Vacancy-Environmental Justice Litigation and Research Associate – closed

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Environmental Justice Litigation and Research Associate

Who is Natural Justice?

Natural Justice (NJ): lawyers for communities and the environment is a non-profit organisation, specialising in human rights and environmental law, operating on the African continent and at the regional (African Commission) and international (UN) levels. We are a team of progressive legal practitioners who conduct comprehensive research on environmental and human rights law, support communities and local organisations, provide technical advice to governments and intergovernmental organisations, and engage in key international processes in pursuit of social and environmental justice. Natural Justice is headquartered in Cape Town, works in a range of African countries, and has teams in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Benin, Zimbabwe and Guinea.

 

Who is Katiba Institute?

Katiba Institute (KI) was established to promote the understanding and implementation of Kenya’s new Constitution. KI endeavours to enhance the implementation and the realization of the objects of the constitution through research, constitutional education, constitutional litigation and encouraging public participation. KI also works to foster the spirit of Constitutionalism in the East African region by promoting exchange of academic discourse on constitutional issues and by working with like-minded organizations to secure greater freedoms in the East African Region.

What are we looking for?

With increasing infrastructure, extractives and conservation projects in the country, impacts are often born by marginalized groups. Environmental justice seeks the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all citizens in decision-making that concerns their lands and resources. NJ and KI are collaborating to find an Environmental Justice Litigation and Research Associate. The Associate will be responsible for undertaking research on a wide range of environmental justice matters as well as assisting with developing litigation strategies and conducting litigation. This will be a short-term contract until end 2017, with the intention of a longer-term arrangement.

Key duties and responsibilities

• To engage in constitutional and policy research, advocacy and strategic litigation in furtherance of human and peoples’ rights to their lands, resources and knowledge in Kenya.

• To undertake legal research, write submissions and provide opinions on environmental justice issues.

• To conduct NJ’s and KI’s environmental justice matters before Courts and Tribunals.

• To provide high quality legal advice to NJ-KI on existing and potential litigation matters.

• To provide high quality legal advice and support to NJ-KI community partners.

• To file and follow up on high impact cases as may from time to time be determined by NJ and KI.

• To review new and existing litigated files to create, update, or amend litigation plans.

• To assist the Litigation Counsels and Directors in carrying out their functions by providing legal advice on emerging issues and making recommendations in relation to a range of possible actions.

• To disseminate and communicate EJ strategies and outcomes to relevant stakeholders, including Kenyan legal counsel, and the public.

• To form and maintain good working relationships with all key partners including communities, constitutional commissions, government entities and donors.

 

Requirements

• Advocate of the High Court of Kenya of at least three years standing and with a current practicing certificate.

• Experience in conducting and managing litigation confidently with limited supervision and a sound understanding and awareness of litigation processes.

• Experience in conducting litigation on environmental justice cases in the High Court and Environmental Tribunal.

• A good knowledge of constitutional and administrative law, including human rights, land & environmental law, devolution issues or a clear ability to acquire the necessary knowledge within a short space of time.

• Good legal research skills in law, policy and social issues.

• Sound written and oral communication skills.

• Ability to grasp quickly and accurately new and complex concepts.

• Ability to work under pressure and as part of a team.

• Ability to balance priorities and co-ordinate work effectively in order to meet deadlines and deal with high workloads.

• Conviction in and commitment to constitutionalism and principles of environmental justice.

• Ability to analyze problems rigorously and from all angles, showing sound practical judgement.

• Sound emotional intelligence skills to enable interaction with persons from all sectors of the society.

Application process

Please email your application for the attention of Human resources (admin.nbo@naturaljustice.org) with the job title in the subject line.

Include a motivation letter that indicates why you feel you are the best candidate for this position, a detailed CV with three references, and maximum three samples of your past work (for example, articles or research reports).

Please ensure that your application as a whole speaks to the required skills and experience and desirable traits and attributes listed above.

 

Deadline: Tuesday 1 August, 2017

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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