ASF France recrute 01 Legal and Technical Assistant

Description of the organization :

Avocats Sans Frontières France (Lawyers Without Borders France or ASF France) is a French NGO established under the French law on organisations of July 1st, 1901. Its objectives are:
 To contribute to the effective application of universally recognised Human Rights
 To work wherever it is deemed useful and necessary, through the establishment or the restoration of the rule of law, of the judiciary and, particularly, of the right of fair trial and to adequate legal representation;
 To act for the prevention and against impunity for acts of aggression of any kind and, in particular, murder, enforced disappearances, torture, threats, persecution, imprisonment of which lawyers may be victim due to their professional activities.

In order to do so, Avocats Sans Frontières France use all the means available and can bring complaints before domestic and international institutions, and before judicial and non-judicial institutions, it can also intervene before them, including through civil actions before
competent jurisdictions.

ASF France in Greece:

Since 2015, Europe has experienced an unprecedented migratory phenomenon, both in number and in nature: thousands of people are fleeing wars and persecution, asking European countries for international protection.

By virtue of its geographical position and the rules of the so-called "Dublin" regulation (requiring that the examination of asylum applications be the responsibility of the first country of entry), Greece has been at the forefront in terms of arrivals and responsibility for examining asylum applications.

Approximately 16,000 migrants and refugees currently reside on the Aegean islands, while the capacity of the hotspots is only 13,000. Living conditions in the islands are disastrous and are regularly denounced by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
intergovernmental organizations (IGOs). The need for legal assistance on these islands is both dense and multiple is a key issue to contribute to the respect of asylum seekers’ fundamental rights.

Among these islands, Samos faces the biggest gap in terms of number of people and capacity to respond: the reception and identification center has more or less 700 places, while its current registered population exceeds 4,400 people.

For this reason, ASF France has opened a legal assistance center since January 2019: the Samos Legal Centre. National and international lawyers or jurists provide daily legal assistance to asylum seekers: preparation to asylum interviews, support for appeal procedures, handling of family reunification cases, etc.

Job description:

For its project of Legal Centre on the island of Samos in Greece, ASF France is looking for a Legal and Technical Assistant in Greece.

The Legal and Technical Assistant will be responsible to contribute to the proper implementation of the Samos Legal Centre project set up by ASF France.

The technical assistant will be under the supervision of the Project Manager.

Main Responsibilities:

1. Coordination and technical support

– Support the coordination, development and monitoring of project activities.
– Support the Project Manager in the training and management of the field team (composed mainly of volunteers and lawyers) – Update of technical training tools.
– Ensure a legal and geopolitical monitoring and produce monthly reports on the context.
– Provide analysis and legal support on project activities to the project team
– Support and coordinate the field team on the different proceedings undertaken, in cooperation with the project manager.
– Ensure and coordinate the work carried out in the framework of referrals to the European Court of Human Rights or other identified bodies.
– Assist the Project Manager on the implementation of the activities.
– Assist the project team in updating the project monitoring tools (i.e. database and analysis tools).
– Facilitate awareness-raising workshops on the rights of asylum seekers

2. Communication

– Participate in the follow-up of the Facebook page of the Samos Legal Centre by making proposals
– Provide legal expertise when necessary

3. Other

– Analyze the context and provide the information to the Project Manager

Experience / Training

Education and professional experience :
– 5 years of higher education in law, specialty in human rights and/or refugee rights and migration
– First significant experience on migration-related issues in Greece
– Experience in the field of international cooperation

Skills:
– Experience in providing legal support to asylum seekers
– Knowledge and experience of the legal procedures and means available for asylum seekers in Greece
– Knowledge and experience of applications before the European Court of Human Rights
– Solid knowledge of the European and Greek legal and geopolitical context
– Knowledge in project management
– Excellent writing and analysis skills
– Excellent communication and team training capacities.
– Written and spoken proficiency in English.
– Mastery of Pack Office is essential (Word, Excel, Power Point, Publisher, Internet Explorer).

Salairy

Work conditions :
– Fixed-term contract under French law
– Remuneration according to profile and experience
– Duration of contract: 6 months renewable (depending on project renewal)
– Start date: January 04, 2021
– Accompanied departure possible according to sanitary conditions
– On-site accommodation in a collective house
– ASF France covers two return trips between home and work, at the beginning and end of the mission, and for mid-mission leave, according to the criteria of the association.

COVID-19 Context:
The mission is carried out in Samos, Greece. Depending on the evolution of the sanitary context, the legal and technical assistant may be asked to carry out all or part of the mission remotely. If the sanitary conditions are fulfilled and after validation of the headquarters, the legal and technical assistant may be deployed in Samos.
The legal and technical assistant will be asked to sign and respect a strict hygiene protocol in order to avoid risks of contamination, but also to sign a certificate of understanding of the health and safety risks. ASF France keeps the right to repatriate its teams at any time, after deployment, according to the evolution of the sanitary context, upon the decision of the direction.

How to apply

Send your CV, cover letter and references by December 2, 2020 at the latest to the following address: projets@avocatssansfrontieres-france.org , copy : secretariat@avocatssansfrontieres-france.org ; with the subject “ASFF – SAMOS Assistant”.