International Legal Officer

Fenix – Humanitarian Legal Aid is a US non-profit organization and Greek MKO, federally registered with Greece’s Ministry of Migration and Asylum. We are currently seeking an International Legal Officer to join our team in Lesvos from January 2023.

Our team of international and Greek lawyers, protection officers, legal assistants and translators provides legal aid and protection services to asylum seekers and refugees on Lesvos and in Athens.

Our clients need great advocates who demonstrate compassion, patience, hard work and empathy in extremely trying circumstances. As we work towards our vision of ‘a just and equitable European asylum system, which treats individuals with respect and upholds their dignity’, we are committed to doing so while ensuring the highest ethical standards of conduct and creating a safe working environment free of harrassment and discrimination. We are looking for an independent, adaptable and responsible individual who is willing to work in a very demanding and dynamic work environment.

Job description

Under the supervision of the Head of Holistic Legal Aid and Legal Coordinators the International Legal Officer supports the drafting of family reunification and re-examination requests and manages. The FR officer ensures timely identification, submission, and tracking of applications and delivers regular updates and training to the Legal Team. In addition, the international lawyer will be responsible to support with legal info sessions to asylum seekers and legal training for other non-governmental organisations. The International Legal Officer is also responsible for the provision of legal information sessions on asylum procedure to groups of asylum seekers in camp, and for giving asylum procedure based capacity bridging to other NGOs as part of the Fenix’s capacity bridging programme. Due to the changing context of Lesvos and the asylum procedure this role may include other tasks in accordance with need.

Job Responsibilities

• Screening of possible new clients
• Gathering of facts and proofs of family relationship
• Writing family reunification and re-examination requests
• Provide info sessions to asylum seekers
• Provide legal trainings to non-governmental organisations

All Fenix team members must comply with the values and principles outlined in the Fenix code of conduct and Policies.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor and/or Master degrees in law
• In-depth knowledge of Asylum Law. Having completed the bar association is an asset.
• Excellent communication skills
• Fluent in English. Other languages are an asset (French, Arabic, Farsi/Dari, Greek)
• Experience of working in a case holding setting would be an advantage
• Strong computer skills
• High professional ethics
• Right to be in the European Union for longer than 3 months.
• Positive and professional attitude, Including the ability to prioritizes work under pressure and be able to coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail.
• Positive and professional attitude, Including the ability to prioritizes work under pressure and be able to coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail.

Conditions

• 6 months based in Mytilene, Lesvos
• Volunteer Position
• Start date: January 2023