Paralegal / Depositary Assistant

The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking a Paralegal / Depositary Assistant to support the Director-General in her responsibilities as the depositary of the WTO Agreement and assist the depositary team in daily operations. The role also involves supporting dispute settlement panel and arbitration proceedings by organizing information, drafting documents, and maintaining records.

Responsibilities

• Support the depositary functions of the Secretariat: receive and conduct an initial review of instruments; handle Member inquiries; research legal issues; attend meetings and taking notes; prepare treaty originals and certified copies of instruments; prepare and update depositary notifications and corresponding templates; prepare and effect UN registration of instruments; process delegate credentials and other tasks associated with WTO Ministerial Conferences; and update relevant publications and internal records.
• Support dispute settlement panel and arbitration proceedings: organize information in submissions and exhibits; draft summaries of facts and data; prepare draft communications; compile information in various formats, including spreadsheets, charts, and tables; prepare summary records of internal meetings with panelists or arbitrators; accurately compile annexes to dispute settlement reports; and attend hearings and take notes.
• Prepare routine dispute settlement documents following established precedents and guidelines; assist senior staff in the Division in proofreading texts to ensure accuracy, consistency, and compliance with legal and Secretariat editorial standards, as well as by verifying quotations, legal references, and footnote citations in documents.
• Support the work of the Division, including by assistance with registry functions, such as assisting with maintenance of electronic archives, databases, and the digital registry.

Requirements

• Completion of secondary school or equivalent technical or commercial school; specialized training or proven expertise developed through relevant experience working as a paralegal, registrar, or functional equivalent, managing and analysing information, preferably of a legal nature.
• General knowledge of the WTO, in particular on the structure of the organization and of the WTO Agreements.
• Basic knowledge of international treaty law.
• Basic knowledge of WTO dispute settlement procedures and rules of conduct.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, etc.).
• Ability to summarise often complex and voluminous information and compile and present facts and data in usable formats.
• Very good English drafting and editing skills including the ability to draft routine documents in English following established precedents and guidelines.
• Openness to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as GPT4.5, following the WTO's guidelines on the use of AI.
• Strong service orientation and interpersonal skills; excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently according to strict deadlines and time constraints; ability to pay close attention to detail; ability to exercise initiative and judgement within established guidelines.
• Tact and discretion and ability to adhere rigorously to requirements of confidentiality; ability to work independently according to established guidelines and instructions and as part of dispute settlement teams on multiple cases.
• Ability to work as a member of a team, relating to others, while working independently to achieve his/her objectives; ability to work harmoniously with Secretariat Staff, panelists, arbitrators and Members in a multi-cultural environment; ability to relate to and build relationships with colleagues, as well as to communicate and understand clear factual information, and persuade others to a point of view using facts.
• At least five years' relevant professional experience in administrative or paralegal functions.
• Excellent English, including very good drafting skills.
• Good working knowledge of French and/or Spanish would be an important asset.

Skills

• Paralegal Functions
• Legal Information Management
• WTO Knowledge
• International Treaty Law
• WTO Dispute Settlement Procedures
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Information summarization
• English Drafting
• Content Editing
• Artificial Intelligence Tools
• Organizational Skills
• Confidentiality Management
• Teamwork in Legal Settings
• Multicultural Communication
• Administrative Support
• Records Keeping
• Time Management
• Interpersonal Skills

Languages

English, French, Spanish