Legal Consultant Wanted!

Human Rights and the Environment Program

The Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA) seeks a full-time, legal consultant to work with our Human Rights and the Environment Program. The position is open to experienced attorneys from any country in the Americas who have worked on international human rights or environmental law in a Latin American context. Candidates must show a clear commitment to public interest work, and have excelled in their professional and academic careers.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Assist the Co-Executive Directors in setting the over-all strategy and direction for the Human Rights and the Environment Program, including establishing objectives and goals, identifying new cases and projects, and developing and implementing work-plans;
• Develop, coordinate, and pursue strategic litigation, both internationally and domestically, relating to environmental degradation that affects human rights;
• Provide expert advice on international human rights and environmental law;
• Conduct legal research and write and review reports, briefs, and other documents related to ongoing advocacy efforts;
• Work with other organizations to plan, design, and implement legal strategies to establish key precedents in, and promote compliance with, environmental and human rights law;
• Advocate before international bodies including the OAS and the UN, regional governments, and international financial institutions, and participate in conferences and meetings;
• Supervise the legal work of junior attorneys, interns, and volunteers.

Requirements:

• National or international graduate degree in law (or undergraduate degree in law combined with postgraduate studies in another field) and professional legal license from home country;
• Minimum three years of relevant work experience in legal practice related to human rights and/or environmental issues;
• Knowledge of international human rights and environmental law and legal mechanisms, particularly the rules of procedure and complaint mechanisms of the Inter-American System of Human Rights and of UN human rights mechanisms;
• Knowledge of home country’s administrative, environmental, and constitutional law;
• Familiarity with regional issues related to human rights and the environment, and the social context of such issues in distinct countries of the region; Experience working directly with communities affected or threatened by environmental degradation a plus;- Fluency in spoken and written English and Spanish; Knowledge of Portuguese preferred.

Application materials:

• Cover letter, indicating applicant’s interest in the position, relevant experience, and why the applicant would be a good fit for the program and for AIDA
• Updated résumé or CV
• Short English writing sample (2 pages max.)
• Short Spanish writing sample (at least one writing sample should demonstrate legal reasoning and research)
• Contact information for three (3) references (at least one from a recent employer)

Applicants should send materials to: aida@aida-americas.org (please mention “HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENT CONSULTANT” in the subject line).

Application Deadline: MARCH 31st, 2012
DATE FOR BEGINNING CONTRACT: June 1st, 2012

(Please note: This is a rolling admission and therefore we will make a job offer as soon as we have identified a qualified candidate. Please apply as soon as possible.)

For FULL DETAILS on the position and how to apply, please see Simplicity's job post #8932.

AIDA maintains a policy of providing equal opportunity to all qualified persons and reaffirms its commitment that there shall be no discrimination against qualified applicants, employees or volunteers on the basis of age, ancestry, color, creed, gender identity, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, race, sex, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, or any other factor that is not related to the position.