24394 | Registry
| Organisational Unit: | Legal Office, Registry |
| Duty Station: | The Hague - NL |
| Contract Duration: | 6 months |
| Deadline for Applications: | 10/06/2026 |
Due to the volume of applications received, only successful applicants will be contacted by the Court.
Required Documents for This Application
Please note that you will need to have the following information ready in order to complete your application:
- A completed “Duties and Responsibilities Form” (refer to step 1 on your eRecruitment Profile page).
- Motivation letter (maximum of 400 words).
- Two reference letters (one academic).
- Scanned copies of university degrees and/or diplomas.
- Scanned copies of official academic transcripts that state your courses, results and completion dates.
- One short essay on a subject relevant to the work of the Court (maximum of 750 words, single spaced, type written).
Remuneration
This position is funded through a grant made available by the European Commission (EC Grant), whereby the Court will provide the selected candidates with a monthly remuneration of €1,500 (with a mandatory deduction for emergency health insurance) as well as some financial help for travel purposes for candidates who are not based in the Netherlands at the time of the recruitment. Please note that (i) costs associated with Visas are the responsibility of the selected candidate, (ii) due to the nature of the assignment, visiting professionals cannot bring their families with them.
Contract Duration
The Visiting Professionals funded by the EC Grant are required to work full time for a period of six months (dates to be agreed before the placement begins).
Background
The EC Grant aims to provide professional opportunities at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for legal representatives and/or other legal professionals from countries under investigation (situation countries), countries under preliminary examination; or States Parties to the Rome Statute that are on the list of developing regions of the United Nation’s Statistics Division.
Preference will be given to female candidates from non-represented or under-represented States. The list can be found here.
The Opportunity
The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crime of aggression. The Court is participating in the global fight to end impunity, and through international criminal justice, the Court aims to hold those responsible accountable for their crimes and to help prevent the crimes from happening again. You can contribute to this cause by joining the ICC.
Organisational Context
The Registry Legal Office (RLO) combines a commitment to legal excellence with a result-oriented and policy-friendly approach in delivering legal services. The RLO operates as a dynamic and multifaceted international law practice in anticipation of and in response to client requirements, in both operational and policy matters.
The RLO supports the performance of the legal functions of the Registrar under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Rules of Procedure and Evidence, Regulations of the Court, Regulations of the Registry, Financial Regulations and Rules, Staff Regulations and Rules and other legal instruments governing the ICC. This concerns both the judicial functioning of the ICC, where the Registry is involved, and legal matters affecting the ICC as an international organisation and its legal position as a whole. In performing this dual role, the RLO is responsible for ensuring the quality, uniformity and consistency of legal positions across the Registry and its Divisions of Judicial Services, External Operations, and Management Services – incl. the coordination of an internal legal network.
The RLO provides a broad range of legal services, which fall within the following areas: (i) regulatory and compliance; (ii) litigation; (iii) external affairs; and (iv) judicial affairs. Accordingly, the RLO is involved in, inter alia, the drafting and negotiating of contracts, the drafting of legal instruments for the Court, advising on issues affecting the functioning of the Court, drafting and reviewing judicial filings from the Registry, and litigating on employment-related matters.
The RLO is headed by the Senior Legal Adviser.
Duties and Responsibilities
Within this framework, and under the direct supervision of the Senior Legal Adviser, the Legal Adviser or other designated staff members of the RLO, the visiting professional will perform the following duties:
- Conduct extensive legal research and analysis;
- Contribute to the preparation and drafting of (complex) legal documents, including legal submissions, correspondence, memoranda, opinions and briefs;
- Contribute to providing advice to the Registrar, client sections and (senior) officials of the Court;
- Assist in negotiating contracts, agreements and memoranda with a variety of parties within the Court;
- Prepare summaries and updates on legal and factual issues;
- Monitor judicial proceedings, provide advice on decisions and prepare summaries and digests for various purposes of the Registry;
- Provide support in developing the operational framework for delivery of legal services including establishing and managing work flows, work processes, SOPs, systems and databases and central repositories of legal opinions and research, agreements, contracts and memoranda;
- Perform other or additional duties as assigned.
Essential Qualifications
Education:
All candidates must have a university degree in law. Candidates must have sound knowledge of public international law, international criminal law, contract law, or (international) administrative law, as relevant to the work of the RLO; an advanced university degree is a strong asset. Candidates are expected to have a very good record of academic performance.
Experience:
Visiting professional placements focus on candidates who have extensive experience. Candidates for a visiting professional placement must have at least 3 (three) years of relevant full-time professional experience.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Candidates must:
- Demonstrate excellent research, analytical and drafting skills;
- Be able to adapt to multicultural and multilingual working environments;
- Possess strong teamwork skills (listen, consult and communicate proactively);
- Have acquired a good standard of computer skills (including Microsoft Office applications).
Knowledge of Languages:
Proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court, French or English, is required. Working knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.