Sole Counsel

Leonid Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Central London location

Four days per week

Job summary

Leonid Group is seeking a Sole Counsel for a four-day-per-week role in Central London with hybrid working. You will take ownership of legal affairs, governance, and compliance, advising the CEO, Executive Team and Board.

This is an influential, international role with reach across climate-related initiatives. You will review contracts, NDAs, MoUs, and external communications, guide risk assessments, support policy teams, and provide practical, risk-based advice.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister in England & Wales with 5–7+ years PQE across corporate, commercial or compliance law.
• In-house experience within NGOs or multi-stakeholder organisations is advantageous.
• Ability to provide risk-based, practical legal advice where precedents may be limited.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Own the organisation's legal affairs, governance and compliance.
• Advise the Executive Team and Board on legal matters and regulatory developments.
• Review major publications and external communications for legal robustness.
• Support policy teams and manage relationships with external counsel.
• Contribute to internal policies and staff training and development.

Skills

Corporate law

Governance

Contract drafting

Risk advisory

Education

Qualified solicitor/barrister in England & Wales

Job description

An exciting and influential international environmental non-profit is seeking an experienced individual to join its team as Sole Counsel on a 4 day per week basis. Working with the global investment community, the organisation brings together investors from across more than 20 countries to tackle some of the biggest challenges presented by climate change and the transition to a net zero, climate-resilient economy.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, you will take ownership of the organisation's legal affairs, governance and compliance, acting as a trusted legal adviser to the Executive Team, Board and wider organisation. This is a genuinely broad role, combining traditional legal work with governance, regulatory advice and the review of high-profile publications and communications.

The opportunity would suit a lawyer who is looking for more than a traditional in-house position and wants to use their legal expertise within an organisation working on meaningful environmental and sustainability issues with an international reach.

What's on offer?

This is a highly varied Sole Counsel position, giving you ownership across corporate and commercial legal matters, governance, compliance, data protection and regulatory developments. You'll advise on contracts, NDAs and MoUs, support Board governance, oversee legal entity compliance and provide practical advice on emerging legal, regulatory and reputational risks.

A particularly interesting element of the role is the opportunity to work closely with the organisation's technical and policy teams, providing legal and editorial review across major publications, frameworks, guidance and external communications. You'll help ensure complex, influential content is legally robust and appropriate for sophisticated investor audiences, while preserving the technical integrity and purpose of the work.

You'll also support the development of internal policies, provide training to colleagues, manage relationships with external counsel and contribute to wider organisational initiatives. Supported by the outgoing General Counsel in a strategic advisory capacity, you'll have a high degree of autonomy and the opportunity to shape the legal function of an organisation that is playing an active role in the global response to climate change.

The role is permanent, four days per week, based in Central London with hybrid working.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will be a qualified solicitor or barrister in England & Wales (or an equivalent recognised jurisdiction) with, for guidance purposes, around 5 -7+ years' PQE across corporate, commercial or compliance law, including in-house experience.

You'll be comfortable operating independently as a trusted legal adviser within a small or medium-sized organisation, with strong judgement and the ability to provide practical, risk-based advice where there may not always be a clear precedent. Strong contract drafting, review and negotiation experience is essential, alongside practical knowledge.

It's essential to have a genuine interest in climate, sustainability and environmental issues, and an interest in the role investors can play in supporting the transition to a net zero and climate-resilient economy. Experience across institutional investment, financial services, NGOs, foundations, the charity/not-for-profit sector or other multi-stakeholder organisations would be advantageous.

Above all, you'll be adaptable, curious and proactive, with the independence to manage a broad legal remit and the communication skills to build strong relationships across an organisation working on some of the most important issues facing the global economy.