General Counsel
Royal Academy of Arts · London, England
FULL-TIME
Posted Sep 8, 2026
Job Description
Job Summary The Royal Academy of Arts is currently looking to appoint an experienced, strategic and commercially minded lawyer to join the RA as our new General Counsel.
Job Description
The postholder will lead on a broad range of legal and governance matters, including commercial contracts, intellectual property, data protection, charity and company law, property, employment, regulatory and compliance matters, as well as litigation and disputes. This role will also have responsibility for company secretarial services, the RA's governance framework and risk, and the management of external legal advisers and legal spend.
The General Counsel will play a key role in supporting the RA to manage legal, regulatory and reputational risk, while ensuring that legal advice is practical, proportionate and aligned with the organisation's charitable, strategic and commercial objectives. The General Counsel will also act as the organisation's Data Protection Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer.
About You
To be considered for this role, you will be a UK qualified solicitor or barrister with significant post-qualification experience and a strong track record of providing high quality legal advice at a senior level. You will have substantial commercial and contract law experience, excellent drafting skills and a strong working knowledge of intellectual property, company secretarial requirements and charity and company law. Expert knowledge and experience of data protection law is also essential.
You will be a confident and credible adviser, able to build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and provide clear, pragmatic and well balanced advice, including on complex or sensitive matters. Commercially astute and and strategic in your thinking, you will understand the wider context in which legal advice is being provided and be able to balance risk with the RA's strategic, commercial and charitable objectives. You will bring sound judgement, excellent analytical and problem solving skills and a calm and measured approach to working.
Job Description
The postholder will lead on a broad range of legal and governance matters, including commercial contracts, intellectual property, data protection, charity and company law, property, employment, regulatory and compliance matters, as well as litigation and disputes. This role will also have responsibility for company secretarial services, the RA's governance framework and risk, and the management of external legal advisers and legal spend.
The General Counsel will play a key role in supporting the RA to manage legal, regulatory and reputational risk, while ensuring that legal advice is practical, proportionate and aligned with the organisation's charitable, strategic and commercial objectives. The General Counsel will also act as the organisation's Data Protection Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer.
About You
To be considered for this role, you will be a UK qualified solicitor or barrister with significant post-qualification experience and a strong track record of providing high quality legal advice at a senior level. You will have substantial commercial and contract law experience, excellent drafting skills and a strong working knowledge of intellectual property, company secretarial requirements and charity and company law. Expert knowledge and experience of data protection law is also essential.
You will be a confident and credible adviser, able to build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and provide clear, pragmatic and well balanced advice, including on complex or sensitive matters. Commercially astute and and strategic in your thinking, you will understand the wider context in which legal advice is being provided and be able to balance risk with the RA's strategic, commercial and charitable objectives. You will bring sound judgement, excellent analytical and problem solving skills and a calm and measured approach to working.
Additional Details
- City
- London
- State
- England
- Country
- GB
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