5 February 2024

LRI trustees are pleased to announce that, following an open recruitment process, Pascale Bird was appointed as LRI’s permanent Executive Director on 1 February 2024. Pascale has over twelve years’ experience working in the climate arena: attending COPs and subsidiary meetings and delivering training sessions on the UNFCCC regime and its relevance for developing countries, both in the UK and abroad, for a wide range of audiences. Over the years she has developed an extensive network and numerous relationships with the legal community, negotiators and partner organisations, all of which will stand her in good stead as she steers the organisation through its next phase of growth and development.

14 December 2023

The impacts of climate change are becoming ever more serious, while international climate law is becoming ever more complex and demanding. Countries such as Least Developed Countries (LDC) are disproportionately impacted yet with limited capacity to respond in comparison with major emitters. Legal Response International (LRI) is a London based charity, working to provide free legal support to low income developing states and civil society at the UN climate change negotiations, capacity building and assistance with national implementation.

LRI has a team of 4 staff, coordinating a network of over 170 legal experts from law firms, universities and barristers’ chambers who provide advice and assistance on a pro bono basis. Over the last 10 years, LRI has become a highly respected source of knowledge and support in the field.

Since 1 Jan 2023 LRI has been led by an Interim Director. We now wish to appoint a permanent Executive Director. We invite any suitable applicants to apply so they can be considered.

Job title: Executive Director.

Job commitment: 4 or 5 days per week.

Work location: City of London and home working. Travel overseas in connection with participation at UNFCCC meetings and capacity building activities expected.

Role and responsibilities

The role involves leading, developing and representing the organisation, developing the strategy, fundraising and reporting to the Trustees.

Main responsibilities:

Leadership and Strategy

• Leading LRI and the process of developing strategy, in collaboration with trustees, staff, and the wider LRI network.
• Representing LRI in public fora, building the organisation’s reputation for effective work amongst LRI’s developing country clients, the legal community, and funders.

Fundraising

• Building relationships with key funders, leading the processes of applying for funding, negotiating contracts and reporting to funders.
• Identifying and applying to new sources of funding to support LRI’s work, in collaboration with the Trustees.

Legal and capacity building

• Overseeing the coordination and development of LRI’s legal advisory service.
• Ensuring quality of legal output, eg by drafting, contributing to or reviewing materials.
• As appropriate, attending key parts of UNFCC meetings and delivering advice and training material at key tutorials and other events (in-person and/or virtual).
• Outreach to law firms and the wider legal community.

Human resources and relationship building

• Building an effective and happy team of staff and volunteers.
• Identifying gaps in staffing, recruiting new staff to fill those gaps.
• Discipline and appraisals.
• Overseeing and contributing to the identification of new partners and networks; for example, amongst developing country delegations, individual negotiators, NGOs and volunteers.

Project management and operational

• Ensuring compliance with outputs and other requirements under funding contracts, including the preparation of work plans and reports.
• Ensuring on-going financial and administrative management of LRI operations, incl. preparing budget and supervising the external finance team.
• Supervising staff and volunteers.
• Overseeing preparations for UNFCCC meetings and training workshops, and the management and supervision of the team at meetings.
• Organisation of, and participation in, Board meetings and Reporting to the Trustees.
• Ensuring maintenance and updating of knowledge management systems, database and website.
• Ensuring compliance with Companies House and Charity Commission reporting obligations.

The ideal candidate should meet the following requirements:

• Demonstrable leadership and relationship building skills.
• At least 10 years’ experience in international climate related law and a deep understanding of the UNFCC processes.
• Evidence of creativity, vision and strategic thinking.
• Evidence of fundraising and contract negotiation skills.
• Experience in facilitating and managing people from diverse backgrounds, including developing countries.
• Excellent communication skills in oral and in written English.
• Excellent organisation and interpersonal skills.
• Right to live and work in the UK.

In addition, it would be an advantage to have:

• A command of French and/or Spanish.
• Experience in financial management.
• A good network of contacts in the international climate community.
• Experience in a leading role within a charity.

Remuneration: [£60,000-£70,000 ] per annum pro-rata   

Application process

Please email a CV and cover letter (each no more than two pages) setting out your motivations for applying for the position and how you meet the above requirements to anne@annemiller.uk by no later than 6.00 pm on 5^th January 2024.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to present their vision for the organisation, including their ideas for the strategy and fundraising to achieve the vision.

Please also provide details of two referees whom we may contact, in the event that we would like to offer you the position.

The deadline for applications is 6pm 5th January 2024

Shortlisted applicants will be called for an interview during the week commencing 15th January.  

LRI is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

6 March 2023

LRI’s first board meeting of the year 2023 took place with its three new trustees at the table: Dr. Alina Averchenkova (LSE/Grantham Research Inst.), Birsha Ohdedar (SOAS) and Jannis Bille (Herbert Smith Freehills). If you are curious to see what they look like and read their short bios head to our Who We Are page.

LRI continues to provide legal support and assistance in and around the international climate change negotiations. At the same time, it is broadening its focus to mirror the work under the Paris Agreement, which is shifting towards national implementation. As part of this strategic shift, the organisation will continue working with climate vulnerable developing countries, in particular the Least Developing Countries, to strengthen their capacity to respond to the climate challenge and support them in their efforts in law and policy making at the national level.

4 January 2023

We would like to let you know that Christoph Schwarte will be leaving LRI in January 2023.

We are grateful to Christoph for all his hard work and the significant expertise he contributed to the work of LRI over the last 10 years, helping the organisation to become the highly respected source of knowledge and support in efforts to level the playing field for LDCs and other low-income developing country parties in the international climate negotiations under the UNFCCC.

As the international rule making is now substantially complete and work under the Paris Agreement shifting towards national implementation, LRI will in the future increasingly broaden its focus to include helping climate vulnerable developing countries, in particular the LDCs, with capacity-building and law and policy making at the national level. Christoph has decided to take on new challenges outside the LRI, but will be continuing to work towards climate justice. We wish him well.

The LRI board

8 December 2022

The impacts of climate change are becoming ever more serious, while international climate law is becoming ever more complex and demanding. Low income developing countries are disproportionately impacted, but with limited capacity to respond in comparison with major emitters.

We are a London based charity, working with low income developing countries and civil society by providing high quality free legal advice in connection with UN climate change meetings.

LRI has a team of 3 staff, coordinating a network of over 170 legal experts from law firms, universities and barristers’ chambers who provide advice and assistance on a pro bono basis. Over the last 10 years, LRI has become a highly respected source of knowledge and support in working with low income developing countries and other vulnerable parties in the international climate negotiations under the UNFCCC.

As international rule making is now substantially complete and work under the Paris Agreement is shifting towards national implementation, LRI seeks to increasingly broaden its focus to include working with climate vulnerable developing countries, in particular the LDCs, to strengthen their capacity to respond to the climate challenge and support them in their efforts in law and policy making at the national level.

We are seeking 2-3 new trustees, with relevant expertise, enthusiasm and time to help guide this strategic shift in our work.

Experience in any of the following areas will be useful:

• Climate-related law and policy making;
• Developing relevant networks, including by identifying potential partners, or providers of legal and policy making advice, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa; and/or
• Capacity building, professional education and remote learning.

We welcome applications from outside the UK, but it will be useful if you are able to attend online meetings in the afternoon or evening, GMT. We are an equal opportunities organisation.

Time Commitment: We hold 4-6 meetings per year, usually on Zoom and welcome assistance as appropriate outside of these meetings.

Salary: None, but expenses available
Term of appointment: 3-4 years
How to apply and when: Please send your CV and covering letter to Pascale Bird (pbird@legalresponse.org) by 9 January 2023
To find out more: Please contact pbird@legalresponse.org or the board’s co-chair Anne Miller anne@annemiller.uk