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Regional Legal Advisor - Southern Africa
OtherProtection and Human Rights
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Full Description
## Job title: Regional Legal Advisor
## Region: Southern Africa (with potential work outside the region)
## Type: 12-month Fixed Term Part-time (0.8) with potential for extension (subject to funding)
## Salary: Competitive
## Benefits: Competitive
## Reports to: Deputy Head of Legal
### Organisation Overview
The Human Dignity Trust (‘the Trust’) is a legal charity based in London, UK that supports local lawyers and human rights defenders to uphold human rights and constitutional law in countries where private, consensual sexual conduct between people of the same sex is criminalised. At present, 65 jurisdictions worldwide maintain these criminal laws.
Legal provisions that criminalise lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) people put them beyond the protection of the law, fostering a climate of fear, stigma and violence. These provisions violate constitutional and international human rights law, including a person’s right to dignity, equality, non-discrimination, and privacy.
We provide expert legal technical assistance, complemented where appropriate by media, communications and advocacy assistance. We work with LGBT+ activists and local lawyers around the globe to challenge discriminatory criminal laws in constitutional courts and in supranational courts and treaty bodies. We assist civil society organisations and governments who want to remove discriminatory criminal laws and to develop new protective legislation, primarily to protect against hate crime.
### The role
Reporting to the Deputy Head of Legal, the role will be based in Southern Africa and focus on legal opportunity scoping, building country – and region – specific networks and partner relationships, and contributing to legal strategies and the delivery of technical legal assistance.
You will be a talented and detail-oriented lawyer with experience in a common law system either as a litigator or in a legislative policy/drafting capacity. You will have deep knowledge of human rights law. You will be a strategic thinker and a problem solver. You will have the confidence, skills, tact and gravitas to be a persuasive advocate and an authoritative strategic advisor to a range of audiences on the substantive and procedural processes of litigation and legislative reform to eradicate discriminatory criminal laws and related matters, in compliance with human rights standards.
You will be able to work in collaboration with the Trust’s staff teams and our world class pro bono legal teams. You will be able to maintain a high degree of autonomy and professionalism where required in working directly with LGBT+ litigants, local lawyers, attorneys-general, government officials and civil society partners, with whom you will be able to work sensitively and persuasively. Our work is guided at all times by the interests of LGBT+ communities in-country with whom we work.
You will be expected to travel frequently (approximately six to eight times per year) to work with LGBT+ activists, lawyers, litigants, government representatives and other stakeholders in your region, including to help plan and deliver legal workshops and high-level legislative reform stakeholder engagements. There could also be occasional further travel beyond your region, including for London-based events. You may, as needed, manage consultants based in the main region of focus for your work.
Regrettably, as a consequence of the nature of the Trust’s work, this position will be subjected to distressing critiques of LGBT+ people and the successful candidates will have to tolerate this with resilience, tact and professionalism.
### Job description
Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Deputy Head of Legal, and with further oversight from the Head of Legal, you will carry out the following duties, working closely and collaboratively with other members of the Trust’s legal team:
• Build and strengthen the Trust’s relationships with existing and potential stakeholders in civil society, government, international agencies, the legal profession and academia within the region
• Monitor the regional and local legal, political and civil society environment and context for opportunities to strengthen and expand the Trust’s work in the region
• Represent the Trust at key regional and international conferences and events to network with stakeholders and to monitor and advise the Trust on relevant developments
• Contribute to the development of strategic litigation and / or legislative reform, including by coordinating with relevant stakeholders, such as civil society partners, litigants, consultants, pro bono lawyers, in-country lawyers and government representatives
• Contribute to the development of compelling, context-specific legal strategies, including by carrying out legal and situational research
• Build strong professional relationships with LGBT+ communities and civil society partners across the region
• Alongside colleagues and external lawyers, help to ove
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