Job Title: Legal Officer (2 Positions)
Organisation: Justice Defenders
Duty Station: Jinja, Uganda
About Organisation:
Justice Defenders is a registered UK charity and U.S. nonprofit working in prison communities across Africa. Through legal education, training, and practice, Justice Defenders equips prisoners and prison officers to facilitate legal processes.
Job Summary: The Legal Officer will implement field-level operations to address legal, procedural, and institutional barriers causing prolonged detention in Jinja and Kalangala prisons. The role focuses heavily on protecting the rights of remand prisoners, providing direct courtroom representation on behalf of Justice Defenders, coaching inmates for self-representation, and building sustainable legal empowerment structures within the target prisons.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Courtroom Advocacy
- Serve as the primary legal counsel representing Justice Defenders and providing legal representation to eligible inmates in courts of law, including during trials, bail hearings, and appeals.
Self-Representation Coaching:
- Conduct targeted clinics to prepare inmates for self-representation, equipping them with court rules, trial procedures, cross-examination techniques, and public speaking confidence.
Rights Education & Awareness:
- Conduct rights education campaigns and distribute accessible information materials to strengthen inmates’ understanding of their constitutional, procedural and trial rights.
Paralegal Capacity Building:
- Establish, train, and provide technical mentorship to prison-based paralegal networks consisting of both inmates and prison staff.
Direct Legal Aid Delivery:
- Provide comprehensive legal aid services, including case file tracking, legal document preparation, file tracing, and surety tracing to fast-track bail application approvals.
Mediation & ADR:
- Facilitate alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and victim-offender mediation and reconciliation for petty offenders to aid prison decongestion.
Institutional Coordination:
- Support case tracking and active coordination among justice system actors (Police, State Attorneys, Judiciary, Prison administration) to remove system bottlenecks.
- Legal Research.
- Carry out legal research to support clients’ cases and ensure compliance with criminal legal procedures and practices and government policies.
Feedback & Accountability Structures:
- Create structured feedback and accountability mechanisms between inmates and duty bearers to reduce case delays and improve system responsiveness.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- Education: Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre (LDC).
- Professional Status: Enrolled Advocate of the High Court of Uganda with a valid, current practicing certificate (mandatory for court representation).
- Experience: Minimum of 2–3 years of hands-on experience in criminal defense litigation, legal aid delivery, or human rights advocacy in Uganda.
- Experience working in the prison community will be an added advantage.
- Language Skills: Professional mastery of English. For Jinja-based positions: Working fluency in Lusoga and Luganda is highly desirable.
- For Kalangala-based position: Working fluency in Luganda is highly desirable.
- Professional mastery of English
- Working fluency in Lusoga (for Jinja)
- Working fluency in Luganda (for Jinja and Kalangala)
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre (LDC)
- Enrolled Advocate of the High Court of Uganda with a valid, current practicing certificate
How to Apply:
Applicants should submit:
A current CV;
A cover letter clearly indicating the position and preferred duty station;
Copies of relevant academic and professional qualifications; and
For Legal Officer applicants, a copy of the valid practicing certificate and LDC certificate.
Send your application details by email to;
Deadline: 23rd August 2026
SAFEGUARDING, CONFIDENTIALITY & PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY
Justice Defenders is committed to safeguarding, confidentiality, professional integrity, and the protection of the rights and dignity of all persons with whom it works. Successful candidates will be expected to uphold these principles at all times.
Justice Defenders is an equal opportunity organisation and welcomes applications from suitably qualified candidates.
Deadline: 23rd August 2026
NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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Level of Education: bachelor degree
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: 24