JOB POST: Associate (Mitigation) at NALSAR Delhi

About the Square Circle Clinic

The Square Circle Clinic is a criminal justice initiative at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.

The Clinic was established in its present form in 2025 when the team previously working as Project 39A transitioned to NALSAR. Its work includes pro bono criminal defence, the death penalty, forensic science, mental health and criminal justice, wrongful convictions, criminalisation of poverty, punishment, prevention of torture, and the role of science and technology in the criminal justice system.

The Clinic combines legal representation with research and public engagement on criminal justice issues.

About the Opportunity

There are three positions available.

The appointment will initially be for one year and may be extended annually at the discretion of NALSAR University of Law.

The Associate (Mitigation) will join the defence team providing legal representation to prisoners sentenced to death. This is a contractual position and will primarily involve working on cases involving prisoners sentenced to death.

Roles and Responsibilities

Mitigation work involves collecting and analysing detailed information about an accused person’s life and circumstances so that relevant material can be placed before courts while deciding punishment.

The role includes:

• Meeting and communicating with prisoners, their families and other persons who may have information relevant to mitigation.
• Conducting interviews and building sustained relationships with prisoners and their families.
• Collecting biographical information, documents and records concerning childhood, social circumstances, physical health and mental health.
• Travelling extensively across India for field investigations.
• Preparing mitigation investigation reports and other documents for use before courts.
• Assisting with material to be presented before senior counsel, judicial forums or in mercy petitions.
• Working with mental health professionals and other experts.
• Engaging with academic research to develop appropriate frameworks for individual cases.
• Writing op-eds, blogs and academic pieces.
• Assisting with workshops and conferences for judges, lawyers, prison officials and other criminal justice professionals.
• Presenting the work of The Square Circle Clinic at relevant forums.

Eligibility

Applicants must hold a postgraduate degree in any of the following areas:

• Law
• Social Work
• Psychology
• Criminology
• Development Studies
• Economics
• Sociology
• An allied discipline

Candidates with two years of work experience in the relevant field will be preferred.

Previous fieldwork involving ethnographic research, interviewing, investigative work and/or mental health will be considered an advantage.

Substantial proficiency in reading and speaking Hindi is necessary. Proficiency in any of the following languages will be an advantage:

• Bhojpuri
• Bengali
• Punjabi
• Kannada
• Malayalam
• Marathi
• Tamil
• Telugu

Location

The position is based at The Square Circle Clinic’s New Delhi office. The work also involves extensive travel across India. Shortlisted applicants will be required to be physically present at the New Delhi office for the selection process.

Address: 503, 5th Floor, ABW Rectangle 1, Saket District Centre, New Delhi 110017.

Salary

The salary is Rs. 65,000, commensurate with qualifications and experience.

The notice does not specify whether this amount is monthly or payable over another period. Applicants should therefore rely on the official recruitment process for clarification rather than assuming a payment period.

How to Apply

Interested applicants must submit their application through the application link provided in the official NALSAR recruitment notice.

Applicants are required to submit:

• Their resume
• A written assignment of not more than 800 words.

The written assignment must answer the following question:

“What is your strongest held belief? How did you come to hold it?”

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted by email. Applicants who do not receive a response within four weeks after the application deadline should assume that their application has not been successful.
• Shortlisted candidates must attend the selection process at the New Delhi office. NALSAR will not reimburse the costs of attending the selection process.
• The University may also conduct additional interviews, written tests or simulation exercises as part of the selection process.

Important Dates

Applications must reach the organisers by 11:59 PM on October 25, 2026. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

The Square Circle Clinic’s general contact email is squarecircleclinic@nalsar.ac.in.

Applicants should note that the recruitment notice states that individual queries concerning the status of applications cannot be answered.

Click here to Apply

Click here for the Official Notification