Senior Legal Counsel | Job Openings | About PETA - PETA India

• To help manage PETA India litigation at various forums, including briefing and assisting external counsels, drafting pleadings and attending hearings.
• To provide sound legal advice backed by research, as assigned, to PETA India staff members in respect of out-of-court campaigns.
• To draft internal legal documents, legal notices or complaints to authorities on behalf of PETA India, as assigned.

P r i m ary Responsibilities and Duties:

• Attend meetings with external counsels and brief external counsels on cases assigned to you, including sensitising them to PETA India s positions and desired outcomes.
• Thorough reading and familiarity with pleadings, orders and relevant documents in relation to the cases you are assigned, drafting event chronologies and briefing notes for external counsels and participating in briefing conferences with external counsels.
• Drafting and research for legal documents such as police complaints, complaint letters to authorities, legal notices, court pleadings and agreements based on thorough research and sound legal knowledge and arguments.
• Attending hearings before various forums, including where required the Supreme Court, High Courts and trial courts and assist the arguing counsels in the course of hearings.
• Draft and review in-house legal documents such as agreements, and advise on in-house regulatory compliances.
• Conduct thorough legal research for ongoing and proposed litigation, and actively share ideas and recommendations during strategy discussions.
• Remain up-to-date with relevant legal developments, such as laws, amendments, rules, notifications, case-laws. Research, interpret, and apply pertinent central government and state statutes, regulations, case law, government circulars, notifications and other relevant legal material to ongoing campaigns and litigation.
• Exercise due diligence and be impeccably organised, including by maintaining neat and clear records of correspondence, court-related documents and other documentation.
• Provide campaigners, researchers, investigators, and caseworkers with other legal support, including by contributing creative and well-researched ideas in strategy-setting brainstorms where required.
• Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Bachelor s degree in law (LLB) from a university recognised by the Bar Council of India
• At least three years of work experience as a practising lawyer/in-house counsel, with preference to litigation experience
• Litigation experience in High Courts (writ jurisdiction) and sound knowledge of constitutional and criminal law a plus
• Knowledge and experience of in-house work such as drafting of agreements with external parties, employment contracts a plus
• Knowledge of applicable regulatory regimes such as the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, other RBI guidelines and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 a plus
• Good standing to practise law
• Preferred experience in animal rights law, constitutional law or related fields
• Awareness of animal rights issues and PETA India campaigns
• Proven excellent legal research and drafting skills
• Proven excellent critical thinking and analytical skills
• Proven ability to handle multiple tasks within strict time constraints
• Willingness to travel extensively for PETA India litigation
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written
• Proficiency in Hindi a plus.
• Knowledge of regional languages (apart from Hindi) a plus
• Professional appearance and adherence to a healthy vegan lifestyle
• Support for PETA India s philosophy and the ability to advocate for our positions on issues in a professional manner
• Commitment to the objectives of the organisation