General Counsel

Vauxhall, London SW8

Competitive Salary

One in six people in the UK will have a disability in their lifetime and we want to make sure they have the opportunity to live their lives to their full potential.

Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD) is the UK’s largest voluntary sector provider of services for disabled people.  These services include high-quality care and community support together with innovative projects supporting disabled people into education, employment and entrepreneurship.  Worldwide, our global alliance of Cheshire partners also supports disabled people into education and employment and works in more than 50 countries.  In 2017 we launched our new strategy to radically improve the life choices of people with disabilities, articulating our aim to support journeys towards independence. 

We now seek an in-house General Counsel to provide pan-organisational legal advice and to effectively manage all our relationships with external legal providers.

You will lead on all aspects of the Charity’s governance and ensure the Charity is compliant with all relevant legislation and regulatory requirements.  You will also be responsible for ensuring the Charity delivers its strategic plan within a comprehensive risk management framework that balances both opportunities and risks.

You will be the lead adviser to both the executive and non-executive team on all legal matters, providing clear guidance on solutions.  You will also identify and develop a panel of expert external legal advisors.

Acting as Company Secretary to all LCD companies you will be the official point of contact for the Charity Commission, Companies House, International and other relevant authorities.

You will manage the secretariat to the Executive team, Trustee Board, sub committees and advisory groups and support the Chair and CEO in both forward planning and evaluating the effectiveness of all such meetings.

We seek a UK qualified solicitor with an appropriate company secretarial professional qualification (ICSA is desirable) or relevant experience.

You will have significant experience of delivering to legislative and best practice frameworks in the areas of governance and risk with proven experience in developing pragmatic solutions in a legal setting to manage business risk.

You will have an aptitude for strategic thinking, be a self-starter with the ability to build a strong and positive rapport across a broad network. You will have sound communication and influencing skills at all levels with the ability to work collaboratively.

If you meet the specification, are motivated by this in-house opportunity and have a genuine commitment to the values and ethos of our Charity, we look forward to receiving your application.

Closing date: Sunday 29th October 2017