🇸🇱 Job Vacancy @ AdvocAid – Legal Manager

Legal Manager

: Job Advert and Person Specification

SUMMARY: AdvocAid is seeking a full-time Legal Manager to lead our feminist legal work with women and girls in contact with the law in Sierra Leone. This vital role includes managing legal aid services provided by paralegals and Duty Counsel Lawyers at various Magistrate and High Courts, driving forward strategic litigation efforts, handling appeal cases, and mentoring the next generation of feminist lawyers.

The Legal Manager will oversee a dynamic team, including one Legal Fellow, two Frances Claudia Wright Scholarship recipients, four paralegals, and four Duty Counsels working across Sierra Leone. This position offers a unique opportunity to promote access to justice, ensuring that the legal system is more inclusive and equitable for women and girls.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Legal Manager will provide strategic leadership and oversight of AdvocAid’s legal initiatives. Key responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Supervising and supporting the legal team to deliver effective representation and advice at police stations, courts, and correctional facilities.
• Leading appeal and strategic litigation cases to address systemic barriers and biases faced by women and girls in the justice system.
• Designing and implementing advocacy initiatives to drive criminal justice reform, in collaboration with programme staff and the Executive Director.
• Strengthening relationships within the judiciary, legal community, and AdvocAid’s partners like the correctional centres
• Contributing to organisational strategy as a member of the Senior Management Team.

This role reflects AdvocAid’s feminist ethos, combining legal expertise, advocacy, and capacity building to challenge gender inequalities in the justice system.

ABOUT YOU: 

We are seeking a passionate feminist lawyer and human rights advocate who:

• Believes in justice and equality and is committed to addressing systemic gender inequalities.
• Has experience in criminal litigation, strategic litigation, and legal aid for vulnerable communities.
• Is a supportive leader and manager who can mentor and inspire a team.
• Has the ability to think critically and advocate for transformative criminal justice reform.

Given our focus on women’s rights and our commitment to female leadership, this position is open to female candidates only.

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

The ideal candidate will have:

• A degree in law. Qualification to practice in Sierra Leone is preferred but not essential. A qualification to practice law in a commonwealth country is strongly desired “”
• At least three years’ experience in legal aid, women’s rights, and/or human rights.
• A minimum of one year’s criminal litigation experience.
• Proven leadership and team management skills.
• A passion for policy and advocacy campaigns, particularly in the access to justice sector.
• Excellent writing skills with fluency in English and strong communication skills for engaging with diverse stakeholders and the public.
• Experience living and working in Sub-Saharan Africa is essential.
• Experience with civil society organizations or donor-funded projects is an advantage.

About AdvocAid’s work

• AdvocAid works with women and girls caught up in Sierra Leone’s often unjust legal system. We are the only organisation in West Africa providing access to justice and holistic support to women and girls in contact with the law, including free legal aid and representation, social welfare support, education and empowerment, and a moving forward programme for women post-incarceration.

AdvocAid was founded in 2006. Today we work in several towns across Sierra Leone, supporting women and girls at police stations, courts and correctional centres. As well as providing short term interventions, we deliver advocacy and law reform projects focused on addressing wider issues impacting women and girls in the criminal justice system. For more information about AdvocAid and our work please visit our website and Facebook page:

• www.advocaidsl.org
• www.facebook.com/advocaidsierraleone

How to Apply 

Please read the full Legal Manager Job Description. To apply for the position, please submit your CV (no more than two pages) and a cover letter detailing why you are interested in the role and how you meet the person specification (no more than one page).

• Please send your application to executive.director@advocaidsl.org, copying legal.manager@advocaidsl.org, and address it to the Executive Director. Please give your name in the subject line “Your Name – Legal Manager Application”.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The final deadline for applications is Tuesday 22nd April, 2025 at midnight GMT.

• Whilst the sensitive and important women’s rights work we undertake requires that we hire a female candidate for this role, in all other respects AdvocAid is an equal opportunities employer and we strongly encourage applications from all interested female candidates. We welcome applications from Sierra Leonean and non-Sierra Leonean candidates.

AdvocAid’s Commitment to Safeguarding: AdvocAid condemns any abusive or exploitative behaviour and is committed to the protection of the women and children we work with.  This commitment is reflected in the recruitment and contracting process. Anyone working with or on behalf of AdvocAid must formally agree to adhere to the Safeguarding policy. New joiners will receive an induction to this policy and agree to a Code of Conduct, which provides clear guidance on what AdvocAid expects of staff, volunteers, interns and other representatives.