Job Description

About the Legal Education Foundation (LEF)

“Why does it matter that people can understand and use the law?”

This question lies at our core. It led us to focus on the law as a tool for social justice and has become the common thread in our work. We are now one of the largest social justice funders in the UK, and one of the only to focus on the specific role and potential of the law. 

We distribute around £6m a year through our grants addressing critical areas of law, such as human rights, employment, housing, discrimination, children’s rights, community care, education, immigration, asylum and public and administrative law. We fund work to advance racial, gender, and disability justice, and work with communities including tenants, workers, migrants, refugees, and children. As well as funding, we also support organisations with training, consultancy and networking opportunities while using insights from our work and the work of our grant partners to influence broader policies and systems.

Over the past 12 years, we have achieved a great deal, and the journey ahead is even more exciting. As we develop our next strategy, we are deepening our focus on strengthening those who are best placed to drive social justice, building trusting relationships with grant partners and, especially during these challenging times, showing solidarity.

For new trustees, this is a pivotal moment to help shape our future working alongside a committed board, dynamic staff team, and a wide network of grant partners, peer funders and others committed to social justice.

About being a new Trustee

There’s more information in the pack but to give a flavour, being a trustee includes: shaping and approving our vision and strategy, being part of the team that ensures we follow governance best practice, overseeing the funds and budget of the organisation, risk management and making sure we live our values. 

Our trustees bring a range of perspectives and provide expertise alongside their commitment and energy. We work by consensus in a collegiate manner. Meetings are stimulating, instructive and respectful. We are experienced and supportive, and you do not need to have had previous trustee experience to apply. 

We are seeking up to three new trustees to contribute to our mission. In this recruitment round, we are prioritising candidates with lived and learned experience in one or more of the following areas: frontline social justice work, lived experience of social justice issues, the UK immigration system, strategic communications and influencing and progressive grantmaking. The new trustees will also need to demonstrate an ability to work collegiately a commitment to equity, diversity and anti-oppression, and an acceptance of the legal duties of a trustee. For more details, please see the candidate pack. 

We are open to candidates seeking their first board position and support, training and a comprehensive induction will be provided by the Foundation to help new trustees feel confident in the role.

If you heed help to access the application materials, please contact Allyson Daviesor Belinda Berry.

We value, welcome and respect all the differences that make us who we are, including: age, cultural background, disability and mental health, ethnicity and race, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, neurodiversity and socioeconomic background.

How to express your interest

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Allyson Davies (details in the pack).

Download the Trustee information pack for more background about LEF, the requirements of the role, and how to express your interest.