Staff Attorney

**About the IRAP Europe Team**

IRAP Europe is made up of 16 staff members, including a team of 11 who provide legal aid to clients in Family Reunification and Humanitarian Visa procedures through direct legal services and partnerships with local NGOs and pro bono law firms. Working primarily from our office in Berlin, Germany, our staff directly represent clients in French, German, and Swedish procedures. Our international practice gives us a unique view of structural hurdles and inconsistencies in family reunification processing, and in addition to providing direct legal aid, we seek to address these issues through advocacy and litigation. To learn more about our team’s family reunification work, see here.

**Opportunity**

The IRAP Europe team is seeking a Staff Attorney to focus on the development of an international litigation practice to challenge systemic barriers in family reunification processes for beneficiaries of international protection. Drawing on the team’s experience representing clients in French, German, and Swedish family reunification procedures, as well as cooperation with partner organizations in other European jurisdictions, and in consultation with other team members, the Staff Attorney will contribute to the development of a five-year strategy for IRAP’s litigation efforts, including pursuing high-impact cases in international courts and before treaty bodies to promote fairness and equity in access to family reunification.

The Staff Attorney will report to IRAP Europe’s Co-Director (Programs).

This is an exciting opportunity for an individual interested in refugee rights to be part of a growing, international legal aid organization.

**Responsibilities**:

- Identify priority issues for litigation in the family reunification context, drawing on IRAP’s existing caseload and partner input;
- Collaborate with partners and IRAP team members to create a five-year plan for addressing priority issues through litigation, thought leadership, and/or advocacy;
- Map organizations across Europe that provide legal assistance in refugee family reunification and develop IRAP’s engagement with external partners on litigation and advocacy work on related issues;
- Monitor litigation related to refugee family reunification filed in national and international courts, as well as cases before relevant United Nations treaty bodies, and provide relevant updates to the IRAP Europe team;
- Research family reunification rules and procedures across the EU to identify gaps and inequities;
- Litigate (or support litigation by other practitioners of) family reunification cases before the European Court of Human Rights or other international or UN bodies;
- Draft third-party interventions in cases before the European Court of Human Rights;
- Draft complaints to the European Commission against breaches of EU law by Member States;
- Monitor the execution of judgments before the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and draft communications to the Committee where relevant;
- Working with staff attorneys, develop IRAP’s capacity to litigate cases before the European Court of Justice;
- Develop IRAP’s capacity to gather public information (via parliamentary inquiries, public records requests, etc.) to build strong cases for litigation and/or advocacy;
- In coordination with other team members, contribute to IRAP’s pursuit of other avenues for systemic change, such as drafting legal and policy notes and publishing position papers;
- Other duties as assigned.

**Qualifications**:

- Law degree (LLM or equivalent)
- Experience directly representing clients in immigration processes, preferably in international protection procedures
- Experience bringing cases before international courts (e.g., European Court of Human Rights) and/or international committees (e.g., OHCHR)
- Preferred: Experience litigating family reunification cases within the national legal system of an EU member state
- Strong research, writing, and analytical skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Sensitivity to client empowerment and to working with clients of all backgrounds, including LGBTI clients, survivors of trauma, and other vulnerable populations
- Excellent oral and written English skills required; proficient French skills preferred; excellent skills in other languages (particularly Arabic, Farsi, German, Somali, Swedish, Tigrinya) a plus but not required.

**Compensation**

The annual salary range for this position is €73,345-€90,490, commensurate with experience.

**Benefits**

IRAP’s benefits vary across office locations, and IRAP seeks to offer equitable and generous benefits to all employees. Benefits for IRAP’s employees in Germany include:

- Supplementary company health insurance for staff as well as their partners and dependents
- Berlin transport pass (A, B, C)
- Daycare reimbursements
- A wellness reimbursement twice per year
- Generous professional development opportunities
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