OutLawed India Hiring Senior Case Manager for Nyaaya Mitra Initiative in Bengaluru

About OutLawed India and the Nyaaya Mitra Initiative:

OutLawed India is a non-profit organisation aiming to improve access to the law with community ownership and language neutrality. Our work uses regional languages, legal education tools (including creative teaching methods), and community based social intermediaries to help communities to understand and navigate legal rights and duties, and access legal remedy for domestic violence, family issues, cases involvingchildren and, labor disputes.

Our work is facilitated through community paralegals called Nyaaya Mitras who support community members who face the prospect of getting themselves into legal trouble and would have the support that they needed from legal expertise – whether that comes through informal mediation and counsel; drafting; negotiation and representation; complaint and FIR filing or liaising with governmental entities or local bars for free, skilled representation. Through this program, underserved communities are enabled access to legal remedy and have greater recourse and capability through trained community based Nyaaya Mitras, with supervision and capacity support from legal professionals including ourselves and through other lawyer stakeholders.

About the Senior Case Manager Role:

OutLawed India seeks a talented, motivated and ethically driven woman lawyer to serve as the Senior Case Manager within the Nyaaya Mitra Initiative. In this senior role, you will work on key programmatic components, managing a caseload of clients, and enhancing the quality of our legal support system. Responsibilities include conducting case assessments, developing case strategies, providing technical assistance and direct legal guidance to Nyaaya Mitras, and managing individual cases from filing to completion when such management is required, working with clients, the community, lawyers and governmental bodies. A key responsibility is to directly assist in managing the effective delivery of our program through legal assistance and management that empowers community driven support while raising its own professional quality standards.

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

Cases Management

Assess incoming cases from Nyaaya Mitras and clients to understand the merits, complexity and nature of legal dispute; prepare case histories; develop initial legal strategy in consultation with legal director/manager; and identify immediate actions.

Provide substantive legal advice, analysis, and case strategy direction to the Nyaaya Mitras.

Directly supervise and/or handle a portfolio of individual cases, representing and/or advising clients before various forums/authorities including various types of legal disputes such as domestic violence, matrimonial and divorce, child custody, maintenance, property, consumer, etc., under the aegis of the organization. This includes but not limited to filing cases, complaints, FIRs, appeals, as well as other legal proceedings and litigation where appropriate.

Legal research and drafting: conduct legal research; draft legal documents such as petitions, affidavits, notices, applications, complaint letters, position papers, case briefs and opinions.

Maintain, manage and improve the case files and the electronic management system: ensures proper documentation; meticulous recording and regular update of individual case status in the management system.

Ensure proper and timely follow up in all ongoing cases, maintain rapport with clients and appropriate authorities/institutions.

Manage relationships and collaborations with existing partner law firms, lawyers, public defenders, and government bodies on cases needing higher legal intervention and/or specialized skills. Build and leverage networks for potential pro bono legal representation.

Strengthening Nyaaya Mitra Initiative:

Quality Assurance and Enhancement of Legal Support : Identify systemic challenges faced by Nyaaya Mitras in providing legal support, provide them with training, resources and guidance to overcome them. Conduct periodic legal reviews and feedback of Nyaaya Mitras cases. Mentor Nyaaya Mitras with regard to legal procedures and techniques in various matters relevant to community level legal aid.

Build capacity on systemic issues: Conduct trainings and facilitate learning sessions for Nyaaya Mitras and community members on emerging legal topics, case management techniques and referral practices.

Documentation and Knowledge Management: Systematize the capture of learnings from casework and Nyaaya Mitra activity to inform organizational strategy, training materials and outreach efforts.

Help manage and develop SOPs, case management and referral systems, and quality assurance protocols for the Nyaaya Mitra program. Identify areas of systemic legal injustice and help document these trends to inform policy.

Management of Litigation Vertical:

oversee the effective functioning of the organization’s litigation activities; ensuring that the legal work is conducted with integrity, competence, and compassion; manage court appearance schedules; monitoring case pipeline and resolution status.

Support in the generation of reports and analysis regarding the litigation outcomes and trends to feed back into the program’s work.

Eligibility & Experience:

Law graduates (LLB – 3 or 5 years) with 3 to 5 years of Post Qualification Experience in Litigation.

Substantial experience in working on domestic violence, matrimonial (divorce and maintenance) and family law disputes is mandatory.

Experience working in the development sector, Legal Aid clinics or working with underserved or vulnerable communities will be a strong advantage.

Excellent legal research and drafting skills.

Knowledge of criminal procedure; experience with criminal matters such as FIRs and complaints would be advantageous.

Good organizational, analytical and problem-solving abilities.

Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential. You must be able to work effectively with clients from diverse backgrounds, Nyaaya Mitras, other legal professionals, and various stakeholders.

Ability to articulate complex legal concepts clearly and concisely to non-legal audiences.

Proficiency in speaking, reading and writing Kannada is essential for effective communication with the community members.

This role is exclusively for Women candidates.

Remuneration and Benefits:

Salary:INR 60,000-75,000 (Based on experience and candidate’s profile)

Job Location: Bengaluru

Employment Type: Full-time (In-office, with potential flexibility as approved by management)

Other benefits: Flexible leave policy, Work-from-home policy (as and when appropriate, to be approved), continuous learning, and professional development opportunities.

Lawyer interested in using their legal expertise to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable individuals and communities, and who possesses the relevant experience, are encouraged to apply.

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How to Apply

Apply for the Senior Case Manager – Nyaaya Mitra Initiative – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdDenIzx-hkSCmAjiFomJAZOdRHHBoibw7jJFzhfeAmDHIK4w/viewform