Senior Legal Counsel – Constitutional and Federal Law

Role Overview

The Senior Legal Counsel is a specialist in constitutional and federal law who provides expert legal advice, conducts constitutional assessments, and evaluates legal risk across laws, regulations, policies, and legal initiatives. The role ensures that legal texts and proposals are consistent with the Iraqi Constitution, federal legislation, and established court precedents. It also identifies potential conflicts, inconsistencies, and grounds for legal challenge before they arise. The position requires deep legal expertise, sound judgment, and the ability to turn complex legal analysis into clear, practical advice.

Key Responsibilities

Constitutional and Legal Review

• Conduct detailed constitutional reviews of laws, regulations, policies, and legal proposals to assess their consistency with the Iraqi Constitution.

• Analyze relevant court rulings and judicial precedents, particularly constitutional and administrative decisions, and apply them to the review of legal texts.

• Assess the alignment of legal texts with federal civil, penal, financial, and administrative laws.

• Advise on the legal basis and scope of authority for proposed measures.

Legal Risk Assessment

• Identify legal risks, conflicts between legal texts, gaps in legal basis, and potential grounds for litigation or legal challenge.

• Assess the likely legal consequences of proposed laws, policies, and decisions, and recommend measures to reduce risk.

• Prepare risk assessments that clearly rank issues by seriousness and propose practical solutions.

Legislative Drafting and Quality Control

• Review and refine legal drafts to ensure accuracy, clarity, sound structure, and internal consistency.

• Standardize legal terminology and drafting style across legal texts.

• Propose alternative wording or amendments where provisions are unclear, conflicting, or legally vulnerable.

Legal Advice and Reporting

• Provide expert legal opinions on constitutional, federal, and administrative law matters.

• Prepare legal memos, opinions, comparative analyses, and reports that explain complex legal issues clearly for both legal and non-legal readers.

• Brief decision-makers on legal findings, risks, and recommended actions.

• Report regularly on the progress and outcomes of legal reviews.

Coordination and Knowledge Sharing

• Coordinate with legal colleagues, technical specialists, and external stakeholders on legal reviews and drafting.

• Guide and mentor junior legal staff, and review their work for quality and accuracy.

• Keep up to date with constitutional developments, new federal legislation, and significant court rulings, and share relevant updates.

Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree in Law is required; a PhD in Law is preferred.

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in constitutional law, federal law, or administrative law.

• Background as a judge, senior legal advisor, or in a similar senior legal role is a strong advantage.

• Proven experience in legislative drafting, legal review, and regulatory review.

• Experience in legal risk assessment and in advising on complex legal matters.

Skills and Competencies

• Fluency in Kurdish and Arabic; English is an advantage.

• In-depth knowledge of the Iraqi Constitution and the federal legal system.

• Strong understanding of federal civil, penal, financial, and administrative laws and how they are applied.

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to spot legal inconsistencies and litigation risks.

• Excellent legal writing skills, with careful attention to terminology and consistency.

• Sound judgment, integrity, and the ability to handle confidential matters with discretion.

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly.

• Experience working across multiple institutions and legal frameworks.

• Good computer literacy for document handling, research, and reporting.