Areas of responsibility: A. Seeking remedies for individuals a) Ensures that individuals in whose cases MDAC is involved are represented to the highest ethical standards; b) Regularly review a risk assessment of individuals to ensure personal safety and integrity, especially for clients in institutions or under guardianship who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, violence and abuse; c) Maintains case files to a high industry standard, complying with industry best practice and data protection laws. B. Developing ground-breaking case-law a) Drafts and implements a strategy to develop ground-breaking case law within each of MDAC’s three campaigns; b) Ensuring the organisation is aware about potential or existing cases in which it can become involved; c) Ensures case selection criteria are vigorously applied to prospective cases; d) Convenes a monthly litigation meeting to present outcomes, challenges and proposed new cases for approval to the Executive Director; e) Maintaining and developing MDAC’s case-load before: i. Domestic courts in Europe ii. European Court of Human Rights iii. European Committee of Social Rights f) Building a strategic litigation practice before: i. Domestic courts in east Africa and India ii. UN Special Procedures iii. UN treaty bodies iv. African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights v. European Court of Justice g) Monitors progress across MDAC’s litigation docket, paying particular attention to evidentiary issues, litigation tactics, developing skeleton arguments and liaising with advocacy staff to ensure integrated policy advocacy and communications; h) Publishes an externally-facing monthly update of the litigation docket, explaining for the general public what the case aims to achieve; i) Reviews and edits other lawyers’ draft submissions to courts to perform a quality control function. C. Activating the legal community a) Stays abreast of emerging trends in law and practice relevant to mental disability and human rights (at national and international levels); b) Builds and develops relationships with global and local law firms providing pro bono legal support to MDAC; c) Builds and develops relationships with MDAC’s circle of UK barristers providing pro bono legal support to MDAC; d) Publishes articles and analysis of litigation related to MDAC’s campaigns in internal and external publications; e) Oversees the development of MDAC’s (soon-to-be-launched) global jurisprudence tracker, an online searchable database of case summaries relevant to the rights of people with mental disabilities; f) Organises an annual external pro bono litigation process audit. D. Other duties a) Line management of legal and other staff and volunteers; b) Participates in the senior management team, contributing to organisational planning and decision-making, and advising the Executive Director as required; c) Presents to the Board and advisory panels as required; d) Reviews written outputs of the organisation for legal accuracy; e) Assists with fundraising and proposal development; f) Assist with recruitment, induction and training of staff; g) Carry out other tasks as requested by the Executive Director. Please send your CV and a cover letter by email by 6pm CET, Friday 6 June 2014 to JoinTheTeam@mdac.org with the subject line “Litigation Director”. Interviews will take place in June 2014. MDAC aims to have the successful candidate in post as soon as possible.