Legal Fellow for Fair Trial Fellowship Programme, NLU Delhi [Location- Nagpur, Full-time Position]: Apply by Feb 17

About the Position

The National Law University, Delhi (“University”) is seeking to engage on a contractual basis, Legal Fellows for Nagpur (2 positions) for the Fair Trial Fellowship programme of Project 39A supported by a grant from the Azim Premji Foundation.

The Legal Fellow will be assigned to work on cases of undertrial prisoners being represented by District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) through the panel advocates and the office of the Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) and will be in charge of providing assistance in court hearings, legal research, drafting and prison visits (for client interviews) to the legal aid lawyer leading the case. The period of engagement will be for one year and any extension will be subject to the needs of the Programme and availability of funds.

About the Programme

The Fair Trial Fellowship Programme (“the Programme”) is an opportunity for young lawyers and social workers to work for providing quality legal representation to undertrial prisoners. The Programme will train and mentor a group of young professionals to work in collaboration with the State Legal Services Authority towards ensuring fair trial for undertrial prisoners at both pre-trial and trial stages.

The Programme is being currently rolled out for work in Nagpur and Pune Central prisons. The twin goals of the programme are to reduce the under trial population in prisons in Pune and Nagpur and to work towards strengthening the legal aid system in Maharashtra. The programme has its offices in Pune and Nagpur.

Eligibility

Registration as a practicing advocate (Sanad) with Bar Council of any state in India
Minimum of two year experience of criminal law practice at trial court level
Proficiency in reading, writing and speaking Marathi
Ability to read, write and speak English
Familiarity with the use of MS-Office, emails and the internet
Prior work experience in work with the District Legal Services Authority is desirable.

Responsibilities

This is a full time paid position based in Nagpur. Selected candidates will be expected to reside within the municipal limits of the city of their selection but may be required to travel frequently to other districts as per programme needs. The responsibilities of the Legal Fellows will include:

Visiting prison with the duty counsels of the DLSA and providing legal counseling to inmates requiring legal aid.
Coordinating with DLSA and authorities from the Prison Department to ensure allocation of DLSA panel advocates for undertrials who do not have any legal representation.
Briefing and assisting the LADC and/or the panel lawyer of the DLSA assigned on a case during court hearings at both pre-trial and trial stage.
Regular Prison visits to seek instructions from an undertrial client on behalf of the LADC counsels and/or the DLSA panel advocates.
Reviewing documents brought on record in a case, providing research inputs and devising legal strategy in consultation with the LADC counsels and/or the DLSA panel advocates concerned.
Assisting the LADC counsels and/or the DLSA panel advocates in drafting legal documents to be submitted at both pre-trial and trial stage.
Following-up ongoing cases in court and updating the client (undertrial) and/or the family members concerned
Regularly communicating with prison authorities to obtain case specific information and documents.
Preparation for Recording evidence and cross examination.
Preparing written arguments based on the evidence for the final submissions before the court
Travelling as required to meet and communicate with family members of undertrial prisoners and other persons who may have oral and documentary information relevant to the case procedure.
Organising and conducting training workshops and conferences.
Documentation and Reporting as per programmatic needs.
Any other work that may be necessary to further the aims of the Fellowship Programme.

How to Submit?

Interested persons must attach their resume and a statement of purpose, explaining their role and interest in working on this programme. The statement of purpose must not exceed 700 words. Shortlisted candidates will be called for the selection process which will be held in Nagpur.

The selection process may have multiple rounds. Applications and documents will be accepted only through the form attached at the end of the post.