Call for Applications – Senior Resident Fellow and Research Fellow – Vidhi Maharashtra

The Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy (Vidhi) invites applications for the post of one Senior Resident Fellow and one Research Fellow for its Maharashtra Office in Mumbai.

About Vidhi and Vidhi Maharashtra

Vidhi is an independent think tank doing legal research and assisting the government in making better laws. Vidhi is committed to producing legal research of the highest standard with the aim of informing public debate and contributing to improved governance. Vidhi works with Ministries of the Government of India and State Governments, as well as other public institutions, providing research and drafting support at various stages of law-making. Vidhi also conducts and freely disseminates independent research in areas of legal reform which it believes is critical to India’s future. Vidhi is an equal-opportunity employer and neither practices nor tolerates any kind of discriminatory behaviour.

Vidhi Maharashtra aims to facilitate legal reforms at the state level by providing research and drafting assistance to the Maharashtra State Government and through independent legal research projects. Vidhi Maharashtra’s work can be accessed from the website here.

Role Description

Vidhi Maharashtra is interested in hiring a Senior Resident Fellow who will be expected to:

• Undertake high-quality legal research, analysis and drafting in areas which are within the purview of the State Legislature and Government under the Constitution. 
• Undertake high-quality research on international legal and policy frameworks.
• Lead and execute legislative research and drafting assistance engagements with government stakeholders.
• Prepare and review reports, research notes, presentations and other material necessary to execute and disseminate Vidhi’s work.
• Lead meetings/consultations/presentations with government officials, academics, researchers, and other stakeholders for discussing and presenting Vidhi’s research work.
• Conceptualise, develop and execute origination projects, including dissemination.
• Write articles, and blogs and participate in podcasts to disseminate research work.

Vidhi Maharashtra is interested in hiring a Research Fellow who will be expected to:

• Undertake high-quality legal research, analysis and drafting in areas which are within the purview of the State Legislature and Government under the Constitution. 
• Prepare reports, research notes and presentations.
• Coordinate and attend meetings/consultations/presentations with government officials, academics, researchers, and other stakeholders. 
• Be organized, detail-oriented and able to meet deadlines.
• Write articles, and blogs and participate in podcasts to disseminate research work.

Eligibility Criteria:

Essential Requirements (For Senior Resident Fellow):

• Undergraduate degree in Law and/or postgraduate degree in Law
• At least 4 years of demonstrable work experience in the domain of legal research and/or litigation at the Bombay High Court/Supreme Court (a master’s degree will be counted as one year of work experience).
• Fluency in Marathi (spoken and written).
• Excellent legal research and writing/drafting skills.
• Excellent communication/presentation skills.

Essential Requirements (For Research Fellow):

• Undergraduate degree in Law and/or postgraduate degree in Law
• 0-3 years of demonstrable work experience in the domain of legal research and/or litigation at the Bombay High Court/Supreme Court (a master’s degree will be counted as one year of work experience).
• Fluency in Marathi (spoken and written).
• Excellent legal research and writing/drafting skills.
• Excellent communication/presentation skills.

Desirable requirements (For both Senior Resident Fellow and Research Fellow):

• Master’s degree in law, social sciences, or public policy studies.
• Experience in interacting with government officials, civil society groups, and concerned stakeholders.
• Prior experience in data gathering and empirical research methods.
• Prior publications in legal journals and newspapers. 

Location and Salary

• These are full-time positions based out of Mumbai.
• The Senior Resident Fellow and the Research Fellow will be engaged in their positions for a duration of one year, and renewal shall be subject to performance and availability of funds.
• Remuneration will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Application Process

Interested candidates should apply through our online portal and must submit the following documents merged into a single document:

1. Latest Curriculum Vitae (CV) of not more than two A4 pages.
2. An original writing sample of not more than 1000 words with an in-depth analysis of any recent legal issue that demonstrates the candidate’s legal analysis and writing skills. Any submission exceeding the prescribed word count will not be considered.
3. A brief statement of motivation in applying for the position, in not more than 500 words.
4. References:
   i. Candidates applying for Research Fellow: Names and contact details of two academic or professional referees who may be contacted for references.
   ii. Candidates applying for Senior Resident Fellow: Names and contact details of two professional referees who may be contacted for references.
   
   Referees should be either someone who has directly supervised your work or has taught you a course at the university level.

• The deadline to submit applications is 15th December 2024. Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by 31st January 2025. 

Queries may be sent only through e-mail addressed to careers@vidhilegalpolicy.in, titled ‘Vidhi Maharashtra – Application for Senior Resident Fellow’ OR ‘Vidhi Maharashtra – Application for Research Fellow’ (as may be applicable).