Senior Legal Fellow
About the African Climate Legal Fellowship ProgramThis role is part of the African Climate Legal Fellowship Program, an 18-month program designed to build capacity at African public interest law organizations, further strategic climate and environmental legal action, and bring new attorneys to the public interest sector. Now entering its second cohort, the Fellowship places participants (“Fellows”) in climate and environmental legal organizations in Africa (“Host Organizations”) for a fulltime, 18-month placement to advance strategic legal action, therefore helping organizations achieve their critical missions. Fellows join a cohort-based learning journey that includes:
Tailored climate, legal and leadership development modulesProfessional coaching and supportPeer learning and community exchangeAccess to professional networks in climate and environmental lawLaunch convening (in-person in an African location)
About the Organisation
Natural Justice is an organisation rooted in the struggles of communities in Africa. As a team of pioneering lawyers and legal experts, we specialise in human rights and environmental law in pursuit of social and environmental justice.
Natural Justice strives to enhance the collective rights of people and protect the sacred relationships that indigenous peoples and local communities have with nature. Our work is informed by the values, knowledge and self-determination of the communities whom we stand in solidarity with.
Through legal empowerment, research, policy influencing and litigation, and as part of coalitions and campaigns, we support communities to know the law, use the law and shape the law.
Natural Justice has three main pillars: Affirming and Securing Rights to Lands, Resources and Knowledge; Defending Rights against Environmental and Social Impacts; and Standing with Communities.
About the Job
Natural Justice seeks a lawyer to join its Southern Africa hub as a Senior Legal Fellow under the Defending Rights Programmatic Stream. The hub works across South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique. The successful candidate will be primarily based within the Defending Rights Stream but will work across all three work streams in the Hub to provide legal support to indigenous people and local communities, particularly in relation to climate justice matters, indigenous rights, land rights and human rights.
They will work with a passionate team of staff within the hub and frequently collaborate with staff across the organisation. They will be expected to work with the support staff, including finance, communications, monitoring and evaluation and research staff.
The Senior Legal Fellow must have an interest in supporting Indigenous people and local communities, in the context of the climate crisis, throughout the countries we work in. They will be expected to foster long-term, committed relationships with communities, build connections to community partners and work in consortiums and partnerships with other civil society organisations.
Their knowledge and experience should include a strong background in litigation and legal support across the region and nationally, human rights and working with communities.
Key Responsibilities
- Support local communities in Southern Africa affected by extractive, infrastructure and other projects, by providing legal advice, and by supporting legal empowerment approaches.
- Provide high quality legal advice and support to communities Natural Justice works with and its partners.
- Support environmental and climate litigation cases across the hub.
- Undertake legal research, write submissions and provide opinions on environmental and climate justice issues.
- In collaboration with hub staff, provide support to community environmental legal officers (incl. training, developing and implementing reporting and management structures), especially towards developing climate litigation.
- Support the work of the hub in relation to research and submissions on law and policy.
- Write opinion articles on the outcomes of the programmatic work.
- Contribute to the overall hub programme and strategy.
- Form and maintain good working relationships with all key partners including communities, government entities and donors.
- Collaborate with Natural Justice staff in the other countries.
Requirements
- Completed legal qualification and admission as an attorney or advocate.
- At least five years’ post-admission experience in a legal environment.
- A post-graduate degree in law, political science or other relevant natural or social science discipline is desirable.
- An in-depth knowledge of South Africa’s constitutional and administrative law, including human rights, land & environmental law, or a clear ability to acquire the necessary knowledge within a short space of time. Additional familiarity with Namibian and/or Mozambican law will be an advantage.
- Experience of working with marginalised communities and/or Indigenous communities will be advantageous.
- Experience in litigation, and in running litigation.
- Good legal research and analysis skills in law, policy and social issues.
- Sound written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to grasp quickly and accurately new and complex concepts.
- Ability to work under pressure and effectively as part of a team and independently, as called for.
- Ability to balance priorities and co-ordinate work effectively in order to meet deadlines and deal with high workloads.
- Conviction in and commitment to community rights, constitutionalism and principles of environmental justice.
- Sound emotional intelligence skills to enable interaction with persons from all sectors of the society.
- Proficient in English. Fluency in other local languages or Portuguese would be advantageous.
To apply
To apply, email your application to tracy@actionappointments.co.za by Friday 14 August.
Further submission instructions will be shared with candidates during the process.
