We need a lawyer to launch a new project.
Or rather, an old new project: I’ve had it in mind for years, but somehow it never quite came together. This time I decided that what we need is a new person who will build it over about four months under my direct supervision, and then, once it becomes clear what works and what doesn’t, we’ll scale it up.
The idea is simple (I’m explaining it so applicants understand): officials spend a lot of money on roads. Those roads are under warranty and are supposed to remain in excellent condition for the full warranty period after completion. In practice, you can see for yourselves what’s going on. The roads are terrible, and so is the accident rate. Even on our best highways, the ruts are so bad you can practically let go of the steering wheel in the left lane.
So what we need is a hard-hitting generalist lawyer: go out into the field and document a terrible stretch of road, find out who the contractor is, whose contract it is, whose warranty applies, pick up a titanium crowbar, and start punishing negligent crooks. Complaints/lawsuits/complaints/lawsuits.
On top of that, all of this needs to be written up and posted on social media so other people can learn from the experience.
The project promises to be fun and interesting, though the first stage will involve a lot of routine work. We have already done, and continue to do, many of its elements in RosYama (an anti-pothole civic project). And in Yekaterinburg, and now in Vologda, our people are already doing something similar.
So there it is: a lawyer vacancy. Requirements:
- Commitment to the cause. A desire to fight crooks and corrupt officials.
- Initiative and creativity. The project is new, and we’ll be shaping it together, so resourcefulness matters.
- Responsibility and reliability when it comes to procedure. Deadlines, reference numbers, incoming and outgoing correspondence—everything must be precise and free of confusion.
- Knowledge of administrative and civil procedure. You’ll regularly be litigating against executive authorities (primarily challenging official inaction), so courtroom experience is necessary. Specific regulations related to the road sector are not required—you can learn those on the job.
- The ability to write not only in legal language, but in plain human language as well. For example, to write a post about what you’ve been doing and how the project is progressing.
- A cheerful and kind disposition, ~~a beautiful melodious voice~~ and the ability to work in a team.
- The ability to take everyday troubles like office searches calmly and philosophically. A general fearlessness in dealing with the police, militsiya (the former Russian police), the FSB, the FSKN, Roskomnadzor, the RSDLP, Glavryba, prosecutors’ offices, city halls, and various other state officials.
Salary to be determined based on the interview.
Applicants should send to email their résumé, links to their social media accounts (required), and a short free-form essay on the topic: "Why I want to work at ACF (the Anti-Corruption Foundation) and what I understood about the future project from this post." The essay is mandatory; without it, no one will even read the résumé.