Lawyer, Rights and Governance (Latin America)

This position provides a unique opportunity to build the capacity of governmental and non- governmental actors in Latin America to realise the effective implementation, monitoring and reporting of the Cancun REDD+ safeguards. This role is based in ClientEarth’s international headquarters in east London and will involve extensive and regular travel to Latin America.

ABOUT YOU

You have outstanding legal analytical skills, as well as people skills and cultural sensitivity that quip you to work effectively with stakeholders in Latin American countries. You will bring a creative and practical approach to the law to secure the implementation and reporting of the Cancun REDD+ safeguards. You are an excellent communicator, able to influence and collaborate at a high level and build and support partnerships and networks. You are adaptable and resilient, able to work independently in diverse settings, and work collaboratively within a team. You are willing and able to travel extensively in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere as required.

ABOUT US

ClientEarth is a public interest environmental law group founded in 2007. ClientEarth brings together law, science and policy to create practical solutions to key environmental challenges. Working in partnership with civil society and policy-makers, ClientEarth is committed to securing the rights of citizens and civil society to participation, information and justice in environmental matters. In Europe and beyond, ClientEarth’s 50 strong staff includes legal experts qualified in more than nine jurisdictions based in offices in London, Brussels and Warsaw. Our programmes cover biodiversity and ecosystems, climate and energy, and health and environment.

ClientEarth’s Climate and Forests Programme exerts a growing influence on the development and implementation of effective policies to address the drivers of deforestation. We aim to take law and policy forward, beyond narrow sectoral approaches which fail to link together the drivers of natural resource degradation, destruction and livelihood loss for forest peoples and other local communities. Instead, we look for coherent, integrated ecosystem and community rights based approaches to reforming governance of forest land tenure and related natural resources and the effective regulation of consumption patterns driving global deforestation and forest degradation.

Climate & Forest Programme Overview

ClientEarth’s Climate and Forests Programme exerts a growing influence on the development and implementation of effective policies to address the drivers of deforestation. We aim to take law and policy forward, beyond narrow sectoral approaches which fail to link together the drivers of natural resource degradation, destruction and livelihood loss for forest peoples and other local communities. Instead, we look for coherent, integrated ecosystem and community rights based approaches to reforming governance of forest land tenure and related natural resources and the effective regulation of consumption patterns driving global deforestation and forest degradation.
In relation to specific commodity drivers of deforestation (e.g., timber products, palm oil, bioenergy), we focus on EU policies relevant to sustainable public procurement, regulating trade in illegal timber, and ensuring that EU bioenergy use is sustainable. Through these efforts, we aim to reduce the EU’s ‘forest footprint’ and contribute to the definition of legal frameworks that bring consumption patterns in line with social and environmental sustainability limitations.

Our Forest Rights & Governance work engages with local partners in countries at risk of deforestation and forest degradation to strengthen local efforts to address drivers of deforestation in the focus countries. This includes securing the rights of forest-dependent communities to forest tenure, use, management, and benefit sharing, and strengthening their capacity to effectively engage in FLEGT VPA and REDD+ processes. Current focus countries of include Ghana, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Honduras, and Guatemala. Our Rights & Governance team also engages at the international and national levels to ensure that REDD+ initiatives comply with the Cancun REDD+ safeguards.

Project Description

ClientEarth is engaged in two projects in Latin America.

The first project, entitled “Designing a Programme for Capacity Building and Meaningful Stakeholder Participation in Forest Governance and REDD+ in Honduras and Guatemala” is funded by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and will run through December 2012. The focus of this project is to develop a comprehensive and appropriate programme of work that will build the capacity of stakeholders to effectively participate in forest governance and the successful implementation of REDD+ in Honduras and Guatemala.

The second project is funded through the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), Forest Governance, Markets and Climate Programme and is titled “Promoting the Implementation of the Cancun REDD+ Safeguards for Improved Forest Governance in Latin America”.

The specific objective of the project is to support the effective implementation of the Cancun REDD+ safeguards, focusing on the Latin American region.  The target countries will be Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala. The project seeks to develop, together with our in-country partners, an analytical framework and tools to enable countries within the region to understand, embrace, and implement the Cancun REDD+ safeguards — not only as a condition of REDD+ finance, but as a framework for undertaking legal and institutional reforms to address the drivers of deforestation within their own countries.

Crucially, the project will build the capacity and develop in-country knowledge of government officials, civil society and forest dependent community leaders in the selected countries—to design, implement and enforce the Cancun REDD+ safeguards through effective laws, policies and institutional frameworks. 

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job focus

The Lawyer, Rights and Governance (Latin America) has a key role in implementing the above mentioned projects in the target countries, and has responsibility in particular for one of the main focus countries, Honduras or Guatemala. This will entail identifying and developing constructive relationships with key in-country stakeholders, undertaking in-depth research of national REDD+ processes and legal frameworks, undertaking legal and institutional gap analysis, and providing specific legal advice and inputs to law reform and institutional strengthening processes. In addition, the lawyer will provide inputs to the analytical framework and legal tools and help develop these in collaboration with the Latin American projects team.
Working relationships
The position reports to the Project Leader, Rights and Governance (Latin America)

The Lawyer will also have key relationships with other members of the Latin America Rights and Governance team as well as with the Africa Rights and Governance team, and with members of the Climate & Forests programme more generally (including lawyers working on the EU Timber Regulation, public procurement policies, and bioenergy). Close working relationships will be required with the in-country associate for one of the focus countries, and with members of the knowledge networks in the Latin America focus countries.

The Lawyer does not have line management responsibility for other staff.

Job specification

This role involves:

• Developing and maintaining a robust knowledge of REDD+ and FLEGT processes as well as legal and institutional frameworks and political context in the countries of engagement
• Developing and maintaining a robust knowledge of the key drivers of deforestation within the countries of engagement
• Identifying key stakeholders in the target countries and developing relationships with civil society organizations, forest community leaders, and relevant government officials
• Developing and delivering specific legal advice and inputs to on-going law reform processes in the target countries.
• Developing and maintaining working relationships with partner organisations in-country and in Europe
• Contributing to the development and piloting of the analytical framework and legal tools
• Contributing to the development of funding proposals and reports and representing ClientEarth in coalitions, international negotiation processes, public meetings and workshops, hearings, press, and other processes

Qualifications

• Law degree in environmental law or other relevant legal specialty (essential)
• Fluency in English and Spanish (essential)

Experience

• Minimum 3 years of practical experience in the area of forest law and policy and/or other relevant  natural resource,  or human rights and community rights (essential)
• A proven track record of writing, editing, and producing a range of written materials to a consistently high standard (essential)
• A proven track record of research and legal analysis across different legal analytical frameworks (highly desirable)
• Working in Latin America (highly desirable) and/or in an international environment, particularly on forest issues, natural resource management, land tenure issues, or community rights (highly desirable)
• Working with REDD+ policy frameworks, issues, and processes (highly desirable)
• Contributing to law reform processes, particularly in Latin American settings (highly desirable)
• Promoting rights-based approaches to sustainable natural resource management in Latin America or in other relevant contexts (highly desirable)
• Working with NGOs, government stakeholders and other relevant civil society groups (highly desirable)

Knowledge

• Understanding of law-making processes in Latin America settings (highly desirable)
• Working knowledge of one or more of the following areas (essential): natural resources law, investment law, international human rights law, environmental law, forest law, community rights law, customary law, public and administrative law, legal reform processes, development and application of access rights, comparative legal systems, governance and civil society
• Knowledge of climate change and environmental governance issues  in Latin America and international settings (highly desirable)

Skills and competencies

• Excellent legal analytical skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to give authoritative advice and influence external stakeholders, and ability to adapt language, content and style to address the needs of different audiences
• Excellent political and practical judgment and diplomacy
• Ability to grasp quickly new and complex concepts and areas of law, and to learning
• Excellent organisational skills, priority setting and ability in managing multiple tasks while balancing priorities
• Critical thinking, highly creative and solutions oriented
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to effectively interact with people in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural and sometimes challenging environment
• Able to work independently as well as in a team environment coordinating effectively with colleagues
• Values the sharing of information and continuous improvement in a cooperative atmosphere of constructive evaluation and learning
• Confident, energetic and dedicated to working for the environment and in the interests of local communities.

This role involves extensive travel. You must be willing and able to travel within Europe and globally, particularly to Latin America (approximately 2 weeks every 2 months).

Two positions are being available – one being responsible for Guatemala and the other for Honduras.

To apply

Please send us your CV and a cover letter explaining your interest in joining ClientEarth and the contribution you believe you could make to the role and the organization.
Please include ‘Lawyer – Latin America’ in the email subject line, and identify the documents you are sending by including ‘[your name] Lawyer - Latin America cover letter’ and ‘[your name] CV’ in the file name.
Please address your application to Janet Meissner Pritchard, Programme Leader, Climate & Forests Programme, ClientEarth, The Hothouse, 274 Richmond Road, London E8 3QW and send it by email to jobs@clientearth.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Recruitment is open now and you should send your application as soon as possible. Applications are scheduled to close on 24 June 2012. Interviews are intended to take place during the week of 9 July 2012.

Please note that ClientEarth will only consider candidates who have the legal right to work in the UK.

Note on applying for more than one position: If you wish to apply for several positions, please send us a separate email including your CV and a specific cover letter for each position you wish to be considered for.
If you have any questions about the roles advertised or recruitment process, please contact Julie Langevin ( jlangevin@clientearth.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )