We are Hiring: Litigation Counsel

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About the Organization

IFF is a young, impact focused Indian non-profit organisation born out of the SaveTheIntenet.in movement for net neutrality. Our work aims to ensure that human freedoms as guaranteed by the Constitution of India are protected in the digital age. We seek to defend and expand digital rights of Indian internet users through institutional engagement, court interventions and public advocacy. As part of this mandate, IFF has initiated and supported litigation before constitutional courts on issues like internet shutdowns, website blocking, data protection, surveillance reform, intermediary liability etc. More information about IFF’s strategic litigation vertical can be found at www.internetfreedom.in/legal.

Eligibility Criteria

The ideal candidate will be a person with passion and optimism. You need to have belief in the work that you do! You need to own your role with a high level of personal discipline and sound judgement. The candidate will be expected to possess excellent written and oral communication skills. The right candidate will be highly adaptable as we work with the energy of a passionate start-up. You will be a core part of IFF's growth and will gain immense opportunities to showcase your work publicly. So, ideally, you should be ambitious and collaborative in your work style. We encourage interested candidates who meet the following criteria to apply for the position of Litigation Counsel at IFF.

  • The applicant must have a 5 year or 3 year degree in law.
  • The applicant must have 4+ years of work experience. Candidates with prior litigation experience and an interest in public law, emerging and digital technologies experience will be given a preference.
  • The applicant must be an enrolled advocate and authorised to appear in court.
  • This is a full-time position based in New Delhi.
  • The salary for this position will be ~ INR 70,000- 75,000 per month, subject to the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Roles and Responsibilities

Litigation

    1. Draft and review pleadings to be filed in court on behalf of IFF or other clients.
    2. Coordinate with clients and external counsels to ensure timely filing and listing of cases.
    3. Brief arguing counsels for court hearings, and prepare briefing notes, written submissions and case compilations in support.
    4. Attend and provide assistance during court hearings. Travel outside New Delhi may be necessary for out of station court hearings.
    5. Identify opportunities for court-centred advocacy by engaging with stakeholders and monitoring pending cases, media reports and RTI responses.
    6. Build and maintain relationships with IFF’s network of clients and external counsels.
    7. Collaborate with IFF’s Parliamentary and Policy Counsel and Transparency and RTI Counsel to ensure adequate preparatory work is done prior to litigation.
    8. Support IFF’s Of Counsels and serve as the point of contact for IFF’s Executive Director for all litigation-related work.
    9. Stay updated with the legal news and current affairs to identify ongoing court matters where IFF may engage.
    10. Draft and file RTIs and RTI appeals before first appellate authorities and the Central/State Information Commission

Administrative / Management

    1. Responsible for maintenance/updates to internal spreadsheets and calendars for IFF’s litigation work. Maintain hard copies and soft copies of files for all cases in which IFF is a litigant or a legal aid provider.
    2. Prepare an annual strategy plan for the litigation vertical.
    3. Prepare an annual report on digital rights litigation trends in India.
    4. Provide inputs for IFF’s annual budget and ensure actual costs remain within prescribed limits.
    5. Provide assistance with conceptualization and drafting of grant proposals.
    6. Provide guidance, review/feedback to associates’ / fellows’ drafts/work outputs.

Communications and Community

    1. Provide regular updates about IFF’s litigation work to the public by authoring blog posts hosted on IFF’s website.
    2. Collaborate with IFF’s civic literacy team to create textual and audio-visual content for various social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook and YouTube.
    3. Interact with IFF’s volunteers and community members on IFF's social media forums.
    4. Respond to media queries about digital rights issues.
    5. Participate in talks, panel discussions and conferences on behalf of IFF.
    6. Author op-eds and explainers on issues of contemporary relevance.

Preferred traits, culture and skills

  • Passion for digital rights: The ideal candidate will be a person with a passion for digital rights causes and optimism in our mission.  
  • A collaborative spirit: As a small, impact-focused civil liberties organisation, it is crucial for our staffers in all roles to work with colleagues across verticals. The right candidate will be adaptable and should enjoy working in an energetic, fast-paced workplace. You should be ambitious in setting the organisation’s goals and collaborative in your work style. 
  • Integrity, empathy and discipline: IFF’s core strength are its people! They approach their work with a high degree of motivation and belief. To be sustainable, it requires high levels of workplace honesty, helping colleagues and keeping focussed on outcomes. We help each other to collectively advance ambitious goals. 
  • Writer, communicator and geek: The candidate will be expected to possess excellent written and oral communication skills. Know your audience: enjoy communicating and breaking down nuanced digital rights issues for the general public and members of the press. You should like talking to other people on digital rights!

Application Process | Apply now

Interested candidates can apply for the position of Litigation Counsel by uploading their CV (max 2 pages) and statement of interest (max 500 words). This will be followed by assignments/conversations with IFF staffers.

We request all applicants to spend time and prepare a robust statement of interest which is an important component for us to determine your candidature in addition to your CV.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage interested candidates from all backgrounds to apply especially to persons who may be disadvantaged along lines of gender, sexuality, caste, religion, disability and socio-economic status.

Start Date

This is an immediate requirement, so, as soon as reasonably possible :)

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, so apply, apply, apply! 

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Help IFF scale up by making a donation for digital rights. Really, when it comes to free speech online, digital privacy, net neutrality and innovation — we got your back!