Legal Counsel (Football Regulation & Litigation)
The Football Association (FA)
The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England. We are responsible for promoting and developing the game at all levels; from grassroots through to the professional game, The Emirates FA Cup and the England international teams.
- Posted
- 1 Aug 2022
- Status
- Full Time
- Permanent
- Location
- England
- Closing date
- 26 Aug 2022
Our Organisation
The Football Association [The FA] is the not-for-profit governing body of football in England. It is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and generates significant revenue to support investment into English football each year.
The FA oversees England international teams across men's, women's, youth and disability football, as well as running the National League System and FA Competitions including the Emirates FA Cup, Barclays FA Women's Super League, FA Women's Championship, and Vitality Women's FA Cup, and the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park, all with a purpose to Unite the Game and Inspire the Nation.
The Role
To provide proactive legal support to The FA Group across a full range of contentious, regulatory and risk issues.
Key Accountabilities
- Delivering robust legal advice in an efficient and effective manner to The FA group.
- Protecting the organisation from litigation and reputational risk.
- Providing legal support on football regulatory matters.
- Providing legal and disciplinary support to the England national teams.
- Advising on FIFA/UEFA regulatory matters.
- Providing advice on player status issues, transfers and agents.
- Handling contentious intellectual property issues.
- Dealing with insurance issues affecting The FA Group.
- Providing support to the safeguarding team on legal issues.
- Providing focused instructions to external law firms when authorised to do so.
- Executing any additional tasks required in order to meet legal team and FA Group changing priorities.
- Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure the highest standards of health, safety and wellbeing can be maintained.
What we are looking for
Essential
- Experience of working at a major law firm as a qualified Solicitor
- Must be able to demonstrate a breadth of relevant contentious legal knowledge gathered in a major law firm and/or corporate.
- Ability to demonstrate clear and concise written and oral legal advice.
- Ability to demonstrate the application of robust legal advice in a practical manner.
- Excellent organisation skills.
- Demonstrable ability to work and deliver under pressure
- Excellent customer service skills with the ability to adapt and tailor approach dependent on needs.
- Excellent planning, prioritisation and time management skills.
Desirable
- Previous experience in sports law.
- Experience in dealing with arbitration.
- Previous in-house experience.
- Previous experience in instructing external law firms.
What we can offer you
- An exciting and challenging role within a changing, dynamic and world-renowned sports organisation.
- Attractive benefits and a competitive salary.
Please be aware that unless you are on a homebased contract, your contract with The FA will specify a fixed location of either Wembley Stadium, St. George's Park or our Processing Centre.
We currently work within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary.
How To Apply:
Please click 'Apply Now' to begin the online application process.
The Football Association Group promotes inclusion and diversity, and welcomes applications from everyone. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process please mention this in your application.