The East-West Management Institute, Inc. (EWMI), a not-for-profit organization engaged in strengthening civil society and promoting the rule of law around the world, is hiring Rule of Law Experts for short-term (3-6 week) assignments in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and/or Asia.
Position Description: EWMI is seeking a variety of rule of law experts, as follows:
- Judicial Reform Experts: With experience in reforming the work of judicial councils, judges associations, and judicial training institutes. Experts needed in the areas of judicial appointment, promotion, and discipline; judicial ethics; assessing judicial performance; promoting judicial independence; promoting judicial transparency and accountability; improving access to justice; and the design and delivery of judicial training initiatives in a broad spectrum of topics, including ethics, legal reasoning and writing, and gender equality, among other issues. Experts also sought in designing and administering judicial appointment examinations.
- Court Administration Experts: With experience in court management and budgeting; resource allocation; change management; case distribution, including the design and use of case weighting methodologies; caseload management and backlog reduction; use of information technology, including automated case assignment and case management systems; human resource management; public outreach and media affairs; audio and video recording of proceedings; improving access to courts; promoting improved coordination among various justice sector agencies and personnel (courts, prisons, process servers, experts, etc.); and the design and delivery of training programs for non-judicial court personnel, including on ethics, management, and backlog reduction.
- International Human Rights Lawyers: With knowledge of UN and regional human rights standards and/or experience in the use of strategic litigation and other methods to promote compliance with such standards; experience in training judges, prosecutors, lawyers and law students on international and comparative human rights; and experience in training and mentoring lawyers, bar associations, and civil society organizations on protecting fundamental human rights such as on right to counsel, freedom from torture, gender equality, non-discrimination, etc.
- Bar Reform Experts: With experience in strengthening the capacity of bar associations and similar groups to advocate for equality of arms, protect human rights, and promote the rule of law. Experts also sought in the design and delivery of continuing legal education programs, in particular (but not limited to) regarding ethics, legal writing and reasoning, advocacy skills, gender equality, etc. Experts also sought in designing and administering bar examinations.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Experts: With experience in promoting the use of alternative dispute resolution methodologies, including mediation (court annexed or otherwise) and arbitration in civil, commercial, and criminal (plea bargaining) cases. Experience needed in particular in the design of such systems; training judges, lawyers, and other court staff on the ethical usage of ADR; and public outreach and education concerning the benefits of ADR. Experts also needed in the use of traditional dispute resolution methods, and in conforming such to modern human rights requirements, and ensuring coordination with formal justice systems.
- Enforcement of Judgments Experts: With experience in designing efficient systems for enforcing civil and commercial judgments, including through privatized systems, improved public systems, or hybrid systems. Experts needed for training bailiffs, lawyers, and judges on systems and methodologies for enforcing judgments.
- Access to Justice Experts: Legal experts needed to design approaches to improving access to justice for citizens, in particular for the indigent. Specific expertise needed in the operations of legal aid agencies, such as hiring, promoting, and training legal aid lawyers; the role of civil society organizations in providing legal aid; the role of traditional dispute resolution in providing justice; overcoming physical barriers to courts; and public outreach and education concerning citizens’ rights.
Experts will be hired as consultants for short-term (3-6 week) assignments that require overseas travel. International development experience is preferred.
To Apply: Please submit a brief (one page only) cover letter summarizing how you meet the above requirements, together with a CV (two pages only), and the names and contact information for three professional references to: employment@ewmi.org. Please include the specific position for which you are applying in the subject of the email. Only those invited for interviews will be contacted; no calls please. EWMI is an equal opportunity employer.