Vacancies
Advocate is an equal opportunities employer. You can find our full Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy here.
Bar in the Community Management Committee Member
About us
We are a charity that matches people who need free legal help with barristers who are willing to donate their time and expertise for those who cannot obtain legal aid and cannot afford to pay.
We are the only pro bono charity to provide access to legal assistance in all areas of law, in all courts and tribunals across England and Wales.
We have been facilitating free legal help since 1996 and have grown into a thriving organisation working with almost 4,500 volunteer barristers. Our team comprises 23 dedicated casework, communications and administrative staff, as well as a committed team of student casework volunteers who work with us daily. We have 13 trustees on our Board which is chaired by Sharif A Shivji KC.
About Bar in the Community
Bar in the Community (BIC) is a volunteering initiative overseen by Advocate that was set up in 2000 with the aim of matching barristers volunteering their time with management committee positions of local voluntary organisations. Since then, BIC has expanded the breadth of volunteering it seeks to facilitate and now works to find barristers and chambers professionals to fill a variety of voluntary roles across a range of local and national organisations.
The initiative advertises roles from a range of charities working towards many different causes beyond the Bar. Prospective volunteers can become trustees, governors, mentors, workshop facilitators, resource creators and much more. The scheme has opportunities available for every skill set and every level, so these benefits can be found whether volunteers are just starting out in their career, looking to progress to a more senior level, or even retired.
Bar in the Community is a powerful tool for charities who are in need of support from those with a legal background, as well as for barristers and chambers professionals who are keen to give back to the community and gain skills or experience that will positively impact their career.
“I simply don’t think I would be where I am without the experiences I have gained from volunteering. Professionally, board-level volunteering has helped me to build my network, learn from industry greats, test my leadership style, make mistakes and circulate my ideas about how organisations and movements should run.”
Abiodun Olatokun, Trainee Barrister at Matrix Chambers
"Volunteers from the legal world have numerous skills and abilities which can be applied outside the context of the law. There are real benefits to the public from that shared expertise. Many of us entered the law with the aim of making our society a better place to be. It is worth remembering that you can achieve that goal outside the law too."
Sharif Asim Shivji KC, Chair of Advocate
About the role
We are looking for two people to join the recently created management committee of BIC at a key stage in our development as we look to further expand the initiative, with a particular focus on engaging more charities and more volunteers.
We want to recruit two candidates with a commitment to volunteering and the work of BIC. We are looking for people with the following background:
1. Marketing and engagement: At present, the most important goals for Bar in the Community are to engage charities to ensure a steady stream of interesting opportunities and to engage volunteers to take on these opportunities. It is therefore essential for the management committee to be able to advise on how to promote opportunities and engage people and organisations.
2. Expertise in volunteering: As one of our key focuses is to engage the Bar in volunteering through BIC we are eager to recruit someone with previous experience working with volunteers and successfully recruiting for volunteer vacancies.
We recognise the need to ensure that Equality Diversity and Inclusion is reflected in all aspects of Advocate’s work including our management roles. We appreciate the additional perspectives diversity brings adds depth and understanding to our work. To that end, we strongly encourage applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds or other underrepresented backgrounds.
Applicants do not need previous management committee experience to undertake this role and we welcome applications from those with all levels of experience.
Time commitment and requirements of the role
Members would attend management committee meetings every three months. These meetings would last approximately an hour and time should also be factored in ahead of the meeting to read the papers. We anticipate these meetings being online. We are eager to recruit people who are willing to actively participate in discussions.
We are looking for candidates with a willingness to commit the necessary time and effort and to apply your experience and expertise to support the Manager of BIC. Those applying should understand the responsibilities of being part of a management committee.
Remuneration
The roles are unpaid positions, however reasonable out of pocket expenses may be reimbursed, particularly to assist with travel costs or caring responsibilities.
Application process
To apply for the position, please submit a CV and a short supporting statement of no more than one page to recruitment@weareadvocate.org.uk setting out:
1. A description of why you want the role.
2. What you would bring to the role.
We would be grateful if you would also complete the equal opportunities form if you are willing to do so. This is optional and all responses are anonymised. These forms are not used in our decision making but to monitor if we are meeting our EDI policy.
If you would like to find out more about the role please contact Holly James, Manager of BIC, at hjames@weareadvocate.org.uk, who would be happy to discuss the role further.
The deadline for applications is Sunday the 13th of October. Interviews will be held across the weeks of the 21st and 28th of October.
Further reading
To find out more about our work, who we help, our volunteers and supporters please visit Advocate’s website – www.weareadvocate.org.uk – and BIC’s website - https://weareadvocate.org.uk/volunteer/bar-in-the-community.html.
Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.