Legal and Compliance Trustee - Volunteer in Portsmouth

Use your legal expertise to help shape the governance of a growing health charity. As Legal and Compliance Trustee at Endometriosis South Coast, you'll keep our board informed, our risks managed, and our obligations met, all for a cause that truly matters.

Legal and compliance confidence is something many small charities lack, and ESC is honest about that. Having a dedicated Legal and Compliance Trustee means our board can make decisions with greater assurance, knowing that the legal dimensions of our work are being properly considered and not left to chance. In concrete terms, your contribution will mean our contracts and agreements are reviewed before we sign them, our data protection obligations are understood and met, and our Charity Commission responsibilities are fulfilled accurately and on time. It will also mean that when new legal or regulatory questions arise, our board has someone to turn to who can give a grounded, considered response.

As ESC grows, the legal landscape around our work becomes more complex. Safeguarding, employment, data protection, intellectual property, and fundraising regulation all touch our activities in ways that matter. Having trustee-level expertise across those areas is not a luxury; it is what responsible governance looks like.

Beyond the technical contribution, there is a wider significance. Every person who comes to ESC for support, information, or community does so because we are an organisation they can trust. Your work in keeping us legally sound and compliance-ready is part of what makes that trust warranted.

What are we looking for?

The most important thing we are looking for is legal expertise combined with the ability to communicate it clearly. You will be advising a board of non-lawyers, so the ability to translate complex obligations into plain, accessible guidance is just as important as the knowledge itself. You should be a qualified solicitor, barrister, legal executive, or equivalent, or have significant professional experience in a relevant legal field. Experience in one or more of the following would be particularly valuable: employment law, data protection and GDPR, contract law, or regulatory compliance in a charity or public sector context. A strong understanding of charity law and the legal duties of trustees is important. You do not need to have been a trustee before, but you should be comfortable with the idea that as a trustee you are accountable for the organisation as a whole, not just your specialism.

We are looking for someone with high standards of personal integrity and discretion. You will sometimes be handling sensitive information and advising on matters with real consequences, so confidentiality and sound judgment are non-negotiable. In terms of working style, you should be reliable and responsive. Much of the value of this role comes from being available when questions arise between meetings, so a willingness to engage with occasional ad hoc requests within agreed timescales is important alongside attendance at our quarterly board meetings. Previous trustee or non-executive director experience is an advantage, as is familiarity with safeguarding legislation and best practice. Knowledge of data protection in a healthcare or charity setting would also be welcome given the nature of our work.

Above all, we want someone who genuinely cares about ESC's mission. Endometriosis and adenomyosis are conditions that affect millions of people and remain chronically under-recognised. We are working to change that, and we want trustees who are motivated by that purpose, not just the governance role. Lived experience of endometriosis or adenomyosis is warmly welcomed, as are applications from people from racially and ethnically minoritised communities and gender-diverse individuals.

What will you be doing?

Endometriosis South Coast is at a meaningful point in its growth. We are expanding our volunteer team, developing new partnerships, and building the infrastructure of a charity that is in it for the long term. Our board is small, collaborative, and closely connected to our Founder and operational work. We are now looking to strengthen our governance with specialist expertise, and legal and compliance knowledge is one of our most pressing needs.

As Legal and Compliance Trustee, you will share collective responsibility for ESC's governance alongside fellow trustees, while also bringing focused specialist input that the rest of the board relies on. In practice, that means reviewing and advising on contracts, agreements, and data sharing arrangements before sign-off; providing guidance on employment law as we grow our team of staff and volunteers; and monitoring the regulatory landscape to make sure ESC stays ahead of its obligations. You will also play a key role in our risk management, helping the board identify and mitigate legal and compliance risks before they become problems. As we enter into new funding relationships and partnerships, your due diligence input will be genuinely valuable.

On data protection specifically, you will provide oversight of our GDPR compliance and work with our Founder to make sure our policies are embedded and current. At board level, you will be the person who helps your fellow trustees understand what our legal responsibilities actually mean in practice, translating complex obligations into clear, actionable guidance. That is an important function in any board, and in a small charity it is especially felt. This is a role where your expertise will have direct, visible impact. ESC is not a large organisation with a legal team behind it; the guidance you provide will genuinely shape how we operate and grow.