The Russia Antidiscrimination Litigation Project, directed by a Senior Project Lawyer based at the Nizhny Novgorod Committee Against Torture and operated in conjunction with the Open Society Justice Initiative, is seeking a Russian-trained attorney, fluent in the English language. This project litigates ethnic minority groups’ rights, ethnic/race discrimination, and related cases in Russian, European and international courts. It works with a diverse group of Russian nongovernmental organizations, representing a range of victims of racial and ethnic discrimination in Russia. Its activities include capacity-building, documentation, reporting, litigation and advocacy.
The Junior Lawyer will be actively involved in the implementation of ongoing projects and will be responsible for identifying and developing new cases in consultation with the Senior Project Lawyer. Travel to Russian regions will be required. The Junior Lawyer will be supervised by the Senior Lawyer, based in Nizhny Novgorod.
The Junior Lawyer will:
Monitor media and NGO publications for political and legislative developments in Russia and particularly in the regions, with the objective of identifying strategic antidiscrimination cases;
Investigate potential cases in different parts of Russia, traveling to collect information and meet with potential clients;
Participate in team decision-making to select cases for the project and devise litigation and advocacy strategies;
Assist in evidence collection and the development and drafting of legal arguments for cases before Russian or international courts, in cooperation with the Senior Lawyer, local partner organizations or lawyers, and Justice Initiative staff;
Explore and develop new initiatives where appropriate.
Qualifications:
Law degree from an accredited Russian law school;
Prior experience litigating human rights cases;
Demonstrated commitment to human rights;
Firm understanding of human rights norms and their enforcement mechanisms at the regional and international levels, especially demonstrated familiarity with the European Convention on Human Rights;
Demonstrated capacity to develop and apply successfully innovative legal strategies;
Excellent English and Russian language legal writing skills and fluency in written and spoken English.
Preferred attributes:
Ability to deal with time pressure and a demanding work environment;
Prior work or intern experience with public interest organizations focusing on human rights and antidiscrimination litigation;
Russian Bar membership;
Knowledge of the social and political situation in Russia.
Salary: competitive, depending on education and experience. Applicants should submit a letter explaining their interest in the position, an English writing sample, a c.v. and, two references to Vladimir Luzin, Senior Project Lawyer, with ‘Russia Junior Lawyer’ in the subject line: vladimirluzin@hotmail.com
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 22 October 2007
Projected start date: 1 January 2008
All applicants will be notified of our receipt of application; only selected applicants will be contacted. Short-listed candidates will be required to attend a formal interview.