Release - L.E.A.D.S
We welcome applications from people who have significant legal aid experience in public law, housing law, and/or community care law, and who have undertaken strategic litigation. If this is you, and you meet the minimum criteria for the Legal Director role, we encourage you to apply. Please note: We do not expect the postholder to generate legal aid income at a multiple of their salary. While we do aim to grow legal aid income across the team to an initial target of £25,000 £30,000 per annum, the focus of this role is on developing high quality legal aid practice and building sustainable income collectively, as part of a mixed income organisational model. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black and minoritised communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, people from working-class backgrounds, and people with lived experience of the issues we work on. We are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve, and we know that lived experience and diverse perspectives strengthen our legal practice and our work for systemic change. The Legal Director is a newly created senior leadership role and will lead and shape Release s legal services, setting the strategic direction and ensuring the delivery of high quality, client centred representation. The role will expand access to justice through strong legal aid provision, embed harm reduction principles across all legal work, and uphold rigorous regulatory and ethical standards. It will also play a key role in sustaining Release s commitment to training and developing the next generation of social justice lawyers. This pivotal post combines oversight of a multidisciplinary legal team with movement driven advocacy and strategic litigation. The Legal Director will identify and pursue high impact cases to challenge unlawful policies and drive systemic change, while building strong external relationships with affected communities, policymakers, and partners. Working collaboratively, the role will co create innovative models of legal support that respond to emerging needs and amplify the voices of people most affected by drug laws and wider structural injustice. As Legal Director, you will: Set Strategic Direction: Define and implement strategies to expand legal aid provision, improve access to justice, and embed harm reduction principles across all legal work. Lead and Inspire: Oversee a multidisciplinary team of solicitors, legal advisers, and volunteers, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation. Ensure Excellence and Compliance: Maintain rigorous regulatory standards whilst driving forward progressive, client-centred approaches to legal practice. Advance Systemic Change through Strategic Litigation: Identify and pursue high-impact cases to influence legislation, challenge unlawful policies, and dismantle barriers to justice for people who use drugs and other marginalised communities. Engage Externally: Build powerful coalitions by engaging with affected communities, policymakers, stakeholders, and advocacy networks to drive legal and social reform. Co-Create Innovative Service Solutions: Develop new models of legal support that respond to emerging needs, leverage technology, and amplify the voices of those most affected by drug policy and laws by working in partnership with them. This role is ideal for a visionary and inspiring leader who combines legal expertise with a commitment to social justice, harm reduction, and systemic transformation. Person Specification Essential Minimum 9 years + post qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate, and Minimum 7 years + significant experience in legal aid supervision and regulatory compliance, and Minimum 3 years + proven leadership and team management skills, and Minimum 3 years + strategic litigation or test cases, and Strong commitment to social justice, harm reduction, and trauma-informed practice. Desirable Experience working in a charity or non profit organisation. Experience supporting, contributing to, or developing test case work, policy linked casework, or other legal work aimed at achieving wider systemic or community impact, including through indirect, collaborative, or emerging roles. Understanding of the impact of drug policy and criminalisation on marginalised communities. Experience in developing new services, partnerships, or funding linked delivery models.
We welcome applications from people who have significant legal aid experience in public law, housing law, and/or community care law, and who have undertaken strategic litigation. If this is you, and you meet the minimum criteria for the Legal Director role, we encourage you to apply. Please note: We do not expect the postholder to generate legal aid income at a multiple of their salary. While we do aim to grow legal aid income across the team to an initial target of £25,000 £30,000 per annum, the focus of this role is on developing high quality legal aid practice and building sustainable income collectively, as part of a mixed income organisational model. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black and minoritised communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, people from working-class backgrounds, and people with lived experience of the issues we work on. We are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve, and we know that lived experience and diverse perspectives strengthen our legal practice and our work for systemic change. The Legal Director is a newly created senior leadership role and will lead and shape Release s legal services, setting the strategic direction and ensuring the delivery of high quality, client centred representation. The role will expand access to justice through strong legal aid provision, embed harm reduction principles across all legal work, and uphold rigorous regulatory and ethical standards. It will also play a key role in sustaining Release s commitment to training and developing the next generation of social justice lawyers. This pivotal post combines oversight of a multidisciplinary legal team with movement driven advocacy and strategic litigation. The Legal Director will identify and pursue high impact cases to challenge unlawful policies and drive systemic change, while building strong external relationships with affected communities, policymakers, and partners. Working collaboratively, the role will co create innovative models of legal support that respond to emerging needs and amplify the voices of people most affected by drug laws and wider structural injustice. As Legal Director, you will: Set Strategic Direction: Define and implement strategies to expand legal aid provision, improve access to justice, and embed harm reduction principles across all legal work. Lead and Inspire: Oversee a multidisciplinary team of solicitors, legal advisers, and volunteers, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation. Ensure Excellence and Compliance: Maintain rigorous regulatory standards whilst driving forward progressive, client-centred approaches to legal practice. Advance Systemic Change through Strategic Litigation: Identify and pursue high-impact cases to influence legislation, challenge unlawful policies, and dismantle barriers to justice for people who use drugs and other marginalised communities. Engage Externally: Build powerful coalitions by engaging with affected communities, policymakers, stakeholders, and advocacy networks to drive legal and social reform. Co-Create Innovative Service Solutions: Develop new models of legal support that respond to emerging needs, leverage technology, and amplify the voices of those most affected by drug policy and laws by working in partnership with them. This role is ideal for a visionary and inspiring leader who combines legal expertise with a commitment to social justice, harm reduction, and systemic transformation. Person Specification Essential Minimum 9 years + post qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate, and Minimum 7 years + significant experience in legal aid supervision and regulatory compliance, and Minimum 3 years + proven leadership and team management skills, and Minimum 3 years + strategic litigation or test cases, and Strong commitment to social justice, harm reduction, and trauma-informed practice. Desirable Experience working in a charity or non profit organisation. Experience supporting, contributing to, or developing test case work, policy linked casework, or other legal work aimed at achieving wider systemic or community impact, including through indirect, collaborative, or emerging roles. Understanding of the impact of drug policy and criminalisation on marginalised communities. Experience in developing new services, partnerships, or funding linked delivery models.
Release - L.E.A.D.S
Working closely with your co head, you will provide shared leadership to a dynamic social justice team, supporting excellent casework, nurturing staff development, and building strong, values led partnerships. Your remit will include strengthening and growing our legal aid services, securing sustainable funding to support community focused work, and influencing policy and practice to improve access to legal aid for the communities we serve. Please Note: We do not expect the appointee to generate legal aid income at a multiple of their salary (although we do want to build this area of income initially to at least £25,000 to £30,000 per annum across the team). The role is focused on developing legal aid practice and income across the team, as part of a mixed-income organisational model. As Joint Head of Legal Services, you will: • Support Strategic Development: Contribute to developing the direction and priorities of Release s legal services, including expanding legal aid work and strengthening access to justice. • Provide Practice Leadership: Support a multidisciplinary team of solicitors, legal advisers and volunteers to deliver excellent, trauma-informed legal support. • Ensure Quality and Compliance: Help ensure consistent regulatory compliance and quality assurance across legal casework, including legal aid requirements. • Strengthen and Grow Services: Help develop and improve legal service delivery models, including responding to emerging needs and client priorities. • Contribute to Systemic Change: Support Release s wider mission by helping connect legal services with policy, research, and advocacy work. This role is ideal for someone with strong legal aid expertise and management potential , who wants to take a meaningful step into senior leadership whilst continuing to centre client care, justice and harm reduction. Person Specification Essential • Minimum 6 years + post qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate, and • Minimum 4 years + substantial experience in legal aid casework, supervision and/or compliance, and • Minimum 2 years + experience of supervising others and/or management experience and • Substantial experience in public law, housing law, and/or community care law within legal aid practice , and • Strong commitment to social justice, harm reduction, and trauma-informed practice. Desirable Experience working in a charity or non profit organisation. Experience supporting, contributing to, or developing test case work, policy linked casework, or other legal work aimed at achieving wider systemic or community impact, including through indirect, collaborative, or emerging roles. Understanding of the impact of drug policy and criminalisation on marginalised communities. Experience in developing new services, partnerships, or funding linked delivery models. We are committed to building a legal services team that reflects the communities we work alongside and embeds equity, inclusion, and accessibility at every level of our organisation. We aim to support people to grow into leadership roles with confidence, recognising that talent and potential are developed through opportunity as much as experience. If you are motivated by community impact, collaboration, and strengthening access to justice through legal aid, we encourage applicants who meet the core requirements to apply, even if their experience does not align with every element of the person specification. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of marginalisation and from groups currently under represented in senior legal leadership.
Working closely with your co head, you will provide shared leadership to a dynamic social justice team, supporting excellent casework, nurturing staff development, and building strong, values led partnerships. Your remit will include strengthening and growing our legal aid services, securing sustainable funding to support community focused work, and influencing policy and practice to improve access to legal aid for the communities we serve. Please Note: We do not expect the appointee to generate legal aid income at a multiple of their salary (although we do want to build this area of income initially to at least £25,000 to £30,000 per annum across the team). The role is focused on developing legal aid practice and income across the team, as part of a mixed-income organisational model. As Joint Head of Legal Services, you will: • Support Strategic Development: Contribute to developing the direction and priorities of Release s legal services, including expanding legal aid work and strengthening access to justice. • Provide Practice Leadership: Support a multidisciplinary team of solicitors, legal advisers and volunteers to deliver excellent, trauma-informed legal support. • Ensure Quality and Compliance: Help ensure consistent regulatory compliance and quality assurance across legal casework, including legal aid requirements. • Strengthen and Grow Services: Help develop and improve legal service delivery models, including responding to emerging needs and client priorities. • Contribute to Systemic Change: Support Release s wider mission by helping connect legal services with policy, research, and advocacy work. This role is ideal for someone with strong legal aid expertise and management potential , who wants to take a meaningful step into senior leadership whilst continuing to centre client care, justice and harm reduction. Person Specification Essential • Minimum 6 years + post qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate, and • Minimum 4 years + substantial experience in legal aid casework, supervision and/or compliance, and • Minimum 2 years + experience of supervising others and/or management experience and • Substantial experience in public law, housing law, and/or community care law within legal aid practice , and • Strong commitment to social justice, harm reduction, and trauma-informed practice. Desirable Experience working in a charity or non profit organisation. Experience supporting, contributing to, or developing test case work, policy linked casework, or other legal work aimed at achieving wider systemic or community impact, including through indirect, collaborative, or emerging roles. Understanding of the impact of drug policy and criminalisation on marginalised communities. Experience in developing new services, partnerships, or funding linked delivery models. We are committed to building a legal services team that reflects the communities we work alongside and embeds equity, inclusion, and accessibility at every level of our organisation. We aim to support people to grow into leadership roles with confidence, recognising that talent and potential are developed through opportunity as much as experience. If you are motivated by community impact, collaboration, and strengthening access to justice through legal aid, we encourage applicants who meet the core requirements to apply, even if their experience does not align with every element of the person specification. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of marginalisation and from groups currently under represented in senior legal leadership.
