Counsel for International Law

We are looking for a Counsel for International Law to join our Committee Office at the House of Lords. This is a specialist position where you will be supporting the work of House of Lords select committees through the provision of legal advice on public international law and the parliamentary scrutiny of treaties.

You will work principally with the International Agreements Committee, the International Relations and Defence Committee and the Environment and Climate Change Committee. Your focus will be to provide relevant, expert, timely and user-friendly legal advice and analysis.

This is an opportunity to work on a hybrid basis where you will be able to work from home for up to three days per week, subject to business need. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who possesses strong knowledge of public international law alongside good political awareness, can clearly communicate this expertise to a range of audiences and enjoys working with different stakeholders.

You'll be accountable for -

• taking the lead in providing legal advice and briefing both orally and in writing on international law issues relevant to committee inquiries, including analysis of treaties laid under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010;
• providing other advice and support to committee work as necessary, including on priorities for future scrutiny work and identifying appropriate witnesses on legal topics;
• reviewing key papers, correspondence and draft reports for legal accuracy;
• maintaining effective working relationships with the Chair, members and staff of each of the three core committees, supporting new team members as appropriate; and
• raising awareness of the work of the core committees, in particular the IAC, through outreach to the Government and wider international legal community.

If this sounds like something you would like to hear more about, please apply below.

What we're looking for -

• Qualified solicitor, barrister or advocate in a UK jurisdiction with substantial post-qualification experience in the field of public international law.

Relevant expertise:

• Excellent knowledge of public international law including the law and practice of treaties and international organisations. Knowledge of international trade law would be an advantage.
• Strong general knowledge of the law of England and Wales, with a particular understanding of constitutional and administrative law

Political judgement:

• A high level of political awareness including of the political context of the Committees' work and a good understanding or experience of the machinery of government in the UK

Personal effectiveness:

• Strong analytical, research and writing skills
• Strong written and oral communications skills and experience of influencing at senior levels
• The ability to work well with colleagues

What you'll get in return

• 30 days annual leave (increasing to 35 after one years' service)
• Generous pension scheme
• Parliamentary health and wellbeing programme
• The opportunity to witness history in the making!

The work we do is vital to House of Lords, and you will be a pivotal member in the team strengthening the work of the House. The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK parliament. It is independent from and complements the work of the House of Commons to:

• Make laws
• Check and challenge the actions of the government through questions and debates
• Investigate public policy and provide a forum of independent expertise

Please complete your online application by 23.55pm on 07 December 2025.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the application process, please contact or call .

Job offers are standardly offered at the minimum of the salary range.

We welcome applications from all candidates with diverse characteristics, including different ages, caring responsibilities, disability, gender/sex, gender reassignment/trans, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race/ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation and socio-economic status. We welcome discussions about flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments.