This role is offered on a hybrid contract giving you the opportunity to also work from home 3 days a week.

Comic Relief reserves the right to close the role early if a large number of applications are received.

​​Purpose of job:​ 

This is an exciting opportunity for a lawyer to join Comic Relief for 12 months!  

You will have the opportunity to get stuck into a wide variety of matters. Depending on your background, the key focus of your work will be on charity, media and/or technology related matters. 

You will help Comic Relief comply with the law; support stakeholders in making informed risk-based decisions; and protect our brand.  You will have the opportunity to work on a wide variety of contracts and projects including charity, fundraising, technology, marketing, media & production, data protection and related matters. Experience in IP, media and production related matters would be preferred. 

As Legal Counsel, you will be a key member of the Legal Team. We are a small team of four (including this role), consisting of a Head of Legal & Assurance, another Legal Counsel and a Paralegal. Being part of a small team, you will have a lot of responsibility and will really get to know the organisation, its operations and how you can contribute to working towards a Just Word, Free from Poverty 

Interviews will provisionally take place on the 2/3 of April 2025 via zoom.

​​Key responsibilities: ​ 

• Advising on legal risk and opportunities (from strategic to day to day) in line with Comic Relief’s strategy and charitable purposes. 

• Drafting and negotiating contracts, including agreements with producers, broadcasters, talent, marketing & PR agencies, venues, corporate partners, TFIs (trusts, foundations & institutions), professional fundraisers, grantees, IT and other suppliers. 

• Legal lead on strategic projects. 

• Custodian of good risk-based decision making, with responsibility for making decisions on legal risk where within role scope; for making recommendations to Head of Legal & Assurance and/or stakeholders; and for escalations where appropriate. 

• Where agreed with Head of Legal & Assurance, responsible for areas of specialist legal knowledge or skill within the team, including legal issues relating to IP, media, production, charity and fundraising laws, and prizes/competitions. 

• Working with the Head of Legal & Assurance and team members to drive alignment and consistency of legal advice; compliance and assurance; process improvement; promotion of knowledge and best practice; legal training to the organisation where required; and effective use of external counsel and the legal budget. 

• Be an ambassador for Legal & Assurance matters across the wider organisation, and for Comic Relief more generally when interacting with others externally on behalf of Comic Relief.  

​​Person specification​ 

​​Essential criteria​ 

• Qualified lawyer with at least 5 years’ PQE, with excellent legal skills and knowledge of the laws of England & Wales.  

• Relevant experience as an in-house lawyer, including a strong understanding of one or more of the following areas of law: charity, media and technology.  

• Experience in negotiating contracts and advising stakeholders on the key risks as part of contract negotiation. 

• Strong knowledge and understanding of data protection laws. 

• Collaborative team member, able to build strong relationships. 

• Ability to take ownership of issues, decisions and escalations and to work autonomously on matters. 

• Solution oriented and pragmatic problem solver. 

• Proactive, prioritises and delivers results.     

​​Desirable criteria​ 

• Excellent knowledge of IP, media and production matters and legal issues. 

• Experience in developing and implementing legal organisational policies and procedures. 

• A proven ability to devise and implement legal solutions across a range of organisational functions. 

 Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Comic Relief we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Why work at Comic Relief

There are lots of good reasons to join us at Comic Relief. You can read more about our employee benefits, such as our commitment to flexible and hybrid working. We ask staff to come to the office twice a week, normally on agreed team days, so that we can do all those things that are difficult to do online. Our office is based in Whitechapel, London, There are lots of opportunities to develop your skills and experience at Comic Relief, including opportunities to become a Mental Health First Aider or to participate in our Employee Network Groups that focus on making Comic Relief a more inclusive place to work

Disability Confident employer

 As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we take positive action by providing first-round interviews to candidates who have a registered disability, provided they meet the minimum criteria for the role, as demonstrated on their CV.

We ask that candidates that wish to be considered for this scheme email j.scott@comicrelief.com to discuss further. Please do not email CV's/cover letters.