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Paralegal Officer

Position Description – Paralegal Officer

Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA), based in Accra, Ghana, is recruiting a recruiting a Paralegal Officer. This is a full-time, staff position based in Osino, Ghana.

Established in April 2016, ACA helps West African communities that are threatened by the impacts of extractives-led development to take control of their own futures. We do this by working with communities to design sustainable development plans and to advocate to achieve those plans. We also build networks of lawyers and other experts to help communities’ plans come to fruition. ACA has projects in communities in Ghana’s Bono East and Eastern Regions, in Liberia and Guinea addition to collaborating and supporting programs for the Public Interest Lawyering Initiative for West Africa (PILIWA), a network of lawyers and legal advocates in nine West African countries.

Role

The Paralegal Officer would be responsible for working closely with the ACA legal team to provide legal support to ACA communities in Ghana. The Paralegal Officer will report directly to ACA’s Legal Officer. This position may require some travel, mostly within Ghana.

Specifically, he or she will assist the Legal Officer to undertake the following:

  • Assess potential legal needs for host communities.
  • Provide technical legal support to the communities under the direction of ACA’s legal officer and CEPIL.
  • Assist communities to document mining company and/or government-related human rights and land rights abuses.
  • Preparing reports and communications with and/or on behalf of the communities.
  • Collecting evidence and other tasks at the direction of the Legal Officer in preparation for litigation and/or advocacy.
  • Assist the legal team to Draft legal product for and deliver trainings for partner communities on legal topics, including land rights and administrative processes relevant to community-driven development plans;
  • Draft training material on human rights and conduct training session for the beneficiary communities and perform other tasks as may be required.

 

Required Qualifications

  • Law degree (LL.B.) from an accredited law faculty in Ghana
  •  Completion of national service.
  •  A good understanding of Ghanaian land law
  •  Competence in legal writing and public speaking;
  •  Fluency in Twi
  • Very good writing and research skills and attention to detail;
  • Proficiency in the MS office suite
  • Willingness and ability to relocate to Osino, Ghana.
  • Willingness and ability to travel widely in Ghana, including to remote rural areas.

Preferred Qualification

  • Familiarity with the mining laws of Ghana.
  • Familiarity with national, regional, and international mechanisms and strategies to prevent and seek remedies for human rights abuses;
  • Human rights and community work experience

Compensation

ACA offers salaries and a package of health and retirement benefits that are competitive with other regional non-profit organizations. The position offers a salary range between $600.00 and $800.00. Exact salary depends on the candidate’s experience and professional qualifications, as well as any special skills that he/she brings to the job.

Application Procedure

Submit the following to  ACA’s Legal Officer, Mustapha Mahamah, at (mustapha@advocatesforalternatives.org), and Copy (cc) the Legal Director (lalla@advocatesforalternatives.org)  attached to an email with the subject header “ACA Paralegal Officer Job Application,”:

  • Cover letter explaining interest and relevant experience
  • Resume/CV of no more than 2 pages
  • At least one professional/ academic referee

 

Application Deadline

16th February 2024

U.S. Mailing Address:

341 W.24th St., Apt 21C
New York, NY 10011

Ghana Office Physical Location:

Hse F523/2 Kuku Hill Cr.
Osu, Accra, Ghana

Phone: +233 55 555 0377

Opportunities

Internships

ACA always welcomes current students and recent graduates to join us as interns in both our legal and community-based programs. 

To inquire, please send a cover letter, resume, reference list, and writing sample to the Executive Director, Jonathan Kaufman, at jonathan@advocatesforalternatives.org.