About Reprieve

Reprieve works with the most disenfranchised people in society. Our aim is simple: to consign the death penalty and abuses carried out in the name of “counter-terrorism” or “national security” to history, drawing public and political attention to these past harms with a view to preventing them from occurring again.

In our view, you can best judge a society by how it treats prisoners, criminal defendants, and the far-flung targets of an ever-changing counter-terror policy. To us, the rule of law means little if we selectively apply it to people we agree with. It is for all of us. Liberty is always eroded at the margins.

Reprieve’s staff is made up of courageous and committed human rights defenders. Founded in 1999, we provide free legal and investigative support to people facing the death penalty and those victimised by states’ abusive counter-terror policies – rendition, torture, arbitrary detention and extrajudicial killing.

We fight our clients’ cases in courts around the world; investigate their mistreatment; and advocate on their behalf, encouraging public and political debate of human rights issues.

Reprieve’s main office is in Aldgate, London, UK. Reprieve also supports full-time Fellows, who work as lawyers, investigators and campaigners in the countries in which we work. We work closely with a number of partner organisations in jurisdictions all over the world, who provide access to clients, expertise, knowledge and guidance on specific issues or regions. We work in cooperation with relevant government officials, individual lawyers and human rights defenders, as well as individual, corporate and foundation funders to further the cause of our shared goals.

Reprieve works in close partnership with its independent sibling organisation Reprieve US.  This collaboration is mutually beneficial to both Reprieve and Reprieve US as it enables each organisation to work more effectively and take advantage of the strategic locations to increase the impact of our work.

Reprieve is an equal opportunity employer and we particularly welcome applicants from Black and minority ethnic communities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those with disabilities. Reprieve is committed to fighting racism and advancing racial justice, both in our work and within Reprieve. For more information, please see our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement. You can also read more about our recruitment process.

Please see here for answers to some of the commonly asked questions on recruitment at Reprieve. Our applicants’ privacy notice is available here.

Reprieve is a licensed visa sponsor, but we are not in a position to sponsor visas (including charity worker visas) for the majority of roles. If we can accept applications from applicants who require a visa for a specific role this will be clearly stated on this page and in the job description.  

We are proud to have an open and transparent pay structure. We strongly welcome applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds. Our Equal Opportunities Policy is available here.

Current Vacancies

We are currently recruiting for the following positions. New roles will be advertised here, so please check back soon if none are available.

Legal Officer

Contract: Full time, one-year fixed term contract with the possibility of extension
Salary: £42,193, plus up to 5% employee matched pension contribution
Location: London (hybrid)
Deadline for applications: 23:59 BST on 1 June 2025

Please review the job description and person specification for this role and complete an application form, which should then be uploaded via the link below. Please note that CVs and cover letters cannot be considered for this position.

Lead Lawyer – Africa Death Penalty Team

Contract: Full time, one-year fixed term contract with the possibility of extension
Salary: £52,088, plus up to 5% employee matched pension contribution
Location: London (hybrid)
Deadline for applications: 23:59 BST on 8 June 2025

Please review the job description and person specification for this role and complete an application form, which should then be uploaded via the link below. Please note that CVs and cover letters cannot be considered for this position.

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Other Opportunities

There are many ways to become involved in Reprieve’s work. You can support our campaigns, make a donation, carry out a placement through a sponsoring institution, or work for Reprieve. Whatever you choose to do, your contribution is valued by us.

We are proud of our diversity and we want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to contribute to our work. With that goal in mind, we do not have unpaid volunteer roles because we recognise that not everyone is in a position to give their time for free. Instead, we are very lucky to have the support of universities who fund placements and 12-month fellowships, law firms and corporate partners who offer their staff on secondments, and charitable trusts who fund internships both in the UK and abroad.

Seasonal Placements

We are pleased to accept applications for seasonal fellowships from those funded by their university or other public interest bodies, with funding disbursed directly to the fellow. We accept applications for placements on academic credit within the school year, and not over the summer when applicants must be externally funded. We cannot consider applicants who wish to self-fund their placements.

Applicants should be available to work full-time for Reprieve for at least 8 weeks. We are pleased to accept applications for the summer of 2025.

Those interested in applying should carefully read our advert and applicant information. Applications can be submitted to [email protected] following the process outlined in the advert. Please note that we are unable to consider applications from those who do not meet the requirements outlined above and provide the information requested. For any questions please email [email protected]

Postgraduate Fellowships

Our sibling organisation Reprieve U.S. offers fellowships for graduating students who are able to secure full external funding. The fellowships normally run for one year, full time and are based in Washington DC.

Interested candidates should review our postgraduate fellow role description and applicant information before applying. Information on additional fellowship will be added here, so please check back soon. We are currently accepting applications for the following roles:

• Unlawful Detentions Team Postgraduate Fellow
• MENA Death Penalty Postgraduate Fellow
• Advocacy and Research Postgraduate Fellow
• Africa Death Penalty Postgraduate Fellow
• US Death Penalty Postgraduate Fellow
• South East Asia Death Penalty Postgraduate Fellow
• Death Penalty Legal Postgraduate Fellow

Applications and enquiries should be sent to [email protected]

Secondments

Reprieve works with law firms to provide secondments for trainee solicitors who make a huge contribution to our UK litigation. For more information please get in touch with your firm’s Head of CSR or Pro Bono, and ask about Reprieve secondments.

Reprieve Skills Bank

Reprieve is fortunate hold a skills bank of experts and linguists who support us with their skills on an ad hoc, pro bono and remote basis. If you have particular skills you would like to share with Reprieve or any questions please register your interest by emailing [email protected] to request an application form. Once you have registered we will contact you when an opportunity arises that you may be interested in.