Legal Manager, Global, TrustLaw

Thomson Reuters Foundation is looking for a Legal Manager, Global to join our TrustLaw team.

TrustLaw is the global pro bono service of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. As the world’s leading pro bono legal service, TrustLaw helps high-impact NGOs and social enterprises, to grow, streamline their operations and navigate complex laws and regulations by connecting them with free legal assistance from the best law firms and corporate legal teams around the world. We also deliver groundbreaking legal research on key social and policy issues that our members use to support their advocacy and law reform efforts, and we deliver innovative capacity-building workshops on legal issues across the globe.

The Legal Manager, Global plays an integral role in relation to the TrustLaw pro bono service, working with our global team to ensure a high standard in pro bono project scoping and management and leading efforts to maintain and strengthen engagement with our global legal network. The Legal Manager, Global is also responsible for successful delivery of certain TrustLaw pro bono initiatives, which may include the biennial TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono, annual fees & hours collection and others.

You will report to TrustLaw’s Head of Legal. You will manage a Programme Coordinator and a Programme Officer, Global Initiatives.

This is a permanent role based in London.

About the Role

As our Legal Manager, Global, TrustLaw, you will:

• Provide strategic direction to the Global Legal Team and in relation to the TrustLaw pro bono service, helping to strengthen engagement with our legal network, track evolving trends in the pro bono sector and support the global team to ensure a high standard of service. Coordinate the development of an annual strategy, plan and targets for the Global Legal Team.
• Lead TrustLaw legal project review to ensure a high degree of consistency, quality and professionalism in our pro bono projects. Drive knowledge management for TrustLaw’s legal scoping and research processes, keeping guidance up to date, signposting for the team, ensuring use of best practices, and Identifying opportunities for new guidance and trainings.
• Work closely with the Head of Legal to oversee TrustLaw’s portfolio of strategic legal research, including reviewing research projects, ensuring a sensible allocation of project leads, and leading efforts to strengthen our approach to strategic research throughout its lifecycle.
• Oversee TrustLaw’s pro bono project flow and connections, working with the Programme Coordinator to monitor key metrics, troubleshoot a range of queries relating to offers, connections and pro bono scoping, and review the weekly email of pro bono opportunities to the TrustLaw legal network.
• Drive and support (as applicable) strategic pro bono sector initiatives, from planning, kick-off, to project management and successful delivery, which may include:
• TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono, our biennial global benchmark report on the scale and trends of the pro bono legal sector.
• Fees & Hours, our annual data collection effort with our legal network to quantify the value of pro bono we deliver each year.
• Other pro bono sector resources and thought leadership.
• Work closely with the Head of Legal and Director of TrustLaw to strengthen our engagement with our global legal network and in the pro bono sector, including leading or co-leading on certain key partnerships, outreach initiatives, development of annual donor impact reports and other initiatives and resources.
• Line manage the Global Legal Team (includes a Programme Officer, Global Initiatives and Programme Coordinator) and support their growth, development, and performance.
• Co-chair the Legal Team Meetings and deputise for Head of Legal, as needed, such as during periods of leave.

About You

To be our Legal Manager, Global, you will likely have/be:

• A qualified lawyer (at least 5+ years of experience as a practising lawyer in any jurisdiction) with experience in a corporate/commercial legal environment, whether a law firm or in-house and with prior experience in the pro bono sector.
• Experience in project management and proven ability to deliver projects and work on time and to the brief.
• Aptitude for details and experience with devising and driving processes, workflows, and guidance.
• A “do-er” who is willing to roll up their sleeves and proactively deliver on the work that needs to be done. Dynamic, creative and solutions-focused outlook.
• Experience working in a global, cross-functional team and with line management.

What’s in it For You

At the Thomson Reuters Foundation, our people are our greatest assets. Here are some of the benefits we offer for your personal and professional growth:

• Global Perspective and Impact: Interested in working for a dynamic global organization with a focus on social impact? With hubs all over the world from Bangkok to Madrid to Rio de Janeiro, join a truly international team with a shared goal of helping to build societies around the world that are free, fair and informed.
• A Unique Approach: Our expertise in media and the law is world class; we combine the power of both to address the critical issues faced by humanity.
• Our Relevance: With a focus on advancing media freedom, fostering more inclusive economies and promoting human rights, our work has never been more needed than right now.
• Benefits: We offer competitive salary packages and market-leading benefits.
• Learning & Development: We are dedicated to the continual professional development of our employees and offer access to both in-house and external training opportunities.

About Thomson Reuters Foundation

The Thomson Reuters Foundation is corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the global news and information services company. As an independent charity, registered in the UK and the USA, we work to advance media freedom, foster more inclusive economies, and promote human rights. Through news, media development, free legal assistance and convening initiatives, we combine our unique media and legal services to drive systemic change.