Staff Attorney at Justice & Empowerment Initiatives - Nigeria

Start Date:   Immediate

Location:      Lagos (with occasional travel)

Who We Are:

Justice & Empowerment Initiatives (JEI) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Lagos and Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and Cotonou, Benin. We empower poor and marginalized individuals and communities to lead the changes that they would like to see in their own communities -- whether greater access to justice for the poor, pro-poor urban governance and policy, or community-led in-situ upgrading and development. Our work is community driven, community owned, and community sustained. Partner communities identify their needs and set priorities – e.g. addressing violence, strengthening land tenure, or building drainages. These priorities feed into all aspects of our work.

We work hand-in-hand with urban poor social movements and grassroots networks, bringing technical expertise in a variety of professions to inform, strengthen and support community-led efforts to solve justice and development problems. Our ultimate goal is to build the capacity of poor and marginalized individuals to set up sustainable community-level and inter-community structures to support and leverage their efforts and resources to bring about lasting change.

Job Description:

JEI is looking for a committed individual with significant civil litigation, criminal defense, and alternative dispute resolution experience to join our team as a Staff Attorney based in Lagos. He/she will be an innovative thinker and with strong technical skills, who is committed to using the law as a tool for social change and supporting grassroots legal empowerment and access to justice. The Staff Attorney will work with members of JEI staff, community paralegals, and members of grassroots movements we support.

Responsibilities:

• Work with JEI’s legal team and community paralegals to provide grassroots legal aid and legal education to urban poor populations in Lagos, with a focus on persons living in slums/informal settlements, persons working in the informal economy, persons living with disabilities, and minorities.
• Train, encourage, and supervise community paralegals in Lagos.
• Draft and file legal processes and make court appearances.
• Conduct legal research in support of strategic litigation and advocacy.
• Participate in project management and other responsibilities beyond paralegal supervision, litigation, and research as part of the JEI team.

Qualifications:

• At least 5 years experience in civil litigation and criminal defense. Please describe the required experience in a short cover letter. Candidates with more than three years’ experience are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Degree in law and admission (current) to the Nigerian Bar.
• Demonstrated ability to use law as a tool for social change.
• Strong legal writing, legal research, and oral advocacy skills.

Training / teaching skills required.

• Experience working with grassroots movements a significant plus.
• Training and experience in human rights law a plus.
• Training and experience in land law a plus.
• NGO project management experience a plus.
• Experience litigating cases before ECOWAS Community Court of Justice and/or the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights a plus.
• Experience as an entrepreneur or in a startup environment a plus.
• Fluency in “broken” / Pidgin English required. Fluency in Hausa, Egun, and/or Yoruba languages skills a significant plus.

Remuneration:

A competitive salary and benefits will be commensurate with experience.