The Charities team at Womble Bond Dickinson  are leading specialists in their field, across the UK. The team is down to earth, straightforward, and great to work with and acts for a diverse range of well-known regional, national and international clients including service providers, grant makers, religious orders, professional societies, universities, independent schools, academies, social enterprises and more. Our advice spans a wide range of issues from governance and constitutional issues, through to trustees’ duties and responsibilities, mergers, strategic partnerships, fundraising, trading and Charity Commission regulatory issues.

We now have an opportunity for a qualified lawyer to join the team.  Ideally, the successful candidate will join our team in Newcastle, however we would also welcome applications from candidates interested in working from our Leeds or London offices.

So what will you be doing?

Working with fellow specialists across the UK, no two days will be the same. You’ll continue to develop your technical expertise through high quality work, with a combination of your own caseload,  working with colleagues across other areas of the firm and as part of our wider team.  There will be plenty of opportunities for client contact and you’ll be expected to build and maintain strong relationships. The team has a clear vision and an appetite for growth and it’s a great time to be joining us whether you’re at the early stages of your career or further on in your development.

Who are we looking for?

Experience within the Charities sector is not essential, but an interest is. It’s your technical skills that we’re more interested in, whether it’s in charity law or perhaps corporate, commercial, data-protection or private client expertise.  We recognise the uniqueness of all of our people and the varied talents they bring. However, to make a success of this role, there are a few key skills and attributes to set you on your way.

You’ll need exceptional drafting, communication skills and a commercial outlook; you may have gained these from working in corporate or commercial (including data-protection) or within private client.  In addition, y ou’ll need to be a dynamic and enthusiastic  lawyer, and willing to work in a fast-paced environment with others who share the same passion for the charities sector as you do and in return you will be supported to achieve your career aspirations and develop here as a lawyer.

What makes it great to work here?

We continually work hard to create an open culture that sets us apart from other firms. Our culture gives us much more of a human feel, emphasising that we’re more than just suits!  We like and make time for each other enabling us to establish professional relationships that can often become lasting friendships. 

Through our D&I initiatives we create an environment in which difference is valued.  We have a Diversity and Inclusion Group, led by our Board Sponsor, which works with our colleague networks (we currently have firm supported networks for race, ethnicity, and cultural heritage, LGBTQ+, disabilities, families, and women’s career development and we’re in constant dialogue with our people about how we expand our networks to better support everybody).  We encourage applicants from all social backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, gender identities and sexual orientations. Please get in touch to let us know how we can   give you the best possible recruitment experience.

As signatories to the Mindful Business Charter, it’s important that our people are able to maintain healthy and happy lives, both in and out of work.  We have a number of resources and initiatives designed to support health and wellbeing, including our team of dedicated mental health first aiders.  We recognise that getting the right work life balance is a priority for all of us and we’re very happy to talk flexible working, full-time or part-time working patterns.  We also recognise the challenges of relocation and post-pandemic return to the office.

And that’s not all, alongside a competitive salary you’ll receive a flexible benefits package so you can choose and vary the benefits that matter most to you.