Legal Officer

The Legal Officer serves as lead officer handling critical incidents, application and enforcement of the Organization's standards of conduct, and sexual exploitation and abuse cases. The role involves providing legal advice on complex legal matters, performing legal research, preparing legal opinions, and representing the organization in disciplinary and administrative proceedings.

Responsibilities

• Serve as lead officer handling critical incidents, application and enforcement of the Organization's standards of conduct, and sexual exploitation and abuse cases.
• Handle a wide range of multi-discipline and complex legal matters involving issues of international, public, national and administrative law.
• Provide legal advice on diverse substantive and procedural questions of considerable complexity, including administration and management, peacekeeping, operational matters, separately administered programmes and funds, criminal investigations and prosecutions.
• Perform extensive legal research and analysis and prepare legal opinions, studies, briefs, reports, indictments and correspondence.
• Prepare legal submissions/motions as necessary in the course of investigations and prosecutions.
• Service diplomatic conferences, commissions, committees, task forces, expert groups and other bodies, including preparation of background materials, summaries of issues and views of delegations, meeting reports, etc.
• Review, advise on and draft complex legal documents; develop new legal modalities to meet unique needs/circumstances.
• Advise on and participate in negotiations and settlement of claims and disputes, or pleas of guilty, including establishing strategy and approach, deciding on the legal text for terms and conditions of contracts, and recommendations on the merit of claims.
• Provide legal advice on the interpretation and application of staff regulations and rules, including review of administrative decisions; prepare draft amendments to the staff regulations and rules; prepare draft administrative issuances or amendments and verify their consistency.
• Represent the organization on complex cases before arbitral and other tribunal or administrative proceedings, including disciplinary cases.
• Serve on various standing boards, committees, ad hoc working groups and task forces; promote the work of the United Nations and represent the organization at meetings, conferences, seminars, etc.
• Coordinate and direct teams of other legal officers dealing with significant problems and/or mentor and supervise junior officers on specific projects.
• Contribute to review and design of new legal instruments, policy, guidelines, etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in law is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• A minimum of seven years of experience in administrative or employment law is required.
• Two years of experience in litigation at the national or international level including first-hand experience in appearing and leading the evidence of witnesses before a court or tribunal or equivalent administrative board and bodies is required.
• Experience in handling disciplinary matters in national or international entities is desirable.
• Experience with Staff Regulations and Rules, policies, procedures and operations of the United Nations or other similar international organization is desirable.
• Knowledge of international legal procedures and instruments, including criminal law, both substantive and procedural.
• Ability to apply legal expertise to analyzing a diverse range of complex and unusual legal issues and problems and in developing innovative and creative solutions in prosecuting complex criminal cases.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to conduct comprehensive legal research on a range of issues, including those of a unique and/or complex nature.
• Proficiency in legal writing and expression and ability to prepare legal briefs, opinions, indictments or legal submissions/motions, and a variety of legal instruments and related documents.
• Ability to lead and cross-examine witnesses and make substantial legal arguments before Chambers of judges, or if required to take responsibility for the prosecution of criminal trials.
• Discretion and sound judgment in applying legal expertise to sensitive, complex legal issues.
• Strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/cases.
• Knowledge of contemporary international relations and of UN system, organization and interrelationships.
• English is required at UN Level II proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
• French is desirable at UN Level II proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Skills

• Administrative Law
• Employment Law
• Litigation
• Disciplinary Matters
• Staff Rules and Regulations
• International Legal Procedures
• Criminal Law
• Legal Research
• Legal Writing
• Legal Briefs Drafting
• Legal Opinions
• Legal Submissions Assistance
• Cross-examination of witnesses
• Prosecution of Criminal Trials
• Negotiation
• Case Management
• UN Legal Framework
• Legal Advice
• Handling Sensitive Legal Issues

Languages

English, French