Legal Fellows

Job Description:

• HAQ is recruiting Legal Fellows to provide direct legal support to child victims of various forms of abuse and exploitation in Delhi and NCR throughout the criminal justice process.

Responsibilities

• Representing children in trial courts;
• Managing cases assigned to him/ her;
• Providing the necessary legal support from the time of filing of FIR to the judgment;
• Working closely and in coordination with the social workers, counsellors and other team members and service providers that HAQ engages with for providing legal and/or psychosocial support and restorative care to children;
• Handholding the child and the family through the legal process;
• Conducting interviews and pre-trial visits and preparations necessary for the child and the case;
• Assisting the social worker in matters relating to witness protection and victim compensation;
• Drafting applications and briefs for the cases;
• Drafting closing arguments that advocate for conviction of the accused in accordance with law and the principles of rule of law;
• Drafting letters/notices to be sent to any authority/third party;
• Drafting petitions for strategic litigation and interventions that advocate for the child’s best interest;
• Discussing and developing strategies for rightful conviction, swift justice and child-sensitive process and assisting the legal team in this regard on a case-to-case basis;
• Conducting capacity-building programmes on child rights laws and child protection;
• Maintaining regular updates of cases assigned, documenting experiences and observations during legal case work management, and reporting on progress in each case as per the reporting schedules and formats;
• Participating in periodic review meetings;
• Participating in the discourse on child protection and access to justice through various platforms that HAQ engages with; and
• Contributing towards development of good practices in child rights lawyering.
• Since HAQ’s Access to Justice initiative also has a very strong action research component, Legal Fellows are expected to document information about cases in the case management system in a consistent, accurate, comprehensive and timely manner and also contribute to the creation of data for research.
• Demonstrated commitment to securing and promoting human rights of the most vulnerable.
• Integrity and demonstrated excellence at work
• Proficient in Microsoft Office or similar software and database systems
• Excellent comprehension of written and spoken English and Hindi
• Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to work in a challenging, and sometimes hostile, environment
• Willingness to respond to sexual assault cases at the police station at all times, including late night
• Persistent, bold, yet diplomatic, when standing up for child’s interests
• Willingness to learn and stretch oneself beyond comfort levels
• Ability to adapt to the changing environment at work place and in the sector
• Commitment to meeting deadlines and achieving results under pressure

Qualification & Experience

• Should be a law graduate and enrolled as an advocate with a State Bar Council.
• Minimum 2 years in handling criminal matters in trial courts.
• Persons with minimum one year prior work experience in the human rights sector, ideally women and child rights
• Persons willing to give minimum three years’ commitment as a Legal Fellow