Howard League for Penal Reform (London) – Lawyer

Howard League for Penal Reform (London) – Lawyer

• Salary: From £50,484 to £59,663 (FTE), depending on experience
• Hours: Full time (0.8 FTE considered).
• Contract: Permanent
• Location: Hybrid working. Minimum of two days per week in the office in Farringdon, London
• Benefits include: Flexible working. 30 days’ paid leave plus bank holidays.10% contribution to the Howard League workplace pension scheme, Access to an Employee Assistance Programme

About The Howard League for Penal reform

The Howard League for Penal Reform is the world’s oldest prison reform charity. Our overriding ambition is to move the dial on punishment towards building a more humane and effective response to crime, that provides justice to all and helps to reduce reoffending. We provide specialist legal advice and representation to children and young people in the criminal justice system, through the only dedicated advice line for children and young people in custody in England and Wales. We also challenge human rights violations and executive overreach across the prison estate. We are developing an impactful strategic litigation portfolio to effect vital change for adult men and women, as well as children, in prison.

We welcome applications from solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives. The Howard League recognises the importance of building an inclusive, diverse workforce. We welcome applications from marginalised groups and from candidates with personal experience of the criminal justice system. Although experience of representing people in prison is desirable, this is not essential. We also want to hear from lawyers who have experience of conducting public law and/or human rights litigation and are excited about helping to develop strategic litigation to effect meaningful change in this area.

Even if you do not meet all the selection criteria, if you think you could be a good fit for this job, we would like to hear from you. We offer comprehensive prison law training for new joiners.

About the role

The Howard League’s lawyers are responsible for advising and representing children and young people in custody; running cases funded by legal aid; scoping and developing strategic litigation; and contributing to the Howard League’s policy and campaigning work.

Key responsibilities

• Legal advice, advocacy and casework
  • Providing legal advice and advocacy support in response to queries from children and young people in prison, professionals and the public.
  • Running a small caseload of legally aided prison and/or public law cases, in compliance with the Legal Aid Agency and Specialist Quality Mark standards.
  • Ensuring effective administration of cases, including monitoring costs and billing.
  • Identifying strategic issues and themes emerging from our advice line service to inform the wider work of the organisation.
  • Developing resources on legal rights for children and young people in prison and professionals working with them.
  • Keeping up to date with changes in legislation, case law and legal procedures relevant to the Howard League’s work.
  • Providing support with legal administrative and compliance tasks and supervising legal administrative support staff, as required.
• Litigation
  • Scoping and developing strategic public law and human rights litigation.
  • Supporting with securing funding for cases where legal aid is not available.
• Policy and campaigning
  • Contributing to and supporting policy, participation and communications work, in particular in relation to the organisation’s priority areas and legal work.
• Other responsibilities
  • Providing information about the legal team’s work for events, social media, funding proposals and reports, as required.
  • Developing and maintaining relationships with relevant stakeholders, including other NGOs.
  • Representing the Howard League in meetings and at events with relevant stakeholders.
  • Line managing legal administrative support staff/junior lawyers (as required and depending on experience).
  • Working as part of the whole office team.

About you

• Qualified to practise law in England and Wales.
• Experience of conducting public law / human rights litigation.
• A commitment to the Howard League’s values of collaboration, excellence, integrity, learning, accountability and courage.
• A commitment to, and understanding of, the Howard League’s strategic objectives.
• Strong client care skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to take initiative, think creatively and problem-solve.
• Ability to work well under pressure, and manage multiple priorities effectively to tight deadlines.
• Experience of advising and representing people in prison in England and Wales.
• Experience of legal aid.
• Experience of conducting strategic litigation and campaigning.

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