Legal Assistant (Internal job opening)

Org. Setting and ReportingThe International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It is composed of 15 judges, elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council. The Court has a twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, through judgments which have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies. The Court is the only principal organ of the United Nations not serviced by the Secretariat and has its own Registry, which provides judicial support to the Court and acts as a permanent administrative organ. The Registry is headed by a Registrar, elected by the Court. The incumbent is appointed by the Registrar with the approval of the President (Rules of Court, Art. 25). The position is located within the Department for Legal Matters and the incumbent reports directly to the Head of Department. ResponsibilitiesUnder the direct supervision of the Head of Department, the incumbent provides legal assistance and administrative support to the Legal Department. This role requires strict confidentiality, adherence to protocol procedures, effective management of information flow, and diligent follow-up on deadlines and commitments. The incumbent also has supervisory responsibilities for a Junior Legal Assistant in the Department. 1. Legal Assistance: - Prepare/process a range of case-related documents in both English and French (official correspondence with the Parties, legal reports and briefings, interoffice circulars, research memoranda); reformat or finalize the formatting of documents using various software ensuring conformity with relevant editorial and other guidelines and requirements. - Edit and proof-read highly confidential judicial and case-related documents, such as draft Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders, as well as reports, speeches and minutes of meetings with States. - Coordinate the issuance of documents for the plenary Court and for its case-related Drafting Committees, in a time-sensitive context. - Coordinate and prepare dossiers of legal materials for the Head of Department, ahead of meetings with Judges and/or State agents (including background notes and talking points). - Create and maintain up to date hard and electronic case and research files for easy access and retrieval by legal officers; conduct reference searches; review material and determine appropriate file classification category; ensure safekeeping of confidential materials. - Participate in initiatives to enhance existing systems for records management and retrieval. 2. Administrative & Executive Support: - Manage the Departmental calendar, and schedule of appointments and meetings; - Maintain roster of key external contacts; update electronic mailing lists; - Answer and screen calls for the Department and Head of Department with tact and discretion; - Manage administrative and research files, collect information and organize materials to meet the Departmental requests. - Provide administrative support to the Head of Department; - Undertake the logistical, administrative and financial arrangements, to organize meetings, events, and workshops; organize and attend meetings, prepare minutes and summaries; prepare and assemble briefing materials for meetings and other key events; - Organize and monitor the office filing system; follow up with the Department Head on deadlines and commitments. 3. Communication and information management support: - Provide effective communication and information management support to the Department; facilitate flow of information and communication between the Department for Legal Matters and other Departments and Divisions within ICJ and external organisations (e.g. embassy offices) outside ICJ; - Review, prioritize and route correspondence to and from the Department for Legal Matters; take proactive follow-up action and keep the Head of Department informed; - Respond to and/or direct inquiries to appropriate units for timely action/response; prepare routine correspondence and review documents and reports to ensure spelling, punctuation and format are correct; assist in the preparation and finalization of informal translations; - Provide support to the Department’s external relations activities, facilitate the Head of Department’s interaction with various external partners through written, verbal and electronic communication, and through collaborative and proactive relationships with UN counterparts and colleagues; ensure protocol matters and receive high ranking visitors/experts/officials; coordinates logistical arrangements related to visits. 4. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing: - Provide administrative support for effective knowledge management and sharing within the Department; build and share knowledge and experience related to administrative support; 5. Supervisory functions: - Guide and supervise the work of the junior Legal Assistant, ensuring structured & streamlined delivery of legal, executive & administrative support to the Department. 6. Other tasks: - Perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Department for Legal Matters. CompetenciesProfessionalism: Knowledge of organizational legal framework, relevant legal processes, procedures and terminology for review, examination, preparation and processing of legal documents. Ability to conduct research using diverse legal research sources (including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other data bases). Ability to review and synthesize information and present findings and recommendations in a required format. Knowledge of information management, classification and retrieval systems. Ability to show tact and discretion in dealing with high-ranking officials and with confidential matters and materials. Excellent typing skills and knowledge of software including Microsoft Office. Ability to use office email systems and knowledge of all other office equipment and procedures. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently. Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments. Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards. Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules. Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments. Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. EducationSecondary education (high school diploma or equivalent) is required. First university degree or training in administration or a related area is desirable Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of seven (7) years of experience in legal assistance support, administrative services, general office support, programme assistance or related areas is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five (5) years for candidates who possess a first level University degree. An excellent command of the Microsoft Office Suite is required. Experience in the preparation of legal documents for electronic storage, access and circulation/publication is desirable. Experience performing transactional tasks in an ERP is desirable. Relevant experience within the United Nations or a similar organization is desirable. Experience working in an international judicial institution is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the official and working languages of the International Court of Justice. A perfect command (expert language competence - UN Level IV) of one of these languages and a working knowledge (intermediate language competence - UN Level II) of the other is required. Knowledge of Dutch and/or other official UN languages is an asset. AssessmentAssessments shall include a desk review of applications and, where necessary, an interview. Special NoticeThis is an internal job opening following the reclassification of the position. Only current staff members of the International Court of Justice with fixed-term or continuing appointments are eligible to apply. The Court is an equal opportunity employer and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons with disabilities, to apply. Pursuant to United Nations Staff Rule 4.4, applicable to the Registry, staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of the seat of the Court, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. United Nations ConsiderationsIn accordance with the ICJ Staff Regulations and Rules, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with ICJ if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, Inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on \"Manuals\" hyper-link on the upper right side of the Inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances, and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in Inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision, or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised in Inspira will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date. No FeeICJ does NOT charge any fees or request money from candidates at any stage of the recruitment process, nor does it concern itself with bank account details of applicants. Requests of this nature allegedly made on behalf of ICJ are fraudulent and should be disregarded.