Trainee advocacy officer jobs

About Reprieve

Reprieve works with the most disenfranchised people in society. Our aim is simple: to consign the death penalty and abuses carried out in the name of “counter-terrorism” or “national security” to history, drawing public and political attention to these past harms with a view to preventing them from occurring again.

In our view, you can best judge a society by how it treats prisoners, criminal defendants, and the far-flung targets of an ever-changing counter-terror policy. To us, the rule of law means little if we selectively apply it to people we agree with. It is for all of us. Liberty is always eroded at the margins.

Reprieve’s staff is made up of courageous and committed human rights defenders. Founded in 1999, we provide free legal and investigative support to people facing the death penalty and those victimised by states’ abusive counter-terror policies – rendition, torture, arbitrary detention and extrajudicial killing.

We fight our clients’ cases in courts around the world; investigate their mistreatment; and advocate on their behalf, encouraging public and political debate of human rights issues.

Reprieve’s main office is in Aldgate, London, UK. Reprieve also supports full-time Fellows, who work as lawyers, investigators and campaigners in the countries in which we work. We work closely with a number of partner organisations in jurisdictions all over the world, who provide access to clients, expertise, knowledge and guidance on specific issues or regions. We work in cooperation with relevant government officials, individual lawyers and human rights defenders, as well as individual, corporate and foundation funders to further the cause of our shared goals.

Reprieve works in close partnership with its independent sibling organisation Reprieve US. This collaboration is mutually beneficial to both Reprieve and Reprieve US as it enables each organisation to work more effectively and take advantage of the strategic locations to increase the impact of our work.

Reprieve is an equal opportunity employer and we particularly welcome applicants from Black and minority ethnic communities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those with disabilities. Reprieve is committed to fighting racism and advancing racial justice, both in our work and within Reprieve. 

About the Role

The Legal Officer will be an integral part of the UK Litigation team and will work closely with external legal teams to advance our cases and ensure coordination of legal actions in line with Reprieve’s strategic goals. They will be responsible for administration and maintenance of casefiles and key case management documents and assume certain day-to-day file management responsibilities. They will feed into case strategy discussions and will support the team by conducting and overseeing legal and factual research, drafting documents for litigation and advocacy purposes, and producing and maintaining core internal documents and records. The Legal Officer will also help advance investigations on selected cases, coordinating record collection, feeding into investigation plans and supporting other investigative work. 

In addition to working on UK legal cases, the role will encompass work on Reprieve’s cross-cutting strategic United Nations engagement and international litigation. This will involve monitoring for relevant opportunities to shape international law and working on international legal submissions, particularly before international human rights complaints mechanisms and international tribunals. 

There may also be opportunities to contribute to other areas of Reprieve’s work. 

The Legal Officer will be responsible for overseeing and line managing trainees seconded from partner law firms.

Applicants will share our commitment to fighting against racism and advancing racial justice, and understand our responsibility to do our work in a way that does not compound racist structures.

For full details, please download the job description.

Length and Salary

This is a full-time role, on a one-year fixed term contract, with the possibility to extend, subject to funding. The annual salary is £42,193 per annum, less any required deductions for income tax and national insurance. 

This role is based in Reprieve’s London office. Reprieve operates a hybrid working model and we require staff to work two days per week from the London office and the rest of the week from home. Applicants must have the current right to work in the UK, which will be checked prior to interview.

Your presence is important during core office hours, whether remotely or in the office. You will also be available outside of office hours in the event of an emergency, for example case developments that require urgent action. This is a role that may require travel and work outside of core office hours from time to time.

Reprieve is proud to have an open and transparent pay structure, governed by a 2:1 pay ratio between the highest-paid member of staff and the lowest-paid member of staff. We are a flexible employer and offer a range of nonfinancial benefits to employees. We welcome applications from a range of backgrounds. 

Full details and how to apply

Please review the job description and person specification for full details. To apply, please submit the application form at the web address provided. Please note that CVs and cover letters cannot be accepted for this role. 

The deadline for applications is 23:58 BST on 1 June 2025. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK currently and for the duration of the contract.