Vacancy at British Institute of International and Comparative Law
Researcher/Research Consultant in Banking and Climate Litigation (0.6fte)
Salary
£ 25,000-30,000
Hybrid/Remote
Vacancy listed
05/08/2025
Application deadline
31/08/2025
Details
The British Institute of International Comparative Law (BIICL) wishes to appoint a Researcher to work on a new Banking & Climate Litigation Mapping project.
Project Overview
BIICL is launching an ambitious new research initiative focused on the intersection between banking practices and climate change litigation. The project aims to map legal frameworks across a selection of jurisdictions to assess their suitability for impact-based legal challenges against major financial institutions that contribute to climate-related harm. The project is a continuation and extension of BIICL’s work on corporate climate litigation, building on its Global Toolbox on Corporate Climate Litigation initiative.
Through detailed national reports and comparative legal analysis, the project will explore causes of action, procedural hurdles, evidentiary needs, and potential remedies related to climate harms financed by global systemically important banks. It also seeks to catalyse new thinking around financial accountability and climate justice, offering practical outputs for strategic litigation and advocacy.
About BIICL
BIICL is a leading independent research organisation. Our research, events, training and publications are grounded in scholarly knowledge and strong practical experience. We seek to make a lasting impact on law and policy around the world.
About the Candidate
We are seeking a committed and skilled legal researcher to support the coordination and development of this project. The successful candidate will work closely with the project leader, Dr. Ivano Alogna (Senior Fellow in Climate and Environmental Law), and other BIICL staff and collaborators, including national rapporteurs and external experts across different jurisdictions.
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge legal research at the intersection of financial law, human rights, and environmental protection.
Job Description
The Researcher/Research Consultant in Banking and Climate Litigation will be expected to undertake the following:
- Support the pre-scoping research and selection of in-scope jurisdictions.
- Assist in identifying and liaising with national rapporteurs and expert groups.
- Coordinate communications and timelines with project contributors across multiple jurisdictions.
- Conduct comparative legal and policy research relevant to banking-related climate litigation and the development of novel legal arguments.
- Help draft template questionnaires and review national reports.
- Support quality control, analysis, and consistency across jurisdictions.
- Contribute to internal briefings, outputs, and potentially to public-facing reports or events, subject to confidentiality arrangements.
- Assist in the integration of project outputs into BIICL's Corporate Climate Litigation Platform.
This is a part-time post (0.6fte), initially for 9 months, but with the potential for extension, subject to funding. The role will be paid at the rate £25,000 to £30,000 per annum (pro rata). The person appointed will commence on 1st October 2025.
Person Specification
The successful applicant will demonstrate the following mix of experience, skills and attributes:
- Proven expertise in both climate/environmental law and banking or financial regulation, ideally with deep understanding of corporate accountability or human rights law.
- Recent research or other relevant experience in relation to the area.
- A postgraduate qualification in a relevant field (LLM or equivalent), with a PhD being an advantage.
- Demonstrated ability to conduct comparative legal analysis across multiple jurisdictions and to translate these insights into practical tools for climate litigation.
- Experience interacting appropriately with other experts, including scholars, practitioners, civil society, policymakers, economists, scientists and external organisations.
- Experience convening events including coordinating with all parties involved.
- Excellent written communication skills (fluency in English – spoken and written), including the ability to produce clear, rigorous, and policy-relevant legal outputs for mixed audiences, and interpersonal skills.
- An ability to deal efficiently and effectively with administrative responsibilities.
- Ability and willingness to work collaboratively and collegially with colleagues.
Application Process
The deadline for applications is Sunday 31 August 2025 at 23.59 BST. Applicants should upload the following documents in pdf format to the BreatheHR portal:
- A completed BIICL application cover form (document available on BreatheHR or at www.biicl.org/vacancies). ) including the names and addresses of three referees (two of whom can be contacted prior to interview).
- A full curriculum vitae.
- A covering letter setting out your reasons for applying and how you consider that you meet the person specification for this post.
- The BIICL Equality Monitoring Form (optional, available on BreatheHR or at www.biicl.org/vacancies).
Informal enquiries may be addressed to the Project Lead, Dr. Ivano Alogna, Senior Research Fellow in Environmental and Climate Change Law (i.alogna@biicl.org) or Ms Crisela Bernardino, Research Fellow in Climate Change Litigation and International Law (c.bernardino@biicl.org).
Applicants are encouraged to find out more about BIICL, its members of staff and activities at http://www.biicl.org.
It is expected that interviews will take place in the week commencing 8 September 2025.
We welcome applications regardless of race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.
We welcome applications regardless of race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.
To be employed at BIICL, you must have the right to work in the UK. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may be considered for a fixed-term research consultancy, with all work to be performed remotely.
Attached documents
| Title | File |
|---|---|
| Application cover form | BIICL_Application_Cover_Form.docx |
| Equality Monitoring Form | BIICL_Equality_Monitoring_Form.docx |