Human Rights Program Officer

INTERNATIONAL SENIOR LAWYERS PROJECT seeking Human Rights Program Officer
Deadline for submitting applications: April 1, 2011
The International Senior Lawyers Project seeks a dynamic, motivated and thoughtful lawyer for the position of Human Rights Program Officer.
Start Date: May 1, 2011
Overview of Organization:
The International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) provides pro bono legal services by experienced attorneys and distinguished law firms to advance democracy and the rule of law, protect human rights and promote equitable economic development worldwide. ISLP helps governments and civil society develop and implement legal reforms, assists programs that advance the social and economic well-being of people in developing countries and builds the capacity of local organizations and professionals to meet the needs of their communities.
ISLP has a paid staff of nine, eight in New York and one in Paris. To supplement and enrich this staff capacity, six senior volunteer lawyers coordinate or advise on significant programs. In 2010, ISLP sent nearly 80 lawyers overseas in 2010 on 113 project-related trips, with participation of volunteers from the United States, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, Holland, Portugal and the United Kingdom, as well as many others working from offices all over the world. Our human rights, economic development and rule of law projects took place in, or affected, 30 countries in 2010 and more than 50 in our 10-year history.
ISLP currently provides assistance in four primary ways: (1) we send highly experienced lawyers abroad to work onsite to strengthen the capacity of local NGOs and government agencies; (2) we provide high level transactional legal counsel in areas ranging from contract negotiations to advice on intellectual property laws; (3) we conduct training on best practices, legislative drafting, negotiation and litigation skills and other subjects; and (4) we provide research and writing on human rights issues for briefs, manuals and other materials.
Responsibilities of Human Rights Program Officer:
The Human Rights Program Officer will work with the Executive Director and the Associate Executive Director to expand and strengthen ISLP’s work with human rights organizations and government agencies around the world. He or she will also help ISLP implement the goals of a Five-Year Plan adopted by the Board of Directors in October 2010. In addition to continuing the successful approach ISLP has followed to date, the Plan calls for developing new country-focused programs, strengthening and adding to areas of thematic focus and developing stronger tools and procedures to evaluate the achievements and assess the impact of ISLP's activities.

The Human Rights Program Officer will contribute in other ways as well, including, in particular, working with staff to help produce written materials about the human rights program and working with the Volunteer Coordinator to identify appropriate volunteers for human rights work and develop training materials and other support systems for volunteers. Because we have a small staff, each staff member is required to multitask and assist in sometimes unpredictable ways.
Some travel will be required to develop new programs, evaluate potential partners, and assess the impact of previous projects.

Qualifications:
The position requires a J.D. degree, fluency in English and at least five years of experience practicing law or developing programs in international legal reform and/or human rights. The ideal candidate will be deeply committed to the mission of ISLP, a quick learner, self-motivated and imaginative, able to write clearly and persuasively about ISLP’s projects and achievements, have excellent organizational and communication skills, have a congenial and diplomatic personality and be able to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies. Other preferred qualifications include fluency in a nonEnglish language and experience with public interest or private law practice.

Salary: $65,000.
Please send a cover letter, resume, writing sample and the names of two professional references to hr@islp.org.

For more detailed information on our mission and programs, please visit our web site at www.islp.org.
The International Senior Lawyers Project is an equal opportunity employer.