Legal Consultant - SLAPPs Publication Development at Local NGO – Harare

A human rights organisation is seeking a suitably qualified and experienced consultant to undertake legal research and develop a comprehensive publication examining the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) in Zimbabwe. This will particularly focus on environmental protection, natural resource governance, and environmental and climate justice. SLAPPs refer to legal proceedings primarily intended to intimidate, silence, or discourage individuals and organisations from exercising their rights to public participation, freedom of expression, and access to justice on matters of public interest.

The proposed publication will critically examine the nature, use, and implications of SLAPPs in Zimbabwe, drawing on domestic legislation, jurisprudence, and relevant public interest litigation. Regional and international legal standards and comparative jurisprudence will also be considered. The publication aims to contribute to legal scholarship, inform strategic litigation and advocacy, and identify opportunities for strengthening the capacity of judicial officers and legal practitioners to recognise and effectively address SLAPPs.

The consultancy seeks to produce a comprehensive, analytically rigorous, and evidence-based legal publication, emphasizing the implications of SLAPPs for environmental and climate justice, the protection of environmental human rights defenders, access to justice, and the administration of justice. The publication should also identify legal and institutional gaps within Zimbabwe’s legal framework and propose practical recommendations for strengthening judicial and legal practitioner capacity.

The consultant's scope of work includes undertaking comprehensive legal research and analysis across several areas: conceptual and legal understanding of SLAPPs, analysis of legal and institutional frameworks in Zimbabwe, jurisprudential analysis of relevant Zimbabwean case studies, examination of regional and international comparative perspectives, assessment of implications for access to justice and environmental rights, identification of judicial and legal practitioner capacitation needs, and development of practical, evidence-based recommendations.

A rigorous legal research methodology is expected, incorporating desk-based research, detailed analysis of Zimbabwean legislation and jurisprudence, case studies, and a review of relevant regional and international comparative legal standards. The methodology must examine criminal proceedings as potential mechanisms for suppressing public participation and assess how legal processes operate in practice, distinguishing formal safeguards from their implementation and potential chilling effects.

- An advanced university degree in Law, preferably with specialisation in Environmental Law, Human Rights Law, Constitutional Law or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrable expertise and substantial professional experience in environmental and climate justice, human rights law, public interest litigation or related fields.
- Strong knowledge of Zimbabwean constitutional and environmental law and jurisprudence, with familiarity with relevant regional and international legal frameworks.
- Proven experience in conducting legal research and producing high-quality analytical publications, policy papers or scholarly legal writing.
- Sound understanding of the legal and practical challenges confronting environmental human rights defenders, including judicial harassment, reprisals and restrictions on public participation.
- Familiarity with African regional and international human rights standards and comparative jurisprudence relating to SLAPPs will be an added advantage.
- Excellent legal analytical, research and writing skills, with the ability to translate complex legal issues into accessible, practical and evidence-based recommendations.