Legal Assistant

INTERSOS is a non-profit Humanitarian Aid Organization that works to bring assistance to people in danger, victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts. Established in 1992 with support from the Italian Federation of Trade Unions, its actions are based on the values of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equal rights and opportunities for all people and respect for diversity and coexistence, paying particular attention to the most vulnerable and the unprotected.

INTERSOS identifies with the core values of CONCORD, the European Confederation of NGOs; it adheres to international codes of conduct for humanitarian organizations and the values and principles expressed within those codes. INTERSOS is recognized by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the European Commission and the principal UN agencies; it is privileged to hold an advisory status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
INTERSOS is an independent association which, through its own humanitarian operators, intervenes to effectively answer the needs of people in serious crises situations, mainly in the world's poorest regions, who are suffering, deprived of rights, dignity and essentials goods. It maintains a flexible operating structure. The head office in Italy coordinates, supports and monitors the planned activities in the countries of intervention carried out by decentralized offices.

Job Purpose:

The Legal Assistant is responsible for supporting the lawyers in providing legal information, counseling, assistance and representation to vulnerable persons in accordance with INTERSOS’ mandate, priorities and donor agreements.

Assist the lawyers in planning and conducting awareness raising sessions on legal issues and legislation pertaining to civilians’ protection.

Main Duties:

• Support lawyers, as needed, in conducting intake interviews with beneficiaries in order to assess legal needs and provide legal counselling on the main issues identified
• Provide legal information to clients on the main legal issues identified
• Carry out all tasks respecting key protection principles, including but not limited to: do no harm, non-discrimination, confidentiality, accountability and need-to-know principles
• Document cases under his/her responsibility on the internal legal platform/database and ensure that any progress on action plan and any significant change in client’s overall situation is timely and duly recorded
• Ensure proper and safe filing and archiving of legal cases files maintaining data confidentiality
• Plan, organize and facilitate awareness legal sessions in the area of operation according to identified needs
• Attend meetings, workshops, & trainings as requested by the management.
• Respect deadline for the delivering of weekly and monthly reports and any kind of urgent reporting to the Project Manager or Protection Officer.
• Perform any other related task not listed here but necessary to the project and activities.

Specific Duties:

(Can be adapted to the particularities of the job location and the requirement of the project. This section shall be revised whenever a new employee is hired).

Competencies: (Knowledge, Skills & Abilities)

Professional Competencies:

• Minimum 2 years of relevant professional experience.
• Good knowledge of the local legal system and legal procedures
• Previous working experience with IDPs, refugees and returnees
• Strong knowledge of international protection and human rights legal standards
• Knowledge on how to communicate with vulnerable population groups, such as women, children, youth, elderly, disable and refugees.
• Previous experience in working with governmental authorities is a plus.
• Computer literacy (Word, Excel, Power Point)
• Report writing skills
• Driving License issued since more than 1 year.

Behavioural competencies:

• Teamwork
• High degree of flexibility and adaptability; Available to work extra hours and available at the weekend for emergency cases.
• Initiative
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Planning and Organizing
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Respect and a non-discriminatory attitude
• Ethical and transparent decision-making

• Cultural awareness; Excellent knowledge and understanding of local communities and customary rules.
• Empathetic
• Ability to work under pressure

• Independence, i.e. conducting tasks with minimal supervision, and stress resilience
• Self-motivation, goal/result-orientation.
• Humanitarian motivation and commitment to INTERSOS values
• Respect of Intersos policies and procedures