ThaiNGO

LEGAL ADMIN ASSISTANT (PART-TIME)

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Reporting to the Local Coordinator, the Admin Assistant will support the development and implementation of a refugee pro bono pilot project in Thailand as part of an initiative called Mobilizing the Global Legal Community to Protect and Find Solutions for Refugees and Others Forcibly Displaced.

At the inaugural Global Refugee Forum in 2019, more than 80 private and public sectors actors - including legal and community empowerment organizations, law-firms, bar associations, corporations and refugee rights organizations - came together to collectively pledge to support efforts to protect and find solutions for refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, and other forcibly displaced persons. The signatories agreed to fulfill their Pledge commitments in solidarity with each other and other stakeholders as part of a multi-stakeholder and partnership approach. Those that joined the “Mobilizing the Global Legal Community to Protect and Find Solutions for Refugees and others Forcibly Displaced” - commonly known as the GRF Legal Community Pledge - made a diverse range of commitments to improve access to justice for those displaced. Amongst these, the private sector signatories to the Pledge committed to providing over 129,000 hours of free legal assistance to displaced communities and the civil society that works with them each year.

A group consisting of civil society organizations and individuals (the “Core Group”) collaborated to mobilize colleagues and partners among the global legal community to join this pledge.  These members have continued to meet following the GRF to ensure that the commitments in the pledge are actioned in a way that best serves the interests of the communities needing legal support. There is on-going work on the design, piloting, and roll-out of a new platform to operationalize this pledge, to map existing capacities and needs, and to implement pilot projects, among other work. In practice this means that Thailand has been chosen in Southeast Asia where a national pro bono partnership model will be established. The project is hosted by the Refugee Rights Litigation Project (RRLP) and some of the objectives of the pilot project include: 

• Address unmet legal needs by providing pro bono direct legal services to more refugees and other forcibly displaced;
• Recruit, train, and establish a roster of pro bono lawyers who are supported to deliver quality and responsive services;
• Expand the network of partner firms, legal professionals, academics, and organizations providing or interested in legal aid for refugees and others forcibly displaced;
• Provide funding so that NGOs are adequately resourced to support this work; and
• Generate awareness about and advocate for the protection and promotion of the rights of refugees and others forcibly displaced, as well as the value of pro bono legal aid, locally, regionally and internationally.

Under the supervision of a Local Coordinator, the Admin Assistant will focus on the following tasks:

• Maintain records and database of lawyers (e.g. updating a regular excel spreadsheet)
• Handle logistics of training/roundtables (once per quarter) - registration, invitations, venue/catering (if in person), zoom (if online), interpretation, materials, provide support to speakers etc.
• Handle all expenses and process reimbursements (mostly for trainings/roundtables)
• Support M&E efforts (for example, develop pre and post event questionnaires)
• Documentation of all legal needs/projects matched (updating an excel spreadsheet)
• Support the work of RRLP by attending meetings, providing comments/advice, reviewing documents etc.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Undergraduate degree in law, political science, international relations, public administration or related field
• Minimum 1 year of relevant work experience is preferable, ideally in a legal non-profit focused on supporting refugees and others forcibly displaced
• Fluency in written and spoken English is preferred
• Some project management experience is preferred
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work well under pressure.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite (Excel, Outlook, Access, etc.) and Google Apps

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Candidates should be based in Bangkok. Salary and title will be commensurate with experience. This position is part-time, 2 days per week.

To apply: Interested candidates should submit a resume and short cover letter that specifically addresses the candidate’s suitability to perform the job responsibilities detailed above to: refugeerightslitigation@gmail.com

Applications will be considered until 31 January 2022