Lawyer with experience in human rights advocacy.
Metzineres is a non-profit cooperative based in the Raval neighborhood (Barcelona) that creates shelter environments for women and gender-diverse people who use drugs and survive multiple situations of vulnerability and violence.
We are looking for a lawyer with experience in human rights and knowledge of intersectional feminism for immediate, part-time incorporation to support the cooperative’s rights area with legal advice and guidance, accompaniment in court and administrative procedures, and legal representation in judicial cases decided in coordination with the team.
Your day-to-day
At Metzineres, we want to expand our rights area to continue developing legal strategies aimed at reducing the impact that punitive drug policies and the criminalization of poverty have on the lives of the women and non-binary individuals we support. Alongside the case manager from the rights area, you will provide legal counseling and guidance on various legal issues that may affect them.
The functioning of Metzineres values involvement and horizontality. Decision-making participation is real, and every professional is actively involved from their area of expertise. Therefore, time is dedicated to meetings for collective reflection and decision-making across different decision-making spaces.
You are…
- Empathetic and positive in any situation. You know that humor and wit make things more manageable!
- Patient and practice active listening.
- Eager to share what you know with others.
- Committed to maintaining and strengthening organizational coherence sustainably.
- Resourceful and capable of improvisation. Problems are challenges for you.
Curious, and you enjoy learning and innovating.
- Comfortable building genuine and honest interpersonal bonds.
- You have initiative, critical thinking, and bring solutions.
- You’re comfortable testing, failing, and learning from mistakes and experiences to improve next time.
What we need
- At least one year of experience as a criminal defense lawyer
- Languages: Catalan and Spanish
- Immediate availability
- Technical skills: Proficient with office applications and online tools; team collaboration tools.
What you will do
- Take responsibility for direct support and comprehensive accompaniment for women and gender-diverse individuals who actively use drugs and survive various vulnerable and violent situations.
- Provide legal advice, accompaniment, and guidance to all women and gender-diverse people involved in Metzineres.
- Respond in urgent situations (accompanying to the police station, duty court, etc.) and manage the resources necessary for each case.
- Assist with judicial and/or administrative procedures.
- Support in drafting and presenting documents to courts and/or administration.
- Facilitate legal representation for women and gender-diverse people and coordinate with court-appointed lawyers.
- Act as legal representation in cases decided in coordination with the team.
- Track and support Metzineres women and gender-diverse individuals deprived of liberty.
- Coordinate with other entities providing free legal guidance and refer cases as decided by the team.
Preferred qualifications
- Training and/or experience in human rights defense.
- Experience defending victims of gender and sexual violence.
- Training and/or experience in immigration law, prison law, and in dealing with sanctions from public administration.
- Knowledge of a third language, especially spoken and written English.
- Activism experience in drug policy reform, human rights, harm reduction, and intersectional feminism.
- Familiarity with gender perspectives, drug policy, and/or working with vulnerable individuals.
Duration and working conditions
- Temporary contract for substitution.
- 20 hours per week with flexible hours.
- Hybrid work arrangement.
About Metzineres
Women and non-binary people who use drugs while surviving multiple forms of violence and vulnerability rarely access or adhere to health and social care networks and are often excluded from specialized services in drugs and gender violence.
In response, Metzineres was born in 2018, aimed at creating Shelter Environments exclusively for them, integrating the full harm reduction spectrum, intersectional feminism, and peer support. After three years under the umbrella of other organizations, in 2020, Metzineres became a non-profit cooperative and began a process of independence, now nearing completion. This journey, along with years of experience, has led to stability and maturity, allowing us to envision a promising future.
Interested candidates, please send your CV and cover letter to jurista@metzineres.org