Legal Consultant

The organisation provides survivor-centred support to individuals affected by human trafficking, including protection, psychosocial support, legal assistance, and reintegration services.

As part of its protection interventions, the organisation supports survivors whose cases are under investigation or pending before Kenyan courts. To strengthen the follow-up and progression of ongoing cases, ensure survivors are adequately prepared for court proceedings, and enhance access to justice and legal remedies, the organisation seeks to engage a qualified Legal Consultant on a needs basis. 2. Purpose of the Consultancy The purpose of the consultancy is to provide timely and effective legal support to survivors of human trafficking.

The consultant will support legal clinics, case follow-up, survivor preparation for testimony, coordination with prosecutors and investigating officers, and identification of appropriate legal strategies to facilitate access to compensation, restitution, and other available remedies. Reports To Case management Coordinator shelters

Engagement Type and Fees

Needs-based consultancy: the Legal Consultant is engaged as and when legal support is required and is paid at a daily rate for the days worked. Applicants must state their daily rate in Kenya Shillings. Key Responsibilities

• Court Case Follow-up and Monitoring
• Follow up on ongoing trafficking cases before the courts and monitor their progress.
• Maintain an updated status of assigned cases, including hearing dates, proceedings, rulings, and applications. ● Attend relevant court proceedings and provide timely feedback to the organisation. ● Identify delays, challenges, or risks affecting case progression and recommend appropriate action. ● Follow up on outstanding actions arising from court proceedings. 2. Survivor Preparation and Support
• Prepare survivors for court appearances and testimony in a clear, respectful, trauma- informed manner.
• Explain the court process, including what survivors can expect before, during, and after testimony. ● Ensure survivors understand their rights and responsibilities within the justice process. ● Coordinate with the organisation's Programmes/Protection Officer and caseworkers on psychosocial and practical support. ● Identify concerns affecting survivors' participation in court and recommend measures to address them. ● Maintain confidentiality and uphold survivors' dignity throughout all legal engagements. 3. Liaison with Prosecutors and Investigating Officers
• Maintain regular communication with prosecutors and investigating officers handling assigned cases.
• Follow up on investigations, witness requirements, exhibits, statements, and hearing dates. ● Liaise to minimise avoidable postponements and adjournments. ● Where postponements are unavoidable, establish reasons, follow up revised hearing dates, and promptly inform the organisation. ● Facilitate effective communication between the organisation and justice-sector stakeholders. 4. Support for Cases Under Investigation, Shelter Referral, and Repatriation
• Provide legal support and follow-up for cases still under active investigation, including those involving survivors referred to and residing in the organisation's shelters. ● Monitor the status of investigations for shelter-referred cases and advise on their legal implications for the survivor.
• Advise on the legal requirements and processes surrounding survivor repatriation, working in collaboration with relevant foreign missions/embassies and other authorities. ● Liaise with foreign missions and relevant government agencies on the legal and documentation aspects of repatriation. ● Continue to follow up on cases after a survivor's repatriation, until their successful closure, coordinating with counterparts in the survivor's home country where necessary. ● Provide victims with regular, clear updates on the progress of their cases, both while they remain in Kenya and after repatriation to their home country.
• Maintain communication channels with repatriated survivors (directly or through appropriate intermediaries) to ensure they remain informed and supported until case closure. ● Coordinate with the organisation's shelter, protection, and case management teams to ensure continuity of legal support across investigation, shelter placement, and repatriation stages. ● Comply with all shelter security protocols and procedures when attending to victims within the organisation's shelters. ● Collaborate closely with relevant shelter staff, caseworkers, and other consultants when interacting with victims in shelter settings, ensuring coordinated and appropriate support.
• Flag any cross-border legal, evidentiary, or coordination challenges arising from repatriation and recommend appropriate solutions. ● Maintain accurate records of case status and communications for cases spanning investigation, repatriation, and post-repatriation follow-up. 5. Strategic Litigation, Compensation and Restitution
• Liaise with the Programmes/Protection Officer on cases requiring strategic legal intervention. ● Identify cases where strategic litigation may advance survivors' rights and access to justice. ● Provide legal advice on avenues for compensation, restitution, and other remedies. ● Advise on legal and procedural requirements for pursuing compensation or restitution. ● Support legal applications, referrals, or interventions as agreed with the organisation. ● Document lessons and emerging legal issues to inform future survivor-support and advocacy work. 6. Legal Documentation and Reporting
• Maintain accurate, confidential records of assigned cases and legal follow-up activities.
• Provide timely written updates after court proceedings and significant case developments. ● Submit periodic case status reports to the organisation in writing. ● Immediately communicate urgent legal developments, risks, or matters requiring management attention. ● Provide recommendations for action on cases requiring further legal intervention. ● Prepare a final consultancy report summarising activities, case progress, outcomes, and recommendations. 7. Cross-Team Collaboration, Trends Analysis, and Data Management
• Collaborate with the organisation's Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), Research, and Programmes teams, sharing insights on trends and patterns emerging from cases to inform programming and reporting.
• Continuously provide recommendations on ways to strengthen collaboration with criminal justice actors (police, prosecutors, judiciary) and increase successful convictions against traffickers and smugglers, while ensuring victims' rights are upheld throughout. ● Support the improvement of the organisation's systems and processes for accurately collecting data and information relating to ongoing and concluded cases. ● Work with the M&E team to help ensure the correct and accurate collection of data linked to the criminal justice process for assigned cases. ● Use the organisation's designated data management systems for recording, updating, and reporting all case-related data and information.
• Comply fully with the organisation's data management policy in the handling, storage, and sharing of all case data and information. Expected Deliverables
• Updated court case tracker covering all assigned cases. ● Timely case updates following court proceedings and significant developments. ● Court attendance and follow-up records documenting actions and next steps. ● Survivor pre-testimony preparation for survivors scheduled to testify. ● Regular liaison and follow-up with prosecutors and investigating officers. ● Legal follow-up records for cases under active investigation, including shelter-referred cases. ● Repatriation-related legal advice and coordination records with foreign missions.
• Post-repatriation case follow-up records through to case closure.
• Documented victim updates provided while in Kenya and after repatriation. ● Legal recommendations for cases requiring strategic litigation or additional intervention. ● Advice and support on compensation and restitution, including identification of legal avenues. ● Monthly progress reports highlighting developments, challenges, actions taken, and recommendations. ● Periodic trend and pattern analysis shared with the M&E, Research, and Programmes teams. ● Recommendations for strengthening criminal justice collaboration and improving conviction outcomes. ● Contributions to improved systems and tools for collecting case-related data and information. ● Final consultancy report at the end of the contract period.

• Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with a valid practising certificate. ● Demonstrated experience in criminal justice and court case management. ● Experience working on human trafficking, gender-based violence, child protection, or related cases. ● Experience liaising with prosecutors, investigating officers, and other justice-sector actors. ● Experience or familiarity with repatriation processes and liaison with foreign missions/embassies is an added advantage. ● Ability to comply with shelter security protocols and work collaboratively with shelter staff and other consultants when engaging with victims.
• Analytical skills to identify trends and patterns in case data and translate these into actionable recommendations. ● Experience or willingness to work with organisational data management systems and comply with data management policies. ● Knowledge of survivors' rights and trauma-informed approaches to legal support. ● Knowledge and experience in compensation, restitution, victim participation, or other legal remedies. ● Strong communication, coordination, case follow-up, and reporting skills. ● High standards of professional ethics, confidentiality, and integrity. Key Performance Indicators
• Timely follow-up of assigned court cases. ● Timely and accurate reporting of case developments.
• Consistent engagement with prosecutors and investigating officers. ● Effective preparation of survivors scheduled to testify. ● Identification and follow-up of cases requiring strategic legal intervention. ● Identification and pursuit of appropriate opportunities for compensation and restitution. ● Effective legal follow-up on cases under investigation, including shelter-referred survivors. ● Timely, well-coordinated legal support for repatriation cases, including liaison with foreign missions.
• Consistent case follow-up through to closure, including after survivor repatriation. ● Regular, clear updates provided to victims on case progress, in Kenya and post-repatriation. ● Timely identification and escalation of legal or safeguarding concerns. ● Compliance with confidentiality, data protection, safeguarding, and survivor-centred principles. ● Consistent compliance with shelter security protocols and effective collaboration with shelter staff and consultants during victim interactions. ● Quality and regularity of trend/pattern analysis and recommendations shared with M&E, Research, and Programmes teams. ● Value and uptake of recommendations for strengthening criminal justice collaboration and conviction outcomes.
• Improvements made to case data collection systems and support provided to the M&E team on criminal-justice-linked data. ● Accurate and compliant use of the organisation's data management systems and adherence to its data management policy. Safeguarding, Confidentiality and Data Protection
• Maintain strict confidentiality of all survivor information, case records, and legal proceedings. ● Handle survivor information in accordance with applicable data protection requirements and the organisation's policies. ● Apply survivor-centred and trauma-informed principles in all interactions with survivors. ● Obtain informed consent before sharing survivor information or undertaking actions requiring survivor participation, where applicable.
• Uphold the principles of do no harm, dignity, confidentiality, and informed choice. ● Adhere strictly to the organisation's shelter security protocols and access procedures when meeting or working with victims within shelter premises. ● Coordinate with relevant shelter staff and other consultants to ensure victim interactions in shelters are safe, appropriate, and well-coordinated. ● Immediately report any safeguarding concern in accordance with the organisation's safeguarding procedures.

Apply through Dira HR Solutions' online application form and select this position. The full job description is linked from the form. Dira and its client never charge candidates any fee. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.