Charity registered in Scotland SC039632
Since 1985 Freedom from Torture has been the only UK human rights organization dedicated to treating and supporting torture survivors who seek refuge in the UK. We do this primarily through psychological therapies but also services which document torture forensically, practical legal and welfare support and creative groups.
Thanks to the dedication of our staff and volunteers – as well as scores of passionate supporters and funders – thousands of torture survivors have been able to rebuild their lives in incredibly difficult circumstances.
Freedom from Torture is the Winner of the Overall Award for Excellence and the top prize for Campaigns and Advocacy at the 2023 Charity Awards.
We have an exciting opportunity for a Scotland-based Legal Advisor to join our Legal Advice and Welfare Service.
Would you like to join our award-winning organisation?
About the role
Legal Advisers at Freedom from Torture deliver expert, detailed, advice to treatment clients and their clinicians on all areas of asylum and immigration law. There is a particular focus on complex, appeals rights exhausted cases where there is a risk of detention, and on supporting clients who are unrepresented. Legal Advisors review evidence produced by clinicians for use in clients’ asylum and immigration cases, ensuring that it complies with the standards required of a professional witness. Legal Advisors are also responsible for delivering internal and external training on a range of legal issues affecting torture survivors within the immigration and asylum system in the UK.
We are seeking to recruit a Legal Advisor for our Glasgow centre, who is a Scottish qualified legal professional with experience of advising on immigration and asylum matters within the Scottish legal system, and who could attend our Glasgow centre at least once every fortnight.
About you
You will be a legal professional qualified to practice in Scotland, with expertise in immigration and asylum law, particularly in relation to the legal protections available to survivors of torture. You will have experience of advising and representing clients in the Tribunals and Courts, including in judicial review claims. You will be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with people who have experienced trauma, and will be able to build professional relationships with a variety of colleagues both internally and externally. You will share our commitment to working with and empowering people who have experienced torture.
In return, we offer a competitive package, with a generous 30-day annual leave entitlement, and 6% employer pension contribution (minimum 1% employee contribution).
Freedom from Torture is committed to showing the salary for all advertised roles and not negotiating salaries for roles, in light of evidence that this contributes to structural inequality.
Our policy is that all appointments will be at the start of the salary range but successful candidates will have the opportunity to move up the scale over time. The progression up the salary range is reviewed on an annual basis and subject to affordability. For this role, the salary range is £47,655 - £55,279 pro rata per annum.
View the Job Description and Person Specification
Please note a CV and a cover letter addressing the job description and person specification of the role are mandatory to be considered for the position.
Freedom from Torture is dedicated to healing and protecting people who have survived torture. We provide therapies to improve physical and mental health, we medically document torture, and we provide legal and welfare help. We expose torture globally, we fight to hold torturing states to account and we campaign for fairer treatment of torture survivors in the UK.
We campaign for national and global change, using evidence from our services and survivor voices to protect and promote survivors' rights and hold torturing states to account. We are proud to play a significant role in the global anti-torture movement. Survivors, active and empowered, are at the centre of all of our work.
Freedom from Torture is committed to its responsibilities under safeguarding, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS disclosure, as well as a need for full employment history and up to date employment references.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.