Volunteer Commercial Lawyer / Solicitor

London Rangers Youth & Community is seeking an experienced commercial lawyer or solicitor to help structure and draft agreements with investors, developers and commercial partners supporting the development of football, padel and community sports facilities at our West London site.

What will you be doing?

London Rangers Youth & Community is developing its long-term home into a sustainable community sports and education hub, bringing together football, education, padel and community activities.

We hold a long-term lease over the site and are progressing plans which include a full-size 3G football pitch, four padel courts, improved football facilities and supporting community infrastructure.

We are speaking with potential investors, developers, operators and sports facility partners who may provide capital, equipment, construction or operational expertise in return for revenue share, repayment, operating rights or other commercial arrangements.

We need an experienced commercial legal professional who can help us ensure these arrangements properly protect the charity and its long-term interests.

The volunteer would initially:

• Review proposed heads of terms and commercial offers
• Advise trustees on appropriate commercial structures
• Draft and/or review commercial agreements with sports investors and developers
• Help structure investment, development and revenue-sharing agreements
• Advise on agreements with padel court operators and developers
• Review football facility development arrangements
• Clarify ownership of facilities and equipment
• Address capital contributions and responsibility for cost overruns
• Define revenue shares, minimum payments and payment mechanisms
• Establish responsibilities for maintenance, repairs, insurance and replacement
• Consider operating rights, booking rights and community access
• Protect the charity's control and long-term use of the site
• Advise on contract length, renewal, exclusivity and termination provisions
• Include appropriate performance, default and step-in provisions
• Consider what happens if a commercial partner becomes insolvent or fails to complete the development
• Help ensure commercial arrangements are consistent with the charity's lease and charitable objectives
• Identify areas where specialist property, tax, planning or charity-law advice may also be required

The role is intended to provide practical commercial legal support rather than simply general legal guidance.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for an experienced solicitor, barrister or senior commercial legal professional with experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.

Particularly relevant experience would include:

• Commercial contracts
• Joint ventures and strategic partnerships
• Investment and development agreements
• Revenue-share agreements
• Property-related commercial agreements
• Sports and leisure developments
• Infrastructure or construction projects
• Operator/concession agreements
• Funding and capital investment
• Charity commercial arrangements

Experience involving sports facilities, football, padel, leisure centres, property development or community assets would be especially valuable.

You should be comfortable translating commercial discussions and heads of terms into clear agreements which properly allocate risk, responsibility, control and financial return.

Knowledge of charity law and the additional considerations involved when a charity enters into arrangements with commercial organisations would be highly desirable.

We recognise that some matters may require specialist advice outside the volunteer's expertise. An ability to identify those issues early and advise trustees when external specialist advice is required would therefore also be valuable.

What difference will you make?

This role will have a significant long-term impact on our charity.

We have secured a long-term home and have an opportunity to transform the site into a sustainable community sports and education hub.

Delivering that vision will require us to work with commercial organisations willing to invest significant capital into facilities such as football pitches and padel courts.

These partnerships can create substantial opportunities for the charity, but poorly structured agreements could also expose us to long-term financial or operational risks.

Your expertise will help trustees understand exactly what the charity is agreeing to before contracts are signed.

You will help us protect the charity's land interests, revenue, community access and ability to operate the site, while creating agreements that are commercially workable for our development partners.

Good agreements could enable private investment to help create facilities that would otherwise be difficult for a small charity to finance independently.

Ultimately, your contribution could help unlock investment into facilities used for education, grassroots football, SEND provision, community sport and wider community activities for many years to come.