Volunteer Legal Advocates

About Asylum Access

Asylum Access believes it’s time to put power back in the hands of people who have been forcibly displaced from their home countries.

Our unique combination of legal empowerment, policy advocacy and global systems change creates conditions in which refugees can live safely, move freely, work legally and go to school. By supporting refugees as they assert their rights, we help restore their power and agency. Our work transforms the traditional approach of endless humanitarian handouts to a sustainable solution that honors refugees’ freedom, dignity and autonomy, and empowers them to make choices about their own lives.

Founded in 2014, Asylum Access Malaysia (AAM) is a locally registered NGO and a part of the Asylum Access family of organizations. AAM provides individualized legal services and community legal empowerment programming to refugees primarily in the Klang Valley, ensuring that they are able to access their rights and working to expand protections for all refugees. Through all their work, AAM engages in advocacy, promoting system change in the environment to ensure that all refugees in Malaysia are able to live safely, move freely, work fairly and rebuild their lives.

Department Description

The AAM Legal Services team provides legal aid to refugee clients through individualised legal assistance, community outreach and advocacy initiatives. The team works to identify refugees with heightened vulnerabilities, assist people and communities in navigating the UNHCR process, as well as provide information on their rights and responsibilities under certain domestic laws and policies. Through its legal empowerment activities and advocacy tools, the team seeks to encourage systemic change and increase access to rights for refugees in Malaysia.

Volunteer Program Highlights

Refugee Rights Training and Professional Development – Throughout the Volunteer Legal Advisor’s (VLA) work with AAM, the organization will aid VLAs with a series of tools to maximize their programmatic work and their knowledge of refugee law and practice.  Regular training and debriefing sessions will offer VLAs the chance to enhance and process their experience and communicate their insights about cross-cultural issues.

Casework – Upon joining the team, VLAs will be largely responsible for their own casework, which they will see through preparation, submission and results. Throughout the life of a case, they will receive guidance and mentorship from AAM’s Legal Services team. This will give VLAs the practical experience of legal representation, client contact, research, brief writing, and other invaluable legal experience.

Joining our Network – After working with Asylum Access, VLAs will be connected with an ever-growing network of refugee legal advocates around the world, which circulates job openings, research opportunities, refugee news, and more

Position Description

Asylum Access Malaysia (AAM) is actively seeking applications from people who are passionate about social justice and refugee rights, and who are motivated to make a positive impact in the lives of refugees living in Malaysia. Volunteer Legal Advocates (VLAs) will commit to a minimum of six months and will be based in Kuala Lumpur. They will be directly supervised by the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Supervisor, and will work alongside other refugee advocates. Following an intensive training program in international refugee law and domestic laws and policies on refugees, VLAs will play a key role in executing AAM’s advocacy tools, namely:

1. Legal aid: VLAs will provide legal counsel and advice to refugees before the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia.  They may also assist in the representation of clients during RSD proceedings in the UNHCR.
2. Community Outreach: VLAs will also be given the opportunity to participate in community legal empowerment initiatives, as well as participate in other outreach activities.

AAM fosters a synergic team environment to which all VLAs will contribute. VLAs will also assist with direct office administration essential to the successful running of AAM operations. VLAs may also be expected to facilitate community activities, present information about Asylum Access and refugee rights at community events, and assist in organizing conferences and meetings.

Key Responsibilities

• Advising refugees on the RSD process and assisting them to learn about their rights;
• Conducting client intake and screening interviews, assessing needs, identifying vulnerabilities and referring cases to the relevant service providers as necessary;
• Preparing written briefs on behalf of those undergoing individual RSD procedures before the UNHCR;
• Maintaining a potentially high caseload of RSD cases in a fast-paced and demanding environment, while adhering to strict filing deadlines;
• Communicating updates to clients on a timely basis;
• Conducting research on Country of Origin Information (COI) and refugee law jurisprudence;
• Developing materials for workshops and legal clinics, and working with translators to adapt said materials;
• Conducting and participating in workshops and legal clinics;
• Assisting in developing and executing client outreach strategy in association with the AAM team;
• Where necessary, assisting in the general administrative duties of the AAM office.

Preferred  Qualifications

• Ability to volunteer with AAM at least 6 months of full-time service work;
• Education in law or experience in legal work is desirable, while candidates of other backgrounds can be considered depending on relevant experience;
• Experience working in direct client services, ideally with refugees in particular or in human rights in general, guided by a strong passion for social justice work;
• Experience in interviewing people to obtain complex information, as well as the ability to deal with confidential and sensitive information professionally;
• Possesses strong legal writing and drafting skills;
• Possesses good analytical skills and judgment;
• Experience working with vulnerable populations and/or survivors of trauma;
• Experience in community engagement;
• Experience working in a non-profit or legal aid setting with limited resources;
• Ability to live and work in a multicultural environment in Southeast Asia, in a setting with a large refugee population;
• Aptitude to prioritize and successfully complete assigned tasks with minimal oversight, while serving clients with the highest ethical standards;
• Ability to work as part of a team

Required Qualifications

• A positive personality with demonstrated capacity to handle living and working in an ad-hoc environment, where difficult situations may arise unexpectedly;

• Professional written and verbal English is mandatory, while knowledge of other languages (Malay, Burmese, Arabic, Tamil, Urdu, Somali, Farsi, French) is a strong asset;

• Basic working knowledge of Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Microsoft Office.

Note: Due to current visa requirements, only candidates who are locally based will be considered.

How to Apply

1. Please send a cover letter, resume, and a legal writing sample (between 2 - 3 pages).
2. In your cover letter, please describe your reasons for applying, relevant qualifications, and how volunteering with AAM fits into your career plans. Also, please state the dates you can be expected to be available.
3. The final deadline for applications is on 24 August 2022. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis.

Asylum Access is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We value the expertise of those who have experienced displacement, and encourage people with such lived experience to apply.

For more information about our organization, visit www.asylumaccess.org_._