• 25 days annual leave (increasing to 30 days within 5 years) plus eight bank holidays and three additional days (pro‑rated if working part‑time).
• We welcome all flexible working arrangement requests. This is looked at in a case‑by‑case scenario and if this fits within the department’s needs. We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work‑life balance.
• We offer many services and initiatives under our Family Friendly Programme, some of theseига includenbr enhanced Maternity Leave initiative, Adoption Leave, Paternity Leave, & Shared Parental Leave. Structured induction programme and access to a range of development opportunities including apprenticeships.
• Automatic enrolment and access to Medicash (one of the UK’s leading health cash plan providers), providing you with many services including reimbursements of routine dental treatment, optical, specialist consultations, and therapy treatments. Unlimited access to virtual GP & Private prescription service and health & Stress related helplines.
• Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to the Department of Education Restaurant and Westminster Abbey with a plus‑one guest.
• Apply for eligibility for an Eyecare voucher.
• Opportunity to join the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, and get involved in a range of staff networks, groups and societies.

About National Church Institutions

We Include. You Belong.

Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways aangepast towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

Living out our values in all that we do, we:

• Strive for Excellence
• Show Compassion
• Respect others
• Collaborate
• Act with Integrity

We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward. The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values. Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you.

Please note: You must have the right to work in the UK to be considered for the role.