Legal Assistant

The Legal Assistant supports the Legal Unit of the United Nations Environment Programme by conducting legal research, maintaining legal files, processing legal instruments, drafting and editing legal documentation, managing case files, and providing general office and human resources support. The role requires knowledge of legal processes and information management, and involves coordination of meetings and preparation of reports and presentations.

Responsibilities

• Conduct basic research on assigned issues, using existing legal files and alternative sources; verify facts, identify citations, precedents, issues to be addressed and draft statements of findings, respondent replies to applications and appeals, draft responses to enquiries, for review by Legal Officers.
• Assist in the maintenance of a body of legal reference files, both paper and electronic; review material and determine appropriate file classification category; identify material for inclusion in files; coordinate with Archives on retirement, storage and retrieval of files; participate in initiatives to enhance existing systems for records management and retrieval, including development of proposals for consideration.
• Review, verify and process legal instruments, ensuring conformity to relevant guidelines and requirements; extract key data and update databases and UN Environment legal instruments repository; monitor requisite follow-up actions, approvals.
• Draft, edit, conduct final check for accuracy, prepare attachments of a variety of specialized documentation, legal publications and correspondence, e.g. agreements, contracts and intraoffice memoranda.
• Manage individual case files, maintaining and updating detailed "docket sheets" and ensuring that all related correspondence and other documentations are appropriately filed, registered and followed up.
• Independently handle a variety of relatively complex verbal and written enquiries from internal and external parties, providing detailed information on processes and procedures related to a range of legal activities, instruments, policies, issues.
• Support the work of the Legal Unit on UNEP's Intranet page (WeCollaborate); and other content management systems for online platforms (such as Microsoft SharePoint) that contribute towards information and knowledge management; assist in handling Legal Unit’s Case Management and workflow system.
• Coordinate ceremonies, meetings, hearings, ensuring timely receipt and distribution of legal instruments and other requisite documentation.
• Maintain internal databases on cases for tracking and trend analysis; generate a variety of standard and non-standard statistical and other reports from various databases and posting of documents on the website.
• Provide general office support service; process, draft, edit, proofread and finalize for signature/approval a variety of correspondence and other communications, specialized legal documentation; perform budget preparation, inputs, requests, monitoring and implementation, and other procedures and functionalities in Umoja.
• Provide guidance and training to less experienced staff.
• Human resources-related support: Serves as back up to the other Human resources assistants in Corporate Services Division, as needed. Assists in the development of the Terms of Reference for Job Openings and Temporary Job Openings. Processes requests for advertisement of vacancies through Inspira. Completes reference checks for selected applicants and works closely with HR Partners as part of on boarding activities.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
• Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.
• Perform other related duties as may be assigned.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Supplemental training in law, office administration/management or other relevant field is required.
• A minimum of seven (7) years work experience in paralegal/legal, administrative or general office experience is required.
• Experience in working with Office 365 products e.g. SharePoint, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint is required.
• Experience in the use of Power BI for analyzing and visualizing raw data to present actionable information is desirable.
• Experience in research, drafting and review of documentation, correspondence and reports is desirable.
• 1 year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.
• 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.
• The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management.
• English is required at UN Level III for reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Skills

• Paralegal Work
• Legal Research
• Legal Document Drafting
• Legal Document Review
• Office Management
• MS Office 365
• SharePoint Development
• MS Teams
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• MS PowerPoint
• Power BI
• Data Analysis
• Information Management
• Legal Terminology
• Legal Procedures
• Report Writing
• Meeting Coordination
• Confidentiality Management

Languages

English