About The Square Circle Clinic, NALSAR
The Square Circle Clinic is a criminal justice initiative at NALSAR University of Law, with its offices in New Delhi, Pune, Nagpur and Hyderabad. The Square Circle Clinic undertakes pro bono criminal defense of prisoners sentenced to death and also undertrials,, research and public engagement efforts on issues relating to the death penalty, forensics, criminalisation and punishment, prevention of torture, legal aid, and mental health and criminal justice. The founders, leadership group, and the full-time staff members at The Square Circle Clinic earlier carried on the abovementioned criminal justice work as Project 39A and moved to NALSAR in April 2025.
About Legal Job Opportunity at The Square Circle Clinic, NALSAR
The NALSAR University of Law (‘University’) through The Square Circle Clinic is seeking to engage, on a contractual basis, three Consultant (Litigation) at its New Delhi office. These are full-time positions based in New Delhi and the contract will be for one year initially extendable on a yearly basis at the discretion of the University. The Associates will be responsible for working on cases being handled by The Square Circle Clinic, primarily concerning prisoners sentenced to death.
About the litigation initiative
The Square Circle Clinic (The Clinic) provides pro bono legal representation to prisoners sentenced to death across the country including prisoners who are challenging the rejection of their mercy petitions by the Governor or the President. Additionally, the Clinic is involved in strategic litigation aimed at challenging procedural and substantive aspects of the criminal justice system for the realisation of constitutional rights of prisoners sentenced to death. Litigation associates brief eminent senior advocates or experienced criminal defense advocates in the Supreme Court and High Courts.
Responsibilities
A. Draft criminal appeals, review petitions, writ petitions, applications, rejoinders, mercy petitions and other legal documents.
B. Brief and assist senior advocates,advocates on record and experienced criminal practitioners in cases before the Supreme Court, various High Courts and trial courts.
C. Devise legal strategy and arguments for cases handled by The Square Circle Clinic and carry out related research.
D. Visit prisons across India to conduct detailed interviews with prisoners sentenced to death, their families as part of developing legal strategy in particular cases.
E. Regularly communicate with prison authorities to obtain case specific information and documents.
F. Present the work of The Square Circle Clinic at appropriate fora.
G. Contribute to the research and strategic efforts at The Square Circle Clinic as and when required.
H. Organise training workshops and conferences.
I. Any other work that may be necessary to further the aims of The Square Circle Clinic.
Qualification and Requirements
A. Graduate with an LLB degree and enrolment with any State Bar Council.
B. Those with full-time criminal litigation experience of two years or more at the appellate stage will be given preference.
C. Ability to read/ write/ speak different Indian languages will be preferred but is not mandatory.
D. This is a full-time position based in Delhi.
Compensation
The compensation will be competitive and will be commensurate with experience. The
minimum pay for this role is Rs. 65,000 per month.
Application Process
Applications are accepted only through the online application form available at the
link provided below. Through the online application form, interested persons will be required to upload their resumé and a statement of purpose, explaining their interest in representing prisoners sentenced to death and the contribution that they see themselves making through this position. The statement of purpose must not exceed 750 words.
Deadline
Applications must be submitted no later than 11PM on 15th May 2025. Further rounds of
selection will be held thereafter and are tentatively scheduled between 30th May and 1st June. Confirmed dates will be notified separately to shortlisted candidates.
Note
A. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted via email. If you do not hear from us within three weeks after the deadline, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful. Unfortunately, we cannot reply to individual queries on the status of applications.
B. NALSAR University of Law is an equal opportunity employer and The Square Circle Clinic ensures access to pro bono legal representation for prisoners regardless of the offence.
C. NALSAR University of Law reserves the right to conduct additional rounds of interviews or written tests or simulation exercises.
D. NALSAR University of Law reserves the right to conduct interviews/ written tests/ simulation
exercises etc and not fill these positions.
E. The position shall be paid under the grants received by The Square Circle Clinic, NALSAR
University of Law.
F. For any query, please write to us at squarecirclerecruitment@nalsar.ac.in.
Applications and documents must be submitted only through this link: CLICK HERE TO APPLY
Based on the online applications, applicants will be shortlisted for an interview and exercises based on an actual criminal law case file. The University reserves the right to add further rounds of selection or modify the above mentioned rounds.