Position: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Fellowship (2024-2026)

Organisation: iProbono, in partnership with Law and Policy Forum for Social Justice (LAPSOJ), Nepal

Duration: 18 months (September 2024 - February 2026), full-time

Location: Kathmandu, Nepal

About iProbono

iProbono is a global social justice organisation that enables people to access their rights in pursuit of a just society. It strengthens civil society in tandem with litigating and advocating for key rights-based issues in South Asia. iProbono’s expertise spans overarching thematic areas, including equality law, child rights, and economic, social and cultural rights in South Asia.

In Nepal, iProbono works to secure economic and social rights. We also provide support in the form of legal assistance to civil society organisations across the country working on a range of issues. For more information, please visit our website.

About the Fellowship

The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Fellowship is a flagship initiative by iProbono and LAPSOJ to implement and realise the Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR) of Nepali citizens. This Fellowship supports and mentors early-career lawyers in professional development and social justice. Since its inception, the Fellowship has contributed to significant public interest litigations and capacity-building activities in Nepal. Fellows are mentored by local and international experts, gaining experience in legal research, policy advocacy, program design and implementation, capacity-building, and strategic litigation. Through the Fellowship, we hope to create a cadre of young lawyers who are committed to enabling access to justice through pro bono lawyering and securing social justice for all.

The Role:

As an ESCR Fellow, you will support the growth of iProbono’s work in Nepal. You will work with our Nepal-based Program Officer (PO-NP), staff of LAPSOJ, and the South Asia Program team (SA-PT) to implement ongoing projects on migrant rights, reproductive rights, and other ESC rights. You will conduct capacity building for our partners, carry out research, and produce written and audio-visual content for our website or other advocacy submissions. You will also complete 2-3 secondments to iProbono’s partners in Nepal (civil society organisations or practising lawyers). Throughout the Fellowship, you will report to the PO-NP and the Senior Program Manager for South Asia (SPM-SA).

You will have a strong commitment to social justice, access to justice, and human rights values, a high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness.

Key Responsibilities

You will support iProbono and LAPSOJ in these key tasks, and any other work related to securing ESCR in Nepal, as required:

• Legal Research and Writing
• Conduct legal research and support the filing of public interest litigations
• Develop and complete a joint research project
• Write research articles for iProbono’s website and external platforms individually and jointly
• Contribute research and writing to any advocacy submissions at the local, national, or international level
• Drafting and filing Right To Information applications
• Capacity Building
• Plan and deliver training sessions for iProbono’s partners
• Conduct training sessions on the Legal Design Toolkit with CSO partners or other identified stakeholders
• Support planning and implementing events
• Advocacy and Strategic Litigation
• Support iProbono and its partners’ programs on migrant rights, reproductive rights and economic, social and cultural rights
• Contribute to the production of audio-visual content and advocacy submissions
• Work with affiliated lawyers in ongoing cases and provide support as required
• Assist in the development of new litigation cases
• Assist in tracking and supporting public interest litigations filed by previous fellows
• Reporting and Evaluation
• Assist in reporting to stakeholders as required
• Draft reports on secondment experiences
• Meetings with the Mentor and Subject-Matter Experts
• Attend monthly meetings with the Fellowship’s mentor, senior lawyer Raju Prasad Chapagai
• Attend capacity/skill building sessions conducted by iProbono & LAPSOJ team members, and previous ESCR Fellows
• Attend meetings with iProbono’s CEO & Research and Impact Director
• Program Support and Implementation
• Support iProbono and LAPSOJ’s programs to scale in Nepal
• Provide necessary support in the planning and implementation of local and regional events

• Communications
• Coordinate with and support iProbono’s global communications team when required
• Create audio-visual or written content through the Fellowship about various economic, social, and cultural rights or other related themes

Skills and Experience:

• Citizen of Nepal
• Early career lawyer with 0 to 2 years of experience, preferably in the lower courts of Nepal
• Registered with the Nepal Bar Association or actively pursuing registration
• Knowledge and understanding of court procedure, contemporary human rights issues, economic, social and cultural rights, and the CSOs landscape in Nepal
• Excellent drafting skills in Nepali and English. Nepali typing skills are mandatory.
• Demonstrated interest in social justice and human rights.
• High level of proficiency with MS Office and Google Workplace Suite. Efficient in using Slack and other database management systems.
• Ability to travel, if required.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team and manage multiple tasks.
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a small team.

Additional Information:

• Fellows will be housed at LAPSOJ’s office in Kathmandu.
• Fellows will be seconded to other partner organisations or litigating lawyers for a period of four to six weeks.
• Fellows will be required to have their own laptops/computers.
• A monthly stipend will be provided to the Fellows

To Apply: Interested candidates should submit a CV and a cover letter (which can be written or a video) to global.recruitment@i-probono.com by Sunday, 11 August 2024. Candidates are encouraged to be creative in their cover letter submissions. Candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds or vulnerable groups are strongly encouraged to apply.