Legal Fellow

This position is an in-person, year-long deployment to one of the following locations: Accra, Ghana; Bucharest, Romania; Lima, Peru; Guatemala City, Guatemala; San Salvador, El Salvador; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia; Bangkok, Thailand; Manila, Philippines. Not every position will be available in every office. 

Program duration is 12 months, from June 2027 – May 2028.

Who We Are

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,200 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable.

We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve. 

The Need

For over 25 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect vulnerable people from violence. 9 out of 9 times in the last decade, IJM’s Justice System Strengthening Projects have reduced slavery and violence between 50 and 85% for very large populations of people in poverty. As we grow to expand our impact to protect 500 million people from violence, we are seeking Legal Fellows.

Legal Fellows assist IJM national lawyers and legal teams to defend our clients and seek justice on their behalf. Depending on your level of experience, your role may involve some of the following responsibilities as well as other relevant duties assigned by the Field Office Director or Supervisor. 

• Help ensure the smooth administration of the legal team including managing of documentation, providing administrative support to lawyers and creating PowerPoint presentations; 
• Support or conduct legal training sessions; 
• Research legal issues and write briefs that will assist in rescuing and protecting victims (varies by casework type); 
• Assist in developing best practice documents based on casework experience; 
• Assist with case intake; 
• Input case details into Casework Tracking Management System; 
• Participate in legal strategy meetings; and 
• Participate in operations briefings and debriefings. 

Fellowship General Qualifications and Required Skills 

• Law school graduate (US applicants); 
• Completion of Bachelor of Law (non-US applicants); 
• Fluency in Spanish required for Latin American offices.  

Critical Qualities 

• Mature orthodox Christian faith; 
• Humble and resilient; 
• Pursues excellence; 
• Culturally aware and appreciative of difference; 
• Strong service ethic; 
• Innovative problem solver;  
• Ability to build trust and strong partnerships with others; 
• Courageous in pursuing opportunities and challenges;  
• Tenacious in achieving goals; and 
• Professional. 

As volunteers, interns and fellows receive a monthly stipend to help defray their expenses related to participating in the internship program. This volunteer stipend is not an hourly wage, nor wages paid for services provided by the intern or fellow.

Application Process: 

Upload Resume, Cover Letter & Statement of Faith* in one PDF document.

 *What is a statement of faith?
 A statement of faith should describe your Christian faith and how you see it as relevant to your involvement with IJM. The statement can either be incorporated into the cover letter or submitted as a separate document and should include, at a minimum, a description of your spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, etc.) and your current fellowship or place of worship.

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidate’s value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check processes.

At IJM, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce through fair and equitable employment practices. IJM encourages people of any race, color, age, sex, marital status or political ideology to apply for employment. While we welcome everyone into this work, we truly believe that the work we are doing is God’s work, not our own, and practice spiritual disciplines together daily. That’s why we legally require under SEC. 2000e-1 [Section702] of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that all employees practice a mature orthodox Christian faith, as defined by the Apostles’ Creed.

IJM requires a background check, police clearance and thorough review of references with an employment offer and/or employment contract.

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