PARALEGAL
Job Description
Paralegal: Job Advert
| Reporting To | Legal Manager |
| Duration | One-year contract, with the possibility of extension based on performance |
| Salary | Net salary ranging from Four Thousand, Eighty-Two Leones (Le 4,082) |
| Location | Makeni, Sierra Leone (with occasional travel within the country) |
| Start Date | April 2025 |
Summary: This is an exciting and varied role within AdvocAid, a feminist organisation making a tangible difference in the lives of women and girls in Sierra Leone. We are seeking a committed, professional, and compassionate individual to join our team in Makeni. The paralegal will play a critical role in providing legal advice, assistance, and education to vulnerable women and girls in contact with the law.
The role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of legal aid, women’s rights, and criminal justice reform within a supportive and collaborative team.
Key responsibilities:
As a Paralegal at AdvocAid, your responsibilities will include but not limited to:
Legal Advice and Monitoring
- Conduct regular visits to police stations – Makeni (Mena Hills Police Station, Rogbaneh Police Station, Panlap Police Station), Magburaka (Magburaka Police station) and Kabala (Kabala Police station) to monitor conditions, inform women of their legal rights following arrest, and perform basic interventions when appropriate.
- Attend court sittings (High Court and Magistrate) in Makeni at Mena Hills daily, or other courts as assigned, to monitor proceedings, identify cases requiring AdvocAid’s intervention, and provide legal advice to female accused persons.
- Conduct regular monitoring visits to the Female Correctional centre to monitor conditions, inform women of their detention rights and perform basic interventions when appropriate.
Support for Legal Team
- Collaborate with AdvocAid’s Duty Counsel and Legal Manager to flag urgent or vulnerable cases and ensure appropriate legal interventions.
- Contact and liaise with family members, children, and potential sureties for detained women, relaying necessary information between them and detainees.
Case Mediation and Welfare Support
- Facilitate mediation and informal dispute resolution when both parties are willing and after consulting AdvocAid’s clients.
- Work closely with AdvocAid’s Social Worker to address welfare needs, both during detention and post-incarceration.
Advocacy and Documentation
- Contribute to AdvocAid’s advocacy efforts by participating in media programs when required.
- Document client case studies and share them with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Officer.
Reporting
- weekly and monthly updates on the status of matters being handled on the Kobo Toolkit platform and the internal support register.
- Monthly reports to the MEAL officer and the Legal Manager to support the Advocacy efforts of the organisation.
About you:
We are looking for a passionate advocate for women’s rights who:
- Believes in justice, equality, and the power of legal empowerment to address systemic gender inequalities.
- Has experience providing legal support to vulnerable communities and a strong understanding of women’s rights issues.
- Fast learner or willingness to learn and grow within the office
Key skills and competencies:
The ideal candidate will have:
- Basic legal knowledge gained through paralegal training, a law degree, or related education.
- At least two years of experience in paralegal work, human rights advocacy, or a related field.
- Strong IT skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and email communication.
- Excellent organizational and time management abilities.
- The ability to work independently, take responsibility, and demonstrate initiative.
- A commitment to the ethos and feminist mandate of AdvocAid.
About AdvocAid’s work
- AdvocAid works with women and girls caught up in Sierra Leone’s often unjust legal system. We are the only organization in West Africa providing access to justice and holistic support to women and girls in contact with the law, including free legal aid and representation, social welfare support, education and empowerment, and a moving forward programme for women post-incarceration
AdvocAid was founded in 2006. Today we work in several towns across Sierra Leone, supporting women and girls at police stations, courts and correctional centres. As well as providing short term interventions, we deliver advocacy and law reform projects focused on addressing wider issues impacting women and girls in the criminal justice system. For more information about AdvocAid and our work please visit our website and Facebook page:
How to Apply :
To apply for the position, please submit your CV (no more than two pages) and a cover letter detailing why you are interested in the role (no more than one page).
Please send your application to executive.director@advocaidsl.org, copying northernprogrammes@advocaidsl.org and address it to the Executive Director. Please give your name in the subject line “Your Name – Paralegal Application’’.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The final deadline for applications is Thursday 13th March at midnight GMT.
AdvocAid’s Commitment to Safeguarding: AdvocAid condemns any abusive or exploitative behaviour and is committed to the protection of the women and children we work with. This commitment is reflected in the recruitment and contracting process. Anyone working with or on behalf of AdvocAid must formally agree to adhere to the Safeguarding policy. New joiners will receive an induction to this policy and agree to a Code of Conduct, which provides clear guidance on what AdvocAid expects of staff, volunteers, interns and other representatives.