Director of Legal

Job Title

Director of Legal

Reporting to

Co-Executive Director, Rosa Curling

Contract type

• Permanent contract upon completion of a 6-month probationary period
• Full time

Salary

£88,400 per annum for UK-based candidates

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave per annum
• Plus all UK public and bank holidays (additional leave,
  taken on public holidays or on dates of your choice)
• Additional week off in August and in December
• Annual leave allocation increases annually by one day (up
  to a maximum of five days)
• 10% employer pension contribution
• Other standard Foxglove benefits

Deadline for applications 

Monday, 25th May at 9am

Start date 

ASAP

Location

Remote working with option to work from home, a co-workspace, or a mix of both

About us

Foxglove is a non-profit that exists to make the use of technology fair for all. When Big Tech companies abuse their power, their workers or the planet – and when governments use technology to oppress, exclude or discriminate – we litigate and campaign to fix it.  

Big Tech companies have become so large – gobbling up a huge slice of the global marketplace and an unprecedented treasure hoard of user data – that they’re now more powerful than many states. The harmful effects of this concentration of power are everywhere – threats to our democracy, to our privacy, decimated workers’ rights and platforms rife with disinformation and hate. Big Tech and AI data centres are rapidly expanding, resulting in huge strain on energy and water supplies. Worldwide governments are ploughing ahead with the use of algorithms and mass data systems to cut costs and increase efficiency often resulting in digital tools that entrench unfairness and leave the most vulnerable in society in crisis. All these problems are only getting worse with generative AI. 

Foxglove works to bring the rule of law to the tech and AI giants who have upended our public square, workplaces, and social lives. We have a strong track record. We’ve launched landmark cases seeking structural changes to big tech’s harmful business models, supported 180+ Facebook content moderators fired for trying to form a union to sue Facebook and their outsourcing company, Sama – winning world-first judgements. We’re urging competition regulators worldwide to stop Google’s theft of independent news. We’ve filed the UK’s first legal challenge to a data centre permission decision, forced disclosure of secret contracts between tech giants and the NHS, stopped a racist Home Office visa streaming algorithm, helped make grading fair for UK A-level students and challenged the Department of Work and Pension’s use of an algorithm unfairly flagging disabled people for benefit fraud investigations.   

We are a small but growing team of lawyers, communications experts, and campaigners. We are a CIC, not a practising law firm. We partner with legal firms on cases, directing litigation in multiple jurisdictions. Our work is global, and we work in partnership with lawyers, civil society, unions, and people impacted by Big Tech.

About you

You are a highly experienced lawyer with a strong interest in using the law to hold governments and companies to account. You see the law as a tool for structural change, not just individual wins. You think strategically about how litigation, campaigning, and coalition-building can work together. You appreciate the value and impact of movements and are as comfortable drafting legal arguments as you are speaking to a journalist, or rallying those who’ve never heard of judicial review to a joint cause. You care about power, meaning who has it, who doesn’t, and how to shift it. You follow the ways Big Tech and governments are reshaping society, and you don’t just find it interesting: it makes you want to act. You’re a sharp, compelling writer who can make complex legal arguments land with different audiences. You’re a self-starter who spots opportunities and runs with them, but you’re equally invested in the team around you. You share credit generously, help sharpen others’ thinking, and understand that lasting change is collective. Most importantly, you believe in making the use of technology fair for all.

If this is you; if you want to take on some of the most powerful companies and governments in the world, and you think the law is one of the tools we have to do it; if you are seeking a role where the work is urgent and the stakes are real, we would love to hear from you.

The role

The post holder will work alongside our Co-Executive Director, Head of Legal and Legal Administrator in developing and managing Foxglove’s legal work. You will develop and drive forward a significant number and range of cases, including the development of case theories, investigating and collecting evidence, drafting correspondence, evidence and submissions. You will also be responsible for coordinating and managing external legal teams, in multiple jurisdictions. This will require you to have the comfort and ability to navigate diverse settings, while also having the insight to weigh up the benefits and challenges of pursuing cases in different jurisdictions. You will serve as an external representative for Foxglove’s work, writing and speaking on topics of relevance. You will also be a sparring partner for others in the team, bringing a creative mindset and political savviness. UK and international travel are required. Flexibility with working hours will sometimes be needed.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Case Development and Management

• Build connections, and listen to affected communities, unearth and pursue issues caused by tech injustice, coming up with innovative legal solutions.
• Build and maintain relationships with impacted community members, unions, other lawyers, experts, co-counsel, intervenors, civil society organisations, whistleblowers, and the public.
• Explore and develop new and undiscovered opportunities for Foxglove to be impactful and effective in our work.
• Effectively work with the co-Executive Director and Head of Legal to develop and implement Foxglove’s legal strategy.
• Manage multiple cases at any one time, while also thinking to the future regarding cases that should be explored and developed.
• Draft and comment on technical and legal documents and correspondence.
• Lead evidence gathering.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Manage court deadlines and time limits where applicable.
• Ensure regulatory compliance in all aspects of your work and our cases.
• Always maintain the strictest standards of client confidentiality.
• Always maintain the strictest concern for and awareness of data protection and Foxglove policies.
• Keep up to date with the global political and litigation landscape concerning tech justice.

Other

• Help ensure communities’, workers’ and affected individual’s voices are heard in our campaigns, communications and advocacy work.
• Contribute to external representation and writing, including through media appearances, social media posts, blogs and op-eds.
• Contribute to the development of materials for advocacy purposes including video or audio testimony, photographs etc.
• Support others in our legal team, across Foxglove, and the relevant ecosystem in developing strategies to use the law to hold governments and companies to account.
• Other ad hoc tasks as required.

Person Specification

Essential

• Substantial experience in legal practice and conducting litigation and a demonstrated understanding of litigation strategies.
• Creative thinking and imagination.
• A strong interest in using the law to hold governments and companies to account.
• Qualified lawyer in any jurisdiction with at least 10 years of legal experience.
• Significant experience in legal practice in the UK.  
• Demonstrable commitment to supporting marginalised communities to access justice.
• Ability to learn new areas of law quickly and develop new areas of work.
• Good political antennae and excellent relationship building and management skills.
• Experience conducting cases from initial advice through to trial.
• Relevant experience in analysing complex factual and legal situations and helping to advise clients in accordance with their aims.
• Experience in dealing sensitively with clients, whistleblowers and experts.
• Experience in working on complex matters, which require analysis of large amounts of documents and data.
• Excellent communication skills, demonstrated by the ability to communicate accurately, clearly, concisely and persuasively, both verbally and in writing.
• Excellent time management skills demonstrated by the ability to organise and prioritise a complex workload and work to tight deadlines.
• Experience in working and leading a team environment.
• Comfort with working at both the details-driven operational level and big-picture strategic level, as well as the ability to navigate between the two.

Length and Salary

The role is permanent. The annual salary is £88,400 per annum less any required deductions for income tax and national insurance.

Our team works remotely, and this role can be based anywhere. We would prefer you to work within or close to UK office hours, but this is flexible. Our team travels every two months for team days and twice a year for team retreats. This role will include significant UK and international travel. Only candidates with the right to work in their location will be considered.

How to apply

Please make your application via Applied here, answering the application questions and uploading your CV. We will not review applications sent via a job board or to our email. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with first round interviews likely to take place in May for selected candidates.

Foxglove does not use AI in its recruitment processes, except to detect applications for AI use. As a tech- justice organisation, we ask the same of our candidates.

Foxglove is being supported in this search and appointment process by SCHC Advisors. For a confidential conversation to learn more about the role, please contact Sophia Copeman at sophia@schcadvisors.com.

Foxglove is growing and we are striving to build a team that is inclusive. We will create a diverse and adaptable environment where we support people to do their best work. We believe an effective and creative team is made up of people from different walks of life. You can read more about how we work and what we offer our staff here.

We encourage people from historically disadvantaged or underrepresented groups in the legal profession to apply.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to complete this process, or have any questions, please get in touch with us: sophia@schcadvisors.com. 

If you would like to know more about how we process your data as part of the recruitment process you can read our recruitment data use policy here.