Lawyer

1. Organizational Profile

Lawyer for Human Rights (LHR) is a civil society organization established by like-minded lawyers in 2018 and re-registered in September 2019 before the FDRE Civil Societies Organizations Agency in accordance with Proclamation No. 1113/2019. It principally aims to increase the role and contribution of lawyers in the promotion and protection of human rights in Ethiopia. The objectives of the Organization includes increasing the participation and contribution of lawyers in the area of human rights through trainings and other capacity building activities, supporting lawyers across the country and helping them to exchange ideas, information and experience for better protection of human rights and prevalence of human rights; litigating strategic cases in courts and other relevant organs to ensure protection of human rights recognized under the FDRE Constitution and other laws; creating awareness for justice organs about international human rights instruments ratified by Ethiopia; providing free or low-cost legal services for victims of human rights violation particularly disadvantaged communities; influencing the government to enact new laws or amend existing ones to give full protection for human rights; familiarizing the idea of human rights defenders among the lawyers etc.

To achieve these objectives, LHR has been implementing various projects in collaboration with donors. Currently, LHR is implementing a project entitled “Advancing Human Rights through Pre-trial Legal Aid Services II,” in consortium with Advocates Ethiopia and Mizan Young Lawyers Association, with support from the Civil Society Innovation Fund II (CSIF II). The objective of this project is to make legal aid services accessible to detainees in the early stages of criminal proceedings at police stations.

Providing legal aid services at police stations improves the poor protection of access to justice in the early stages of criminal proceedings and contributes to the protection of the rights of detainees. Accordingly, LHR plans to provide legal aid services to detainees at police stations in Addis Ababa. Lawyers will primarily provide the planned legal aid services. Accordingly, LHR is seeking to hire one lawyer to provide legal aid services at selected police stations in Addis Ababa during the project period.

• Job Title: Lawyer
• Job category: Program
• Report to: Project Coordinator
• Place of Work: Addis Ababa
• Salary: As per the organizational scale
• Type of Employment Condition: Full Time
• Required Number: 1(one)

Role and responsibilities

The principal role of the lawyer is to render legal aid service to detainees in selected police stations in Addis Ababa.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

• Provide a free legal service in accordance with the Guideline of the Free Legal Aid Service prepared by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR);
• Render legal advice to clients on the law and legal matters relating to their case;
• prepare pleadings and petitions based on the client’s needs;
• Prepare cases for court as necessary;
• Report and document on the details of free legal aid services in accordance with the guidelines prepared by LHR to the project coordinator;
• Render the legal aid services in accordance with ethical standards of lawyering.

Job Requirements

1. Competencies

Competency is important in order for the employee and the organization to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

Professional competencies:

• A University degree in law (LLB) with a minimum of 2 years’ experience as a judge, prosecutor, or practicing law;
• Have sufficient knowledge on the Ethiopian legal system; the criminal justice system of Ethiopia; the Ethiopian criminal and procedural laws; the Constitutional right to access to justice through legal aid services, and the National and International legal framework on the rights of persons arrested in police stations;

Personal Qualities:

• The ability to explain legal matters clearly in non-legal language;
• A passion for justice and fairness and for respect of Human Rights;
• Ability to prioritize responsibilities, carry out multiple tasks simultaneously, and meet deadlines;
• Ability to work under pressure and with limited supervision in a challenging environment;
• Pro-active, goal-oriented, and results-driven;
• Flexible and creative;
• Excellent communication skills, including written communications;
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic languages; Afan Oromo and Sidama languages are mandatory for applicants for Adama and Hawassa legal aid centers, respectively.
• Computer literate and skills in internet usage;
• Excellent documentation skills;

Disclaimer:

This job description is only a summary of the typical functions of the job. It is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties. The responsibilities, tasks, and duties of the jobholder may differ from those outlined in the job description, and other duties, as assigned, may be part of the job.