Legal Technical Specialist (Consultant) - Beirut

The Legal Technical Specialist is responsible for overseeing of the quality of the legal services provided under the IRC’s Protection & Rule of Law (PRoL) program in Lebanon and provision of technical guidance at the national level. The Legal Technical Specialist will work closely with IRC’s Senior Legal Officers in each field location (Akkar/Tripoli, North Bekaa and Beirut & Mount Lebanon) to develop clear legal workplans, in line with project deliverables. The Legal Technical Specialist will review and update, as required, the IRC’s existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for legal programming and identify areas in which current programming can be strengthened. The Legal Technical Specialist will provide structured technical supervision and oversight to the existing legal team through regular review of case files, capacity building plans, targeted trainings, and in-field coaching. The Technical Legal Specialist will hold monthly Legal Technical Meetings with the legal teams in each of the field location to review progress against workplans, expenditure and legal updates.

The Legal Technical Specialist will be responsible for providing legal inputs into the IRC’s regular donor reporting, in addition to monthly ‘Legal SitReps’, outlining key developments in the legal framework which directly impact upon crisis affected communities served by IRC’s programming. The Legal Technical Specialist will be responsible to represent the IRC at national level coordination fora, including the Legal Actors Working Group (LAWG) and during internal donor briefings. The Technical Legal Specialist will also support the IRC is developing its strategy for increased work in partnership and strengthening access to justice programming through a wider ‘systems strengthening approach’.

Deliverables

• Technical supervision of legal team: Provide direct technical support and oversight to the Senior Legal Officers and Legal Officers to ensure quality legal services are delivered in the field; including through regular ‘spot checks’ on legal case files.

• Finalize existing legal SOPs and rollout training for all Legal Officers.
• Conduct monthly reviews of the Legal Officer’s/Legal Team Leaders’ achievements (legal assistance, legal counselling, and legal information sessions) to provide ongoing supervision and quality assurance in line with the Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) and Lebanese legal framework.
• Develop one capacity building plan per lawyer/legal officer which contains clearly defined training needs and areas that require further development/focus, and monitor progress.
• Technically review the certificate of completion for legal services providers. Support the Senior Protection Manager to carry out yearly performance appraisals for teams.
• Advise on the continuation or discontinuation of Legal Service Providers based on a technical review of the quality of work completed.
• Monthly travel to each field location (BML, North Lebanon and Bekaa) to provide the legal teams with direct technical support and ensure quality of legal services provided, both in terms of legal assistance, information sessions and representation.
• Review all materials used for legal information sessions, and on a bi-annual basis, update the information based on beneficiary feedback and changes in the Lebanese legal/policy framework.
• Development of any legal information management products (i.e. flyers, broachers) and review/edit content.
• Support field offices to ensure Refugee Outreach Volunteers/Community Focal Points are able to safely identify and refer persons with specific legal needs.
• Provide technical support to the legal teams for complex cases, as required.
  
  

• Strategic programmatic development: In cooperation with the Protection Coordinator, develop the strategy for expanded access to justice and ‘systems strengthening’ work.

• Assist the IRC in development and implementation of a partnership strategy with local legal providers and/or human rights actors in Lebanon
• Work alongside the Senior Legal Officers and Partnership unit to develop the IRC’s long-term vision for partnership with local agencies providing legal service providers.
• Ensure mainstreaming of legal services across IRC’s programming (CP, ERD, WPE, ECD, EDU) through providing at least a one-off information session with each department on the legal services offered.

• Technically Support Use of Legal Case management system.

• Liaise between the IRC’s ICT4P and the Legal Team to ensure the smooth functioning of the CommCare system.
• Provider refresher trainings for staff when gaps in the use of CommCare are identified.
• Ensure that persons who receive legal services are correctly referred for services as required, and follow-up on referrals to other legal actors.

• Inputs on legal development and reporting; Keep abreast of on the latest developments related to Lebanese law and policy which impacts upon refugees and other vulnerable population groups.

• Provide monthly written updates on developments in the legal context to inform protection monitoring reports.
• Review donors’ and legal reports related to the provision of legal services to ensure technical accuracy, achievement of indicators and legal analysis/trends (frequency dependent on donor reporting schedules).
• Maintain up-to-date electronic folder with all relevant provisions of Lebanese laws and regulations, to be updated monthly.
  

• Represent the IRC in various coordination fora :

• Attend and participate in the National Legal Actors Working Group (monthly) and technical working groups linked to Housing Land and Property (HLP) rights as required (ad hoc).
• Provide technical inputs to documents at the sector level as required/ on an ad hoc basis.
• Consult with the Protection Coordinator and Advocacy Specialist to identify and coordinate advocacy plans and initiatives on legal issues of importance and concern.
  

Payment Rate and Schedule

Fees to be paid on monthly basis, based on the invoices issued by the Service Provider, and to be paid after an assessment of deliverables.