We have an excellent opportunity for two (2) Legal Interns to work with our Rule of Law (ROL) section within the Governance and Peace Directorate.

The ROL section is one of several departments in the Governance and Peace Directorate (GPD) of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The GPD is responsible for the promotion of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and good governance within the Commonwealth. In the Commonwealth Secretariat, the ROL Section has lead responsibility for supporting Commonwealth member countries to build effective and sustainable constitutional, legal, policy, institutional and multilateral frameworks (effective frameworks) that promote the rule of law, equal access to justice and address the growing cybercrime problem. It also provides technical assistance and facilitates consensus-building and multilateral cooperation on a wide range of rule of law and justice matters of concern to Commonwealth member countries, including on efforts to realise targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

The internship will enable the successful candidates to expand their project management skills and experience through several exciting technical assistance, research and awareness raising projects. Each Legal intern will shadow and be supervised by a Legal Advisor, respectively, and will assist on a broad variety of legal research and administrative tasks.

The successful candidates will be required to

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  Participate in team meetings
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  Observe and be involved in key stakeholder, governmental and intergovernmental meetings
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  Assist in the design and delivery of various legal research, technical assistance and awareness-raising projects
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  Attend and report on key internal and external meetings and undertake assigned administrative functions
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  Conduct legal research, online surveys and produce reports on SDG-16, including on ensuring equal access to justice, addressing the impact of COVID 19 on the rule of law legislative drafting and law reform, and expanding the provision of pro bono legal services to Commonwealth Small Countries;
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  Assist in coordinating the convening and work of various Expert Working Groups.

Please refer to the Job Description for a more exhaustive list of tasks.

To be considered, you must be between the ages of 20 and 30 years and have been enrolled in, or recently completed a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree. Experience in conducting research on legal matters, an understanding of development issues and an ability to undertake research and deliver reports in a timely manner is desirable. Excellent IT skills and the ability to provide administrative assistance are also required.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 member countries and provides guidance on policy making, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. We support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.

To join us, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country and have the right to live and work in the UK for the full duration of the Internship.

If you feel that you are suitable for the role, please apply using the buttons below.