Public Defense Advisor, Liberia

Job Description

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative seeks candidates for inclusion in a long-term (2-years) Public Defense Advisor in Liberia. The Public Defense Advisor will work with the ABA ROLI Country Director to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public defenders by supporting improvements to case intake, assignment, filing, and management. The Public Defense Advisor will be embedded in the office of the public defender at the temple of justice and will work to improve standard operating procedures and oversight of office personnel while providing mentoring and training support.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the supervision of ABA ROLI’s Monrovia-based Country Director, the Public Defense Advisor will:

- Collaborate with counterparts in the judiciary to develop case management systems, to include providing support for the development of standard operating procedures and policies concerning case intake, case assignment, case filing and management, and case oversight;

- Provide mentoring and training to public defenders to improve representation of defendants in criminal proceedings;

- Establish and maintain effective professional relationships with GOL officials, including the office of the Public Defenders, the Judiciary, the James A. A. Pierre Judicial Institute, the Ministry of Justice, and related civil society and international NGOs;

- Collaborate with and provide support to the Judicial Institute to review, update and improve training modules and curricula for public defenders on identified areas of need, including but not limited to plea bargaining, trial advocacy, and defense techniques;

- Work with and support the development of Liberian trainers to enable continued training and mentoring within a sustainable and continuing legal education system;

- Provide guidance and support to the director of the public defenders office and related judicial personnel to improve performance monitoring and oversight systems.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Juris Doctorate in law, or equivalent, and at least five years of experience practicing as a public defender;
• Experience supervising or overseeing the management and processing of legal cases or court dockets; Prior experience implementing international rule of law programs is a plus;
• Experience in post-conflict environments supporting public institution capacity development, demonstrated understanding of the function and challenges in judicial processes in post conflict settings;
• Ability to maintain key relationships in a culturally diverse environment and respectfully negotiate the resolution of conflicting views to enable project implementation;
• Demonstrated experience evaluating, designing, developing, and implementing professional-level curricula, modules or training materials is desirable;
• Expertise in adult learning theory, interactive skill building, and participatory methodologies appropriate for adult learners;
• Demonstrated ability to interact professionally with and mentor culturally diverse staff & clients at all levels of seniority;
• Flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, to re-evaluate priorities, and to respond appropriately when circumstances evolve;
• Fluency in English, excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills;
• Consistently high level of professionalism, initiative, judgment and discretion;
• Knowledge of the justice sector, legal system and socio-political context of Liberia is beneficial.

About the Organization

The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) is a nonprofit organization that implements legal reform programs in roughly 60 countries around the world. ABA ROLI has nearly 700 professional staff working abroad and in its Washington, DC office. ABA ROLI 's host country partners include judges, lawyers, bar associations, law schools, court administrators, legislative councils, ministries of justice and a wide range of civil society organizations, including human rights groups.