Legal and Advocacy Officer (NYC)

THE POSITION

At LAW our goal is to empower victims and survivors to identify and articulate their rights and their justice needs, reduce impunity and increase accountability, supporting victims and survivors to advocate for victim-centred truth seeking and justice and assist them to select the appropriate mechanisms. Our approach is creative, inclusive and responsive and we work with the most vulnerable in fragile and conflict affected contexts.

The ideal Legal and Advocacy Officer will be a self-starter who can help deliver the highest quality legal advice and advocacy services. This role will focus on high-level advocacy at the United Nations (UN), among member states, civil society, and other key stakeholders. LAW is a UN-accredited NGO such that the Officer will have a UN badge and access to UNHQ and key decision-makers there. They will work closely and collaboratively with LAW’s Communication Manager and take advice from Programme Managers as well as the Head of Litigation.

They will support the Head of Litigation and Programme Teams in field offices to produce high-quality legal and advocacy materials. They will also help develop an exciting new program on fugitive tracking, advocating with key member states, national prosecutors, civil society, and stakeholders at the UN in New York and Geneva. They will cultivate and deepen relationships with actors on the tracking, arrest, extradition, and prosecution of fugitives. They will organize at least one high-level conference on this topic.

BACKGROUND ABOUT LAW

LAW is an independent, non-profit organisation comprised of human rights lawyers and jurists working in fragile and conflict affected areas in the Middle East, Ukraine, Africa and South Asia. LAW has a particular focus on gender equality and sexual and gender-based violence, the rule of law and accountability and transformative justice - working to bring justice to those who need it most.

LAW’s portfolio includes multiple ground-breaking cases, which utilise creative legal strategies on behalf of victims and survivors from some of the most challenging contexts, representing more than 1000 clients. LAW’s ground-breaking work has received international media coverage, including in the New York Times, the Times of London, the Guardian, Al-Jazeera, BBC News, France24, The Independent, Voice of America, Huffington Post, and Foreign Policy.

Role Overview and Responsibility:

Reporting to the Head of Litigation, the Legal and Advocacy Officer will support litigation and advocacy plans by drafting and contributing towards innovative reports, policy notes, and communication products, ensuring LAW is consistently producing high-quality materials for advocacy proposals as well as reviewing concept notes, briefs, strategies, and other documents when necessary.

The post holder will perform duties in accordance with the responsibilities outlined below:

Legal:

· Provide support to LAW’s litigation initiatives aimed at justice and accountability for victims and survivors of international crimes and human rights violations, including research, drafting, advice, and coordination;

· Develop high-quality legal documents, including submissions, position papers, reports, concept notes, and legal briefs.

· Produce analysis and evaluation of fugitive tracking methodologies developed with key partners

Advocacy and Communications:

· Engage in high-level advocacy at the UN on behalf of LAW’s clients and in furtherance of LAW’s programmatic priorities.

· Devise advocacy priorities and strategies, working closely with the programme staff to identify advocacy opportunities;

· Lead on LAW’s innovation, including through LAW’s expert roundtables;

· Conduct high-level advocacy to ensure state enforcement of warrants for suspects of atrocity crimes and support international cooperation for tracking of such suspects.

· Promote the profile and visibility of the organisation and represent LAW on national and regional platforms, when required;

· Draft a range of written materials, including news releases, op-eds, blog postings, policy analyses, and review reports and documents prepared by others;

· Develop and/or review publications, press releases, talking points, newsletters, case studies, social media content, and other communication products as required;

· Coordinate and ensure that the website and social media content related to our work is up to date and engaging audiences.

· Organise at least one high-level conference on fugitive tracking;

· Any other duties as specified by LAW’s Communications Manager and Senior Management Team.

About You

· You must have the legal right to work in the United States;

· A degree in law or related field, with post-graduate experience in human rights law, criminal justice, journalism, international relations, or a related field;

· 5 years’ demonstrated experience in a similar role within an NGO/INGO is preferred;

· Exceptional speaker with outstanding communication skills both verbal and written in English, and good knowledge of another language preferred (for example French, Arabic, Spanish, Ukranian, Russian, Burmese, or Rohingya);

· Excellent track record of drafting skills and significant experience in drafting proposals and reports within government or the not-for-profit sector;

· Demonstrated knowledge of principles of universal jurisdiction;

· Excellent organisational skills, with an ability to effectively manage individual and project workplans in a fast-paced environment and to effectively problem solve and troubleshoot;

· Flexibility and ability to work simultaneously on a wide range of tasks and projects; ability to prioritise tasks, particularly under pressure, and to meet tight deadlines;

· Ability to work on own initiative and be part of the wider team.

Preferred/desired requirements:

· Experience in the field of high-level UN advocacy;

· Experience in public speaking;

· Experience working in the area of fugitive tracking, arrest and extradition.

LAW is looking for an experienced Legal and Advocacy Officer to join our dynamic team, working in fragile and conflict-affected areas in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

The closing date for applications is 17:00 hours (Geneva time) on 4th November 2024.

To apply, please click on this link: Legal and Advocacy Officer (NYC

At LAW, we are strengthened by the diversity of our colleagues, reflecting the people and communities that we represent and support. Our team includes many nationalities with diverse professional backgrounds, skills, and knowledge. This enables us to deliver and understand the cultural and political contexts on the ground and to tailor our support effectively and appropriately. Women lawyers with experience representing at-risk clients are particularly encouraged to apply.

To learn more about LAW, please visit our website: www.legalactionworldwide.org.