Senior Associate/Legal Director – Charities

Overview

In this role you will manage a portfolio of charity law and governance matters, supporting the lead partner on larger projects. You will work with trustees, charities’ structures, governance policies, and regulatory issues, while contributing to business development and mentoring junior team members. The role spans domestic and international considerations, including complex structuring, mergers, and regulatory compliance. You will collaborate with cross-functional experts to deliver commercial and pragmatic legal solutions for charity clients. This is a hybrid, multi-location role that offers meaningful impact within the health and social care and education sectors.

Responsibilities

• Manage own caseload and support lead partner on larger projects in charity law and governance
• Advise charity trustees on duties and governance matters
• Assist with charity start-ups, registrations, and structuring
• Advise on various legal structures including charitable companies, CIOs, trusts, CICs, and social enterprises
• Oversee governance reviews and draft governance policies and procedures
• Provide strategic advice on growth, acquisitions/disposals, and relationships with non-charitable entities
• Advise on grant agreements, fundraising, endowments, and restricted funds
• Address serious incident reporting and prepare reports to the Charity Commission
• Support other specialists on charity-related issues in regulatory, property, banking, insolvency, and employment matters
• Contribute to business development activities and tender preparation

Key requirements

• Excellent relationship and client handling skills
• Self-sufficiency with awareness of competence boundaries
• Strong technical skills for complex issues
• Team-oriented with mentoring and supervising capabilities
• Experience in business development and client marketing
• Exposure to charity-related issues and regulatory matters
• In-house charity experience considered
• Flexible on location

• Relationship building
• Professional and confident client communication
• Mentoring and coaching
• Charity law and governance
• Regulatory compliance
• Governance policy drafting

…