Visiting Professional - Office of Public Counsel for Defence

18840 | Registry

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).
• One reference letter.
• Scanned copies of university degrees and/or diplomas (to be added at the essay upload box).

Contract Duration

Visiting professionals are required to work full time for a period between (minimum) three and six months (to be agreed to prior to commencement). Visiting professional placements shall not be extended beyond six months.

The starting date of the placement may vary, upon agreement. Candidates can be recruited for a time period shorter than 6 months. Applications of candidates indicating availability beyond the present selection cycle may be considered in the context of the next selection cycle.

Organisational Context

The Office of Public Counsel for the Defence (OPCD) is an independent Office of the Court that is dedicated to the work of the Defence. Established pursuant to Regulation 77 of the Regulations of the Court, the OPCD endeavours to promote, represent and protect the Defence, raising the profile of Defence issues. In the day-to-day, the OPCD follows all cases to create a collective Defence memory and resource centre — to learn from the experiences of the individual ICC Defence teams and provide legal resources, research and advice as requested by them. The Counsel of the OPCD also remains available to be called upon by the Chambers to represent a suspect/defendant in proceedings or provide opinion on specific questions of law. In performing their tasks, members of the Office act independently and are bound by the Code of Professional Conduct for Counsel.

Duties and Responsibilities

Typical duties and responsibilities of visiting professionals are:

1. Conduct research on a wide range of complex legal issues;
2. Draft memoranda, summaries, legal notes, and meeting minutes;
3. Follow proceedings to assist with team assistance;
4. Participate in internal meetings of the Court and presentations to external groups.

Required Qualifications

Education:

All Candidates must have an advanced degree in law (L.L.M. or J.D.) from a recognised university having undertaken coursework in international/national criminal law, comparative law and criminology, public international law, international humanitarian law and/or human rights. Candidates are expected to have a very good record of academic performance.

Experience:

Visiting professional placements focus on candidates who have professional experience in relevant fields of work. Practical experience that is relevant to the work of the Court is considered an asset.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ablility to adapt to multicultural and multilingual working environment.
• Strong teamwork skills (listens, consults and communicates proactively) with equal ability to work independently.
• Good research and drafting skills.
• High standard of computer skills (including Microsoft Office applications and electronic databases).

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 and Spanish) is an asset.
 

Remuneration

Please note that the ICC is not able to provide participants in the Internship and Visiting Professional Programme with remuneration, nor is it possible to provide reimbursement for any expenses incurred during the internship or Visiting Professional placement. Accordingly, applicants must have the necessary resources or other financial support for the duration of the placement for which they have been selected.

If a State Party to the Rome Statute provides a donation to the Internship Programmes Fund, it may be possible to offer a limited number of interns a stipend for cost of living and travel. If funding is available, the Human Resources Section will conduct an assessment of the candidate determining eligibility for funding in accordance with the Court’s Policy on Internships and Visiting Professionals and relevant funding conditions. In order to be eligible, the applicant must, among other criteria, be a national from a country that is a State Party to the Rome Statute and appear on the United Nations Statistics Division’s list of developing regions.

Candidates eligible for funding shall receive detailed information and further instructions after the selection process is finalized. Stipends will always be agreed at the time of offering the internship. No funding will be provided at a later stage.