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We’re hiring: Legal & Governance Counsel (Founding Role)
We are a Section 8 organisation working at the intersection of legal aid and legal literacy, grounded in a systems-thinking approach and built on a simple but powerful belief: justice is not a one-time courtroom event, but an ecosystem.
We are looking for our first in-house Legal & Governance Counsel, someone who can move seamlessly between strategy and execution. Someone who can draft a policy in the morning and help a field team understand its real-world impact by the afternoon. Someone who sees compliance not as a checklist, but as the foundation that enables bold, scalable, and responsible work.
The Role
As our Legal & Governance Counsel, you will help build the organisation’s legal backbone from day one, and stay closely embedded with programmes as they evolve.
You will sit at the intersection of governance and implementation, because in our organisation, those are often the same table.
Responsibilities
- Compliance & Governance: Own the compliance calendar end to end, covering Companies Act (Section 8), FCRA, 12A/80G, labour laws, and data protection, ensuring nothing is reactive or last minute.
- Policy Design & Implementation: Draft and continuously refine organisational policies (HR, POSH, safeguarding, finance, data, vendor, conflict of interest), and design how they are actually adopted and lived across teams.
- Operational Legal Support: Handle contracts, MoUs, partnerships, grants, and day to day legal needs across geographies and government interfaces.
- External Counsel Management: Build and manage a panel of lawyers and pro bono partners, ensuring clarity, quality, and accountability.
- Systems & Tracking: Create dashboards, trackers, and escalation systems that make compliance visible, proactive, and embedded into organisational culture.
Requirements
- Law degree (LLB/BA LLB); Bar Council enrolment preferred
- 4–6 years of relevant experience (corporate/non-profit compliance or a hybrid background)
- Strong familiarity, or the ability to quickly build expertise, in Section 8 regulations, FCRA, labour law, and tax exemptions (12A/80G)
- Excellent drafting skills in clear, simple English
- Exposure to the social sector, legal aid, or rights-based work is a strong plus
How we work:
This is a founding role in a young, family-philanthropy-backed organisation.
Expect:
- The energy and ambiguity of a start-up
- Fast decision-making and direct access to leadership
- The intention and patience of building something that lasts decades
To Apply
Send your CV along with a short note (max one page) on:
- Why does the idea of justice as an ecosystem resonate with you?
We read this more carefully than the CV itself. If you have ever drafted a policy and seen it change real behaviour, tell us that story.
Share at anushka.nagpal@apf.org.in
Click on Apply to know more.