Job Description
Legal Fellow
Partners in Justice International (PJI) is an international human rights organization with a mission to strengthen justice processes for victims and survivors of grave crimes such as crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. We do this primarily by providing practical support to serious crime prosecutors, victim representatives, and investigators working in post-conflict and post-dictatorship jurisdictions. PJI facilitates the circulation and exchange of knowledge and experience locally and among practitioners and experts around the globe. PJI also intervenes strategically in litigation and international procedures to advance the rights of victims and survivors of grave crimes. In short, we partner with local justice actors to challenge impunity for grave crimes, advance justice for victims where they live, and build resilience to sustain peace and democracy long term.
Duties and Responsibilities: In coordination with other members of the PJI legal team, the Legal Fellow conducts factual and legal research relating to situations where PJI works or is considering working and assists with planning and executing trainings and other capacity-building work with local partners. Additional duties may include strategic interventions, community outreach, coalition building, writing and publishing reports, planning and participating in public meetings, legislative research, and social media engagement. The Legal Fellow reports to the Co-Director.
Legal Fellow Specific Responsibilities: The Legal Fellow is primarily responsible for assigned situations and projects.
Research: The Legal Fellow will conduct factual and legal research and writing, including analysing relevant political and legal issues in the situations (usually countries) in which we work or would consider working. By way of example, evaluation of a situation for engagement requires an assessment of both necessary conditions for work (such as whether the justice system abides by human rights norms) and program priorities (such as the likelihood of impact for victims through prosecution or other litigation).
Training and Capacity Building: The Legal Fellow will assist in planning and executing trainings and other capacity-building work with local partners, which may include creating or revising legal tools, reviewing evidence local justice actors have collected, and taking notes during confidential sessions with partners. The Legal Fellow will keep current with the most recent developments in the general field of international criminal law and relevant human rights law. The Legal Fellow will keep adequate files and complete reports at the request of the Co-Director.
Strategic Interventions: The Legal Fellow may work on a variety of initiatives related to PJI's mission and work, including initiatives intended to advance the rights of victims and survivors of atrocity crimes and those intended to strengthen the international justice network.
Education and Outreach: The Legal Fellow may participate in education and outreach activities. Education and outreach activities may include drafting and reviewing program reports, participating in outreach efforts to advance public and local awareness of PJI and its mission, and attending meetings with major stakeholders such as UN and embassy officials. The Legal Fellow reviews program reports, as well as outreach and website materials regarding assigned situations and projects to ensure accuracy. The Legal Fellow may assist in the selection and supervision of legal interns.
Administrative Responsibilities: All PJI staff are responsible for fulfilling minimal administrative responsibilities such as providing emergency contact information, submitting time sheets, and providing receipts for reimbursement of work-related expenses.
Qualifications: PJI seeks candidates with excellent written and oral communication skills and a keen interest in PJI's mission. Ideal candidates are final-year law students, judicial clerks, LLM students, or recent law graduates with a demonstrated interest in international human rights law or international criminal law. Please note that PJI maintains a remote office, so legal fellows are expected to work from home and be available for meetings between 11:00 and 17:00 UK time. The position is remote/work from home.
Don't meet every single requirement Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Partners in Justice International, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and multicultural work environment, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Sponsorship: PJI will be pleased to sponsor selected candidates, but the organization does not have independent funding to pay legal fellows. We expect candidates to apply for funding from an outside source, typically a competitive legal fellowship grant. The majority of fellowships at PJI have been funded by the fellows educational institutions, and we consider this the most likely source of funding for this position. While the candidate is expected to take the lead, PJI will assist the selected candidate in developing proposals, including specific projects, if appropriate. Applications will not be accepted without at least one identified likely funding source.
Partners in Justice International is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse, multicultural work environment. People of colour, women, people with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply. PJI especially encourages people historically underrepresented in the practice of law to apply.
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