Legal Consultant

About Civitas Maxima

Civitas Maxima coordinates a network of national and international lawyers and investigators who work for the interest of victims of international crimes. It operates in situations where no legal action to bring the perpetrators to justice has been successful. Civitas Maxima was registered in September 2012 as an association in Geneva, Switzerland, and is recognized by the Swiss authorities as a not-for-profit organization. It is an equal opportunity employer.

For more information: www.civitas-maxima.org

Position: Legal Consultant

Contract: Short-term consultancy (6 months)

Location: Geneva (Switzerland) or Remote

Deadline for application: September 27, 2024

About the position

The Legal Consultant will work closely with Civitas Maxima Legal team and under the direct supervision of the Director. The Legal Consultant will be in charge of the following tasks:

Responsibilities:

• Coordination:
  • Assist in liaising with national lawyers and/or prosecuting authorities;
  • Assist in liaising with a variety of stakeholders and/or partner organizations;
  • Provide regular updates and progress reports to the Project Lead;
  • Communicate effectively with Project Team members in the field and on site;
  • Support in organizing the Project logistics.
• Legal:
  • Assist in conducting legal and/or factual research and analysis related to the Project;
  • Assist in drafting and/or editing complaints, legal memoranda, judicial acts, and any other legal documents, as required;
  • Assist in preparing and conducting investigations, including investigative planning and mission planning;
  • Assist in conducting open-source research and investigation;
  • Assist in evidence collection and witness interviews;
  • Identify leads and advise on potential perpetrators, sources of evidence, witnesses (victims, insiders, experts or other), etc.; and
  • Participate in the drafting of analytical synthesis/reports.
• Other:
  • Support in drafting detailed preparation documents, agendas, minutes, follow-up communications, etc., as required;
  • Monitor various conflict developments and/or conduct ad-hoc research related to the main investigation and attend various events/conferences, as required;
  • Conduct any other tasks, as required.

Personal attributes:

• Respect for other cultures and value systems, flexibility, ability to work independently and take initiative;
• Comfortable working with a wide range of personalities, and to interact with tact, diplomacy, and cultural sensitivity;
• A genuine interest in victims’ rights and comfortable working with victims of human rights abuses.

Qualifications:

• Education:
  • Master’s degree or equivalent advanced university degree in law with a specialization in International Criminal Law, Human Rights Law, or similar.
• Work experience:
  • 5 to 7 years’ experience in International Criminal Law, and/or International Humanitarian Law, and/or Human Rights Law, or equivalent domestic practice;
  • Experience building international, domestic, and/ or extraterritorial cases;
  • Experience representing and/or working with victims;
• Languages:
  • Fluency in Arabic and English (both in written and speaking);
  • Working knowledge of French is an asset.
• Skills and Abilities:
  • Excellent coordination and organizational skills;
  • Excellent analysis, research, and drafting skills;
  • Opensource investigations skills;
  • High motivation and demonstrated interest in international justice;
  • Good ability to work with computers and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.);