Honduras: Volunteer Legal Advisor

Context

Lawyers Without Borders Canada (LWBC) is currently looking for several volunteer legal advisors for its project in Honduras, "Justice, Governance and Fighting Impunity in Honduras" (GOJULIH), as well as for the multi-country project, "Protecting Children, Women and Other Vulnerable Communities" (PRODEF).

The GOJULIH project is implemented by LWBC and funded by Global Affairs Canada. This project aims to increase access to justice for most vulnerable groups and individuals and to support civil society organizations, as well as actors in the justice sector, to strengthen their role as pillars of good governance, democratic counterweight and protectors of the rule of law. As part of this project, LWBC is looking for three volunteers to work in collaboration with a law firm as well as with civil society partners CATTRACHAS and Comité por la Libre Expresión(C-Libre).

The PRODEF project is implemented by the consortium of LWBC and the International Bureau for Children’s Rights (IBCR) within the framework of the Voluntary cooperation program financed by Global Affairs Canada. It aims to improve the protection of rights of children, women, poor and marginalized communities as well as strengthening democracy and the rule of law through access to justice. The volunteer will work within the civil society organization Comité de Familiares de Detenidos-Desaparecidos en Honduras(COFADEH).

Description of the partner organizations

CATTRACHAS is a lesbian feminist network specializing in the political advocacy and human rights advocacy of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual and intersexual (LGBTTI) community in Honduras through research and communication. The volunteer will support the CATTRACHAS team among other in the procedural steps of different files before the inter-American human rights system, as well as in supporting the development of plea before constitutional justice.

C-Libre is a coalition of journalists and members of civil society whose mission is to promote and defend freedom of expression and the right to information in Honduras. The volunteer legal advisor will collaborate with C-Libre in particular by supporting constitutional litigation processes, to promote the application of international standards in domestic law with regard to access to information.

The partner law firm is a specialized human rights strategic litigation group located in the south of the country, in the city of Choluteca. The volunteer legal advisor will, among other things, support the firm in the documentation, analysis and development of legal strategies related to its litigation actions.

COFADEH's mission is to contribute to the protection and respect of civil and political rights in Honduras, by promoting access to justice and the implementation of public policies in this area. The legal advisor will support COFADEH's legal team in the litigation of cases of serious human rights violations brought before national courts and international bodies.

Security

The security of the volunteers and other collaborators is the main concern of LWBC and its partners. Several measures and security protocols are applied by the local personnel, the expatriates, the volunteers and the personnel involved in short-term missions.

The selected candidates will be formed on safety and will have to commit to the respect of the different measures and protocols. Because the activities are executed only if there are sufficient guaranties and if the conditions are optimal, the Consortium can postpone or annul the deployment of the selected volunteers, particularly on security grounds.

Position description

The volunteer legal advisors are called upon to perform various legal tasks linked to human rights. While some volunteers particularly contribute to the documentation, the analysis of the issues related to human rights and the drafting of thematic reports, others participate in the proposition of legal reforms, analyse jurisprudence or are implicated in cases of strategic litigation that are brought before national and international tribunals and bodies.

More practically, the volunteers can be required to complete the following tasks:

Ø Contribute to the preparation of the necessary documentation needed for a participation to the thematic hearings before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights;

Ø Carry out legal research related to specific cases of serious human rights violations;

Ø Carry out research and analysis, and participate in the drafting of legal documents on the issues of human rights, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, gender justice or sexual violence;

Ø Analyze jurisprudence and systematize the information properly;

Ø Coordinate the collection, analysis and triangulation of information for the preparation of documents;

Ø Participate in advocacy activities with the authorities;

Ø Organise training workshops destined to civil society as well as public officials;

Ø Analyse issues and participate in the development of legal strategies and arguments;

Ø Attend hearings of identified cases;

Ø Participate in the drafting of documents submitted to national courts or international bodies;

Ø Participate in the documentation and systematization of cases, including in the organization and the classification of the evidence;

Ø Take part in meetings with various stakeholders involved in cases at Bar (lawyers, representatives of the attorney general's office, victims, etc.);

Ø Write articles on the legal work performed (mainly for the LWBC website);

Ø Support the straightening of organisational capacities, through work organisation, information management, communications, etc.

Qualifications

Ø University education in law;

Ø Mastery of spoken and written Spanish

Ø Good knowledge of international criminal law and/or human rights law and/or international humanitarian law and/or gender justice and sexual violence and/or transitional justice;

Ø Good knowledge of the Inter-American human rights system;

Ø Interest in promoting and defending human rights as well as enforcing the members of civil society;

Ø Strong skills in written composition and legal research;

Ø Ability to quickly assimilate domestic law concepts in order to harmonize them with knowledge of national or international law;

Ø Ability to adapt to the sometimes difficult working conditions and situations (restrictive security measures, limited resources, logistical difficulties, work under pressure etc.);

Ø Ability to work as a member of a team;

Ø Ability to integrate various work environments;

Ø Willingness to travel within the country of deployment;

Ø Basic computer skills (Word, Excel, Outlook);

Ø Absolut respect for confidentiality.

Assets

Ø Masters or doctorate degree in law;

Ø Previous experience in similar functions;

Ø Experience in project management and knowledge of results-based management tools;

Ø Experience with communities or groups in vulnerable situations, specifically with the LGTTBI community;

Ø Work experience in Honduras or Latin America;

Ø Knowledge of the social, economic and legal context of Honduras or other developing or post-conflict countries;

Eligibility requirements

Ø Canadians citizens and permanent residents will be preferred, but other applications may be considered;

Ø Be coveredby the provincial health insurance plan or by a private plan;

Ø Be available to participate in pre-departure training (dates to be confirmed).

Application process

Interested candidates should submit their application (cover letter and curriculum vitae) in Spanish, Frenchor**English** at the following address: reclutamiento.honduras@asfcanada.ca. Please make sure to submit your application for the position: “Volunteer legal advisor” by March 17, 2019 at 11.59 pm.

We thank every candidate for their interest. However, we will only be contacting the candidates selected for the interviews.