Adviser, Justice Reform

at  The Commonwealth

THE VACANCY

We have an excellent opportunity for an Adviser Justice Reform to join our Governance and Peace Directorate.
The Adviser Justice Reform reports to the Head and Coordinator - Legal Transformation and seeks to identify salient innovations and technical solutions to craft and present to member countries in their justice sector. Solutions should be transformative, revolutionary, and cross-cutting, leveraging technology, networks, and partnerships, all while ensuring equitable outcomes and bespoke assistance. These innovative solutions may include, among others, legal toolkits, model contracts, data portals, law curriculum updates, digital justice-related technology solutions, among others.
The Adviser Justice Reform should be an innovative, experienced and a solution oriented lawyer with vast civil and criminal litigation and court experience, so as to effectively assist member countries by developing and drafting effective legal frameworks to transform the delivery of justice, develop toolkits and guides to promote good legislative practice across the Commonwealth through model laws, standards, legal insight, networks, and technical assistance, consistent with the goals and objectives of the Commonwealth Secretariat Strategic Plan.

The Adviser is expected, among other responsibilities, to:

• Identify salient human and technical aspects that jeopardise the process of justice across the Commonwealth justice systems and elaborate a toolkit/ package or template draft legislation for possible enactment to support and guide court transformation processes that focus squarely on enhancing access to justice and harmonising law practice, with the collaboration of relevant stakeholders.
• Research and develop an innovative approach to civil and criminal justice law reform, leveraging technology, networks and partnerships, share the results with relevant section in order to collaboratively deliver legal tools and technical assistance for member countries.
• Working with and assisting the legislature to enact new procedural laws or codes, arbitration mechanisms or to amend existing ones to align processes that embrace digital and user-friendly technologies beyond simply digitising court records and procedures.
• Where necessary, drafting of new core procedural legislation constitutionally aligned to be put in place.

Please refer to the Job Description for full details of the responsibilities for this position.

To be considered, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• A degree in Law.
• An advanced postgraduate degree in Law.
• Admission to the Bar in a Commonwealth jurisdiction and eligibility to practice law.
• A minimum of ten years’ all-round experience in the practice of law.
• Extensive and in-depth knowledge of Constitutional law, Procedural law and administrative law.
• Teaching experience at university or bar school level.
• Courtroom and senior management experience with evidence of having attained the level of senior associate or equivalent in a reputable law firm.
• Experience in policy development, legal tools, AI and new justice technologies, blockchain technologies and relevant IT law-related packages.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 member governments and provides guidance on policymaking, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. We support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.
Please apply by submitting a CV and cover letter. Covering letters should be structured to address the key criteria required in the person specification, giving clear examples.
To join us, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country.

ABOUT US

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries.
It is home to 2.5 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. 33 of our members are small states, including many island nations.
Our member governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace. Our values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter.
The Commonwealth’s roots go back to the British Empire. But today any country can join the modern Commonwealth. The last two countries to join the Commonwealth were Gabon and Togo in 2022.

• Identify salient human and technical aspects that jeopardise the process of justice across the Commonwealth justice systems and elaborate a toolkit/ package or template draft legislation for possible enactment to support and guide court transformation processes that focus squarely on enhancing access to justice and harmonising law practice, with the collaboration of relevant stakeholders.
• Research and develop an innovative approach to civil and criminal justice law reform, leveraging technology, networks and partnerships, share the results with relevant section in order to collaboratively deliver legal tools and technical assistance for member countries.
• Working with and assisting the legislature to enact new procedural laws or codes, arbitration mechanisms or to amend existing ones to align processes that embrace digital and user-friendly technologies beyond simply digitising court records and procedures.
• Where necessary, drafting of new core procedural legislation constitutionally aligned to be put in place