Legal Officer job at The Refugee Law Project (RLP) Uganda

Reporting Relationship: Administrative: Field Office Coordinator
Technical: Programme Manager Access to Justice

Position brief:
The Legal Officer provides direct legal support to victims of forced migration and carries out policy advocacy. The Legal Officer also provides technical support to RLP about Legal work by actively contributing to defining Legal priorities on research, partnership, alliance building and advocacy.

Key Performance Areas

KPA 1: Direct Legal Aid

• As a direct legal service provider, the Legal Officer represents forced migrant clients before the courts of law and other institutions;
• Provide legal advice to forced migrants and support migrant groups;
• Identify and make referrals for resettlement of clients as per established procedure;
• Facilitate Alternative Dispute Resolution among conflicting parties;
• Conduct Legal aid clinics in the refugee settlements to provide on-spot legal aid services
• Oversee watch briefs participation and reporting
• Make appropriate referrals for legal and alternative support

KPA 2: Research and Advocacy

• Conduct research, documentation, and publication on issues of access to Justice as they relate to forced migrants and forced migration;
• Prepare legal opinions and advice on general issues of forced migration that may arise from time to time
• Conduct training for government duty bearers and forced migrants;
• Develop information, Education and Communication Materials relating to Access to Justice, including Factsheets
• Draft opinion pieces, press releases, and briefing notes on key access to justice and the rule of law situations in their district of operations
• Draft analysis on key policy and legislative issues governing the protection of forced migrants and their hosts

KPA3: Stakeholders’ Capacity Building

• Support the development of training guides, user manuals, and training modules for capacity building for relevant actors on issues related to access to justice
• Facilitate training workshops, conferences and seminars on human rights aspects, as well as other training and information sessions organised by and for RLP
• Support the coordinating of annual events related to human rights
• Engage in high-level roundtable workshops with judicial officials on the management of refugee-host cases
• Organise refresher training for paralegals on refugee rights and protection
• Conduct quarterly in-house legal information sessions at the field office level on key and policy frameworks governing refugee and host protection

KPA 4: Networking

• Organize and facilitate information sessions and dialogues with forced migrants and other stakeholders;
• Coordinate networking with other stakeholders in the provision of legal aid, including but not limited to Government institutions, UNHCR, among others;
• Initiate, review and advise on MOUs between RLP and other partner organisations and ensure compliance as necessary
• Participate at district sector meetings on protection issues governing forced migrants and their host communities

KPA 5: Fundraising

• As a sustainability mechanism, the Legal Officer will support fundraising by developing technical narratives, proposals and concept notes for purposes of project design;
• Participate in the identification of new lines of intervention that facilitate fundraising;
• Work with the Grants team to identify funding sources relevant to the programme work.

KPA6: Documentation

• Ensure that all relevant online and offline data-capturing tools are up-to-date and provide periodic summaries of key interventions as instructed by the supervisor.
• Support the Programme Manager in conducting annual situational analysis on access to justice for refugees and host in and around refugee hosting districts of operation
• Lead in integrating human rights into MEAL processes, setting specific indicators for process monitoring and advising team in obtaining human rights-specific information
• Map and maintain up-to-date databases of partners’ profiles
• Ensure that activity, monthly, quarterly and annual reports are compiled and shared in the agreed timeframe.

Job Requirements

• Possession of a Bachelors Degree in Law from a recognised university
• Possession of a Post Graduate Diploma In Legal Practice and a practising certificate
• Experience representing clients before courts of law or any other governing bodies.
• Experience in engaging with key partners on legal-related issues
• Knowledge of any language spoken in refugee communities will be an added advantage
• Ability to think and write conceptually, convincingly and strategically
• Ability to engage in advocacy at both local and national levels
• Ability to give timely reports on activities undertaken
• Ability to work under pressure with minimum supervision
• Creative and innovative skills
• Commendable interpersonal skills and a high level of self-motivation
• Excellent skills in MS Office applications and good communication and presentation skills

• As a direct legal service provider, the Legal Officer represents forced migrant clients before the courts of law and other institutions;
• Provide legal advice to forced migrants and support migrant groups;
• Identify and make referrals for resettlement of clients as per established procedure;
• Facilitate Alternative Dispute Resolution among conflicting parties;
• Conduct Legal aid clinics in the refugee settlements to provide on-spot legal aid services
• Oversee watch briefs participation and reporting
• Make appropriate referrals for legal and alternative support
• Conduct research, documentation, and publication on issues of access to Justice as they relate to forced migrants and forced migration;
• Prepare legal opinions and advice on general issues of forced migration that may arise from time to time
• Conduct training for government duty bearers and forced migrants;
• Develop information, Education and Communication Materials relating to Access to Justice, including Factsheets
• Draft opinion pieces, press releases, and briefing notes on key access to justice and the rule of law situations in their district of operations
• Draft analysis on key policy and legislative issues governing the protection of forced migrants and their hosts
• Support the development of training guides, user manuals, and training modules for capacity building for relevant actors on issues related to access to justice
• Facilitate training workshops, conferences and seminars on human rights aspects, as well as other training and information sessions organised by and for RLP
• Support the coordinating of annual events related to human rights
• Engage in high-level roundtable workshops with judicial officials on the management of refugee-host cases
• Organise refresher training for paralegals on refugee rights and protection
• Conduct quarterly in-house legal information sessions at the field office level on key and policy frameworks governing refugee and host protection
• Organize and facilitate information sessions and dialogues with forced migrants and other stakeholders;
• Coordinate networking with other stakeholders in the provision of legal aid, including but not limited to Government institutions, UNHCR, among others;
• Initiate, review and advise on MOUs between RLP and other partner organisations and ensure compliance as necessary
• Participate at district sector meetings on protection issues governing forced migrants and their host communities
• As a sustainability mechanism, the Legal Officer will support fundraising by developing technical narratives, proposals and concept notes for purposes of project design;
• Participate in the identification of new lines of intervention that facilitate fundraising;
• Work with the Grants team to identify funding sources relevant to the programme work.
• Ensure that all relevant online and offline data-capturing tools are up-to-date and provide periodic summaries of key interventions as instructed by the supervisor.
• Support the Programme Manager in conducting annual situational analysis on access to justice for refugees and host in and around refugee hosting districts of operation
• Lead in integrating human rights into MEAL processes, setting specific indicators for process monitoring and advising team in obtaining human rights-specific information
• Map and maintain up-to-date databases of partners’ profiles
• Ensure that activity, monthly, quarterly and annual reports are compiled and shared in the agreed timeframe.

• Knowledge of any language spoken in refugee communities will be an added advantage
• Ability to think and write conceptually, convincingly and strategically
• Ability to engage in advocacy at both local and national levels
• Ability to give timely reports on activities undertaken
• Ability to work under pressure with minimum supervision
• Creative and innovative skills
• Commendable interpersonal skills and a high level of self-motivation
• Excellent skills in MS Office applications and good communication and presentation skills

• Possession of a Bachelors Degree in Law from a recognised university
• Possession of a Post Graduate Diploma In Legal Practice and a practising certificate
• Experience representing clients before courts of law or any other governing bodies.
• Experience in engaging with key partners on legal-related issues