The Organization and Role

About Access Now

Access Now is a growing international human rights organization dedicated to defending and extending the digital rights of users at risk around the world, including issues of privacy, security, freedom of expression, and transparency. Our policy, advocacy, technology, and operations teams have staff presences in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East/North Africa (MENA), North America, and South/Southeast Asia, to provide global support to our mission.

About this role

The Legal Officer - LatAm assists and facilitates our legal compliance and operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on key legal matters, including contracting, international business and sanctions law, employment law, legal risk management, data protection, compliance, and intellectual property. The Legal Officer - LatAm supports the mission of Access Now by ensuring success in programs and goals specific to the Latin America and Caribbean region.

The Legal Officer - LatAm sits within the Legal Arm, working closely with and reporting through the Associate General Counsel.

Location

This is a full-time position focused on the Latin America Region. While preference is for an individual to work in and around San José, Costa Rica, there is openness to various locations across the Latin America Region or the US. The successful candidate must possess the right to work in the location in which they will be based. At this time most Access Now Team Members are working through hybrid office arrangements, combining remote at-home work with intermittent use of co-working spaces. Primary work hours will align to the Latin America Region.

What you will do

Draft and negotiate legal documents for use by Access Now’s Operations, Finance, Grants, Advocacy, and RightsCon teams, in alignment with Legal team workflows
Research and evaluate different legal risk factors relating to the Organization’s Latin America Region operations and regulatory compliance
Prepare and review key contractual policies and procedures, including on nonprofit compliance, employment/ labor, non-disclosure and confidentiality, intellectual property, defamation, and other operational topics
Monitor legal threats to civic space, including human rights defenders and NGOs, and advise on countermeasures and best practices to prevent and mitigate risks, in the Latin America Region
Identify opportunities for legal advocacy, including the use of litigation to advance our programmatic agenda in the region, in coordination with the regional Advocacy Team leaders
Research, write, and edit briefs, publications, and legal memoranda
Work with and manage outside counsel in the Region
Assist in global implementation of the annual RightsCon summit series
Perform other duties as assigned

Skills, education, and mindset you will bring

2-4 years experience in legal practice, ideally with in-house legal context
License to practice law in one or more Latin American or Caribbean countries
Excellent spoken, expository, and persuasive legal research and writing skills, in English
Excellent spoken, expository, and persuasive legal research and writing skills, in Spanish
An affinity for contracts, compliance, and international legal work
Precise attention to detail
Appropriate education and work preparation for the role, with Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent degree in law