Legal Officer - Akkar

Job Overview/Summary: Under the supervision of the Legal Team Leader, the Legal Officer will identify legal needs in the field, provide counseling and assistance including representation in relevant administrative bodies. The Legal Officer will conduct direct case intake on site and will also receive referrals from other actors, including UNHCR and other NGOs.  The Legal Officer will refer cases requiring representation in courts to other specialized service providers.  The Legal Officer will be responsible for conducting legal information sessions on protection, rights and entitlements, legal status, statelessness and other issues, as dictated by the needs at field level.  As part of a mobile team, the Legal Officer will be focused on a particular location enabling him/her to conduct consistent follow-up with beneficiaries, if and as needed. The Legal Officer will work with community leaders to support advocacy at the community level and engage in mediation and negotiation as needed (especially with regard to housing, land and property disputes).

Major Responsibilities:

• Conduct Mobile Field Visits 3-4 times per week to education programming sites in villages, urban areas, and informal settlements/tent clusters to meet with PoCs within the community according to the weekly work plan;
• Identify legal needs in the field and provide on-site counseling to Persons of Concern;
• Under the guidance of their direct supervisor, assist persons of concern by representing them in relevant administrative bodies;
• Conduct case intake on site utilizing digital data collection system;
• Deliver information sessions on protection, rights and entitlements, legal status, statelessness and other issues as dictated by the needs at field-level;
• Engage in mediation and negotiation as needed (e.g. on housing, land and property issues);
• Analyze data and highlight trends and legal protection needs;
• Under the guidance of direct supervisor, facilitate one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions with refugees, host community members, state actors and service providers in the field on selected protection and legal concerns;

• Keep records of the urgent legal needs identified and the actions taken to assist affected PoCs
• Produce weekly reports on activities based on IRC and UNHCR tools;
• Work to strengthen IRC’s relationship with refugees, refugee/host community leaders and municipal actors in order to maintain good access to POCs;
• Support the Protection Team Leader to conduct advocacy on behalf of the community; and,
• Conduct other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Legal Team Leader
Position directly supervises:  NA
 

Job Requirements:

Education:  

• Law degree

Work Experience:

• At least two years of prior professional experience in a similar post, preferably with an international organization.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Belief in human rights including gender equality.
• Strong communication skills including ability to gain trust and build relationships with new communities.
• Strong understanding of International Human Rights, Refugee Law and Lebanese law with special focus on Family Law;
• Familiarity with the Lebanese legal community;
• Basic computer skills including Microsoft Word.
• Experience in regular report writing.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team, as well as independently.
• Flexible and able to work in a dynamic and diverse environment.

Language Skills:

• High standard of spoken and written Arabic, with English language skills desirable

Working Environment:   Standard office environment with daily travel to the field, around North Lebanon (security conditions permitting).