Principal Legal Counsel

PETA India; Delhi; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

PETA India seeks an experienced legal professional to formulate strategies and manage litigation across forums, including briefing external counsels.

You will oversee drafting of pleadings and notices, attend hearings in multiple courts, and keep staff updated on legal developments to advance campaigns. A strong backlog in research and policy analysis is essential.

Qualifications

• LLB from a university recognised by the Bar Council of India; LLM or Public Policy is a plus.
• At least seven years of work experience as a practising lawyer/in-house counsel with litigation focus.
• Minimum 3 years of litigation in High Courts and/or Supreme Court (Writ PIL).
• Knowledge of FCRA, RBI guidelines and the DPDP Act, 2023 is a plus.
• Fluent in English; Hindi a plus; willingness to travel extensively.

Responsibilities

• Formulate legal strategies and manage PETA India litigation across forums; brief external counsel.
• Draft pleadings, police complaints, legal notices and in-house documents.
• Attend hearings in the Supreme Court, High Courts and trial courts; assist counsel.
• Research legal developments and provide strategic input.
• Ensure staff knowledge of the law and robust arguments; review SOPs and policies.
• Coordinate with external counsels and manage engagements; monitor cases.

Skills

Fluent in English

Leadership

Analytical skills

Strategic thinking

Ability to handle multiple tasks

Willingness to travel extensively

Education

LLB (Bachelor’s degree in law)

LLM / Public Policy (plus)

Specialisation in constitutional/environmental/animal rights (plus)

Job description

• To formulate legal strategies and manage PETA India litigation across various forums, including engaging, briefing and assisting external counsel, drafting pleadings and attending hearings.
• To ensure that PETA India staff members are operating with sound knowledge of the law and using the strongest legal arguments to advance and meet our objectives.
• To draft internal legal documents, issue legal notices or complaints to authorities on behalf of PETA India in relation to different aspects of animal cruelty.

Term of Employment:

Full-time

Reports to:

Associate General Counsel, Legal Affairs

Primary Responsibilities and Duties:

• Gather references for reliable external counsels to handle various PETA India cases and manage relations, including terms of engagement, with them, as assigned.
• Meet with external counsels regularly, sensitising them to PETA India’s positions and desired outcomes, and consult with counsels on court and campaign strategy.
• Ensure factual updates and adequate assistance to external counsels through routine briefing meetings, briefing or argument notes, list of dates, research notes or other material as requested by the counsel.
• Draft legal documents such as police complaints, complaint letters to authorities, legal notices, court pleadings and agreements based on thorough research and sound legal knowledge and arguments.
• Attending hearings before various forums, including the Supreme Court, High Courts and trial courts and assist the arguing counsel in the course of the hearing
• Draft and review in-house legal documents and processes, such as agreements, SOPs, etc. and manage any litigation arising from the same
• Conduct thorough legal research for ongoing and proposed litigation, recommend sound strategies and take active part in internal and external strategy discussions
• Remain up-to-date with relevant legal developments, such as laws, amendments, rules, notifications, case-laws. Research, interpret, and apply pertinent central government and state statutes, regulations, case law, government circulars, notifications and other relevant legal material to ongoing campaigns and litigation.
• Exercise due diligence and be impeccably organised, including by maintaining neat and clear records of correspondence, court-related documents and other documentation.
• Ensure that the organisation’s work conforms with legal requirements, review internal SOPs and other policies, as assigned.
• Carefully and critically review letters, complaints, reports and other such documents from other departments to ensure PETA India staff members are operating with sound knowledge of the law and using the strongest legal arguments to advance and meet our objectives.
• Provide campaigners, researchers, investigators, and caseworkers with other legal support, including by taking part in strategy-setting brainstorms where required
• Monitor issues and cases for potential legal action
• Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB) from a university recognised by the Bar Council of India. Master’s degree in a related field (LLM, Public Policy) a plus. Specialisation in constitutional law, environment law or animal rights a plus.
• Good standing to practise law and registration with a State Bar Council.
• At least seven years of work experience as a practising lawyer/in-house counsel, with the primary area of practice being litigation
• At least 3 years of litigation experience in High Courts and/or Supreme Court (writ jurisdiction/public interest litigation). Sound knowledge of criminal law a plus
• Knowledge and experience of in-house work such as drafting of agreements with external parties, employment contracts a plus
• Knowledge of applicable regulatory regimes such as the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, other RBI guidelines and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 a plus.
• Strong commitment to animal rights issues and the philosophy/objectives of PETA India
• Proven excellent legal research and drafting skills
• Proven excellent strategic thinking, leadership and analytical skills. Leadership and management experience a plus
• Proven ability to handle multiple tasks within strict time constraints
• Willingness to travel extensively (as needed)
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written
• Fluency in spoken and written Hindi a plus
• Knowledge of regional Indian languages (apart from Hindi) a plus
• Professional appearance and adherence to a healthy vegan lifestyle