Senior Paralegal (0943)

Job Description

The Senior Paralegal will join ClientEarth’s global Governance & Legal Services Department.

This is a fixed-term (12 month contract) role to provide support to the Governance and Legal Services Department at ClientEarth over the next 12 months.

The global Governance Legal Services Department is ClientEarth’s in-house legal team driven to enable ClientEarth to deliver innovative legal strategies while managing risk and legal & regulatory compliance in a manner consistent with our organisational values. You will be part of a highly motivated team consisting of around 10 staff sitting across five of ClientEarth’s offices who provide expertise and support globally to our in-house lawyers, programmes & impact teams, and other staff across four key areas: Litigation, Governance, Risk & Compliance, and Legal Services. You will work with colleagues in the Department also with staff across the organisation in various jurisdictions where ClientEarth operates, on a wide range of matters.

Meet your Manager

In this role, you will be managed by Liesbet Nysen, Senior Lawyer*, Head of Legal Services (*Company Lawyer, member of IBJ-IJE in Belgium). Liesbet supports ClientEarth's global governance and oversees its risk & compliance, and legal service standards, policies and best practices, and provides legal support to the organisation. Prior to joining ClientEarth in 2019, Liesbet practiced as a lawyer in a law firm in Brussels and was an in-house legal advisor of an international company, focusing on contracts, litigation, and mediation with a commercial law angle.

Main Duties

• You conduct legal research in the context of projects managed or supported by the Department, e.g., compliance with laws/regulations in various jurisdictions
• You keep track of relevant legal developments and report on them to the Department
• You provide support with the implementation of various processes (including due diligence, conflict checks, case management, time management)
• You update and manage databases (e.g., relating to governance, due diligence, external counsel/pro bono support, insurance) and prepare reports

See the job description (below) for a full list of duties for this role.

Role requirements

• Fluent (CEFR Level C2) in English
• Degree in relevant subject, e.g., political science, law, paralegal studies, legal practice, etc
• Strong research skills
• Knowledge of legal terminology
• Understanding of contractual language, key contractual issues, and the contract lifecycle

See the job description (below) for a full list of requirements for this role.

Note to candidates: We know that long lists of criteria can be daunting and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they are 100% qualified. If you feel you meet at least some of the essential criteria, we still encourage you to apply.

Further Information

Have a question about this job? Please visit our Careers site for advice on applying, FAQs, and more.

Flexible working: We are proud to be a Flexa accredited Employer. Visit our Flexa Employer page for more information on our approach to flexible working. Our flexible working policy allows our people the choice to decide to work from home/another location in the country where their contract of employment is issued for 80% of their month, with the other 20% of their month being office-based See our Benefits page for more as well as our flexible working FAQ.

ClientEarth values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We aim to appoint the most suitable candidate at all times and welcome applications from people from all different backgrounds. See our equity, diversity and inclusion journey page for more.

Please note that ClientEarth is only able to employ those who have the pre-existing legal right to work in Belgium or Germany.

ClientEarth is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services to third parties.