Legal Counsel

About the Role

The FA’s Legal team plays a vital role in supporting and protecting the game at every level, and is seeking a Legal Counsel to provide trusted legal advice across a broad range of football regulatory, contentious, litigation and strategic matters. The role is suited to a solicitor looking to move in-house as well as those already working within an in-house legal team. The work is varied, high-profile and often unique to football, offering exposure to complex regulatory issues, stakeholder management and strategic projects across the organisation. The successful candidate will build strong relationships, provide practical advice and act as a trusted advisor to colleagues across The FA.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice across football regulatory, contentious, litigation, risk and wider legal support matters.
• Support strategic projects across the organisation, helping colleagues navigate legal and regulatory issues.
• Assist with FA rule and regulatory changes, including consultation with football stakeholders.
• Advise on legal and regulatory matters involving key football stakeholders, including FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League, EFL, WSL, PFA and LMA.
• Support The FA’s Technical Division on FIFA and UEFA regulatory issues affecting England teams, including disciplinary and eligibility matters.
• Help manage legal disputes and litigation, including the instruction and management of external legal advisers where required.
• Identify and mitigate legal risk while supporting business objectives with pragmatic, solutions-focused advice.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with at least 3 years’ post-qualification experience, or the ability to demonstrate equivalent relevant skills and experience.
• Experience gained within a leading law firm, an in-house legal team, or a combination of both.
• Strong contentious, regulatory or dispute resolution experience.
• Ability to provide clear, practical and commercially focused legal advice to a range of stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex legal issues in a straightforward way.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to build credibility and trusted relationships across the organisation.
• Well organised, proactive and comfortable managing a varied workload with competing priorities.
• Excellent judgement and a collaborative approach to problem solving.
• Every employee is required to complete a DBS check, the level of which is based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.

Preferred Skills

• Knowledge of sports law and/or football regulation.
• Experience working in-house or on secondment within a sports organisation.
• Experience advising on regulatory, governance or risk-related matters.

Workplace

• Hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from the contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team, with the remaining days worked remotely.
• The hybrid working model will continue to be monitored and may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary.

Salary

• Competitive salary

Benefits & Perks

• Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season, encouraging colleagues to connect and learn together and to look after their mental health and well-being.
• Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park.
• Private medical cover funded by The FA.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• An additional ‘Thank You’ day’s leave, volunteering days, as well as 25 days of annual leave (based on a full-time, permanent contract).
• A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.
• Unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, the home of English football, and a world-class Elite Performance Centre at St. George’s Park in Staffordshire.

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