Legal Officer Milano

Legal Officer
Milano
Lombardia, Milano

Requisition ID**: req27396

**Job Title**:Legal Officer

**Sector**:Legal

**Employment Category**: Fixed Term

**Employment Type**: Full-Time

**Open to Expatriates**: No

**Location**: Milan, Italy

- The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives.

Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life

- changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster.

At work today in over 40 countries, the IRC aims to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure.

Following a first assessment conducted in January 2017 in Italy and another one in July 2017, several critical protection gaps were identified within assistance provided to refugees and migrants in Italy: mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), assistance to unaccompanied children, information provision and legal support.

To respond to the identified gaps IRC established a small presence in Italy.

Programs in Italy include Refugee. Info web-based information platform, child protection programming targeting unaccompanied children and victims of trafficking, mentoring programs for the socio-economic inclusion of refugee youth, WPE and education (social emotional learning and healing classrooms).

With the onset of the Ukrainian refugee crisis Ukraine, IRC Italy is ramping up its capacities to respond to protection and MHPSS needs of newly arrived Ukrainian refugees in several locations in Italy.

**Position summary**:

The Legal Officer ensures the highest standards of legal information and aid provision are provided to our clients across the IRC project portfolio.

The Legal Officer will provide advice to the IRC staff and partners in immigration and refugee law, facilitate referrals to legal aid partners, collaborate closely with project staff in the identification of information needs, protection risks and concerns, recurring legal challenges and assist in the development of information material for the target population.

This position reports to: Program Coordinator

- Directly reports: Information Assistant

**Responsibilities**:

- Stay abreast of law changes and practice developments that concern refugees and migrants; monitor public authorities' practices across the country with regards to refugees and migrants, including discriminatory practices.

- Research and draft legal memos on immigration and refugee laws, policies, and procedures for dissemination to the National Program.

- Review written legal content prepared by staff and partners, and resolve and provide advice on answering complex legal and procedural issued faced by clients, to ensure the delivery of high-quality and error-free information.

- Conduct legal information sessions on rights, obligations and laws, in coordination with partners.

- Conduct training on immigration and refugee law and procedures to the staff.

- Provide recommendations to the team to ensure that the program disseminates relevant and responsive information.

- Identify best practices on legal aid and support the set up of a referral protocol to legal aid partners.

- Contribute to the information management by overseeing data gathering and analysis, highlighting trends and legal protection needs of refugees and migrants.

- Contribute to report writing and information exchanges with peer organizations.

- Identify areas for advocacy activities at the national and regional level.

**Coordination & Representation

- Liaise with legal aid service providers for the referral of cases that may require additional legal support.

- Ensure close cooperation, coordination and information sharing between partners, including Diaconia and local grassroots organizations, national NGOs, international organizations, donors and government.

- Represent IRC and participate in migration forums and inform / update PC on developments / trends relevant to the national context.

**Program Development

- Advise on program quality and growth.

- Contribute to proposal development for the sector, both including grants writing and identification of valuable partners.

- Other duties as assigned by the supervisor

**Requirements**:

- Degree in Law (preferred)

- 2 years professional experience practicing law, preferably in asylum and immigration law

- Broad knowledge and understanding of Internation Human Rights and Refugee Law, as well as National Asylum and Immigration Law.

- Proven ability in synthetizing complex legal information for the general public.

- Ability to develop workplan, data collection and analysis.

- INGO experience preferred.

- Personal qualities: Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well.

- Fluency in English and Italian.

Eligibility:

- Must be eligible to work in Italy.

- Application:

- IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants based on merit, without regard to