Legal Officer

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING APPLICATION DEADLINE\:  please note that the deadline for applications is indicated in local time as per the time zone of the applicant’s location.

 

 

 

1. Organizational Setting

    

   The position is located in the Legislative and Policy Advice Section of the Patent Law Division, Patents and Technology Sector. This Division is responsible for the implementation of WIPO's strategic goal concerning the balanced evolution of the international normative framework for intellectual property in the area of patents, utility models, undisclosed information, and integrated circuits. The Section is responsible for providing legislative and policy assistance to Member States in the design and implementation of balanced legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks in the aforementioned fields of IP.

    

2. Purpose Statement

    

   The main role of the incumbent is to conduct legal research and consultations in different areas of substantive patent law with the aim to provide legislative and policy advice to Member States. The assistance provided also covers utility models, trade secrets and integrated circuit.

    

3. Reporting Lines

    

   The incumbent works under the supervision of the Head of Legislative and Policy Advice Section.

    

 

 

The incumbent will perform the following principal duties\:

 

a.   Draft and review legal texts, draft bills or other documents submitted by interested countries to the Secretariat on patent, utility model, trade secret and integrated circuit;

 

b.   Undertake visits to capitals in order to hold formal consultations with officials, policy and law makers and other relevant stakeholders in the framework of the legislative advice;

 

c.   Organize, conduct and/or participate as speaker in seminars and workshops held by the Secretariat or other IGOs or NGOs;

 

d.   Plan and organize a Geneva-based meeting of an expert group to discuss and produce a consolidated report on the revision of a text of a model law on inventions;

 

e.   Provide support to the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP), including assistance with correspondence between inventors and attorneys; and

 

f.    Perform other related duties as required.

 

 

 

Education (Essential)

First-level university degree in law.

 

Education (Desirable)

Specialization in patent law.

 

Experience (Essential)

At least six years of relevant professional experience in patent law, either regarding policy design and law making, drafting, prosecution or litigation of patents, and/or in the elaboration and legal revisions of contracts in the field of patents.  An advanced university degree in law may be acceptable in lieu of two years of experience.

 

 

Language (Essential)

Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English.

 

Language (Desirable)

Good knowledge of either French or Spanish and knowledge of other UN official languages.

 

Job Related Competencies (Essential)

Ability to draft complex legal texts.

Ability to conduct comprehensive legal research independently.

Good knowledge of legal and policy issues of patent law and the respective international treaties.

Ability to communicate complex legal subject-matter to a diverse audience.

Excellent time management and organizational skills.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

 
Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and the Internet.

 

 

 

1. Communicating effectively.

2. Showing team spirit.

3. Demonstrating integrity.

4. Valuing diversity.

5. Producing results.

6. Showing service orientation.

7. Seeing the big picture.

8. Seeking change and innovation.

9. Developing yourself and others.

    

    

 

Mobility\:  WIPO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director General and may be assigned to any activities, office or duty station of the Organization.  Accordingly, the selected candidate may be required to move from time to time to new functions and/or to another duty station.

 

Annual salary\:

Total annual salary consists of a net annual salary (net of taxes and before medical insurance and pension fund deductions) in US dollars and a post adjustment.  Please note that this estimate is for information only.  The post adjustment multiplier (cost of living allowance) is variable and subject to change (increase or decrease) without notice.  The figures quoted below are based on the June 2020 rate of 78.5%

 

P3
Annual salary	$60,962
Post adjustment	$47,855
Total Salary	$108,817
Currency USD

 

 

Please refer to WIPO’s Staff Regulation and Rules for detailed information concerning salaries, benefits and allowances.

 

Additional Information

 

Initial period of one year, renewable, subject to satisfactory performance.  No fixed-term appointment or any extension hereof shall carry with it any expectancy of, nor imply any right to, (further) extensions or conversion to a permanent appointment.

 

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill other posts at the same grade with similar functions in accordance with Staff Rule 4.9.5.

 

Applications from qualified women as well as from qualified nationals of unrepresented Member States of WIPO and underrepresented geographical regions are encouraged. Please click on the following links for the list of unrepresented Member States and the list of underrepresented regions and the WIPO Member States in these regions.

 

The Organization reserves the right to make an appointment at a grade lower than that advertised.

 

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By completing an application, candidates understand that any willful misrepresentation made on this web site, or on any other documents submitted to WIPO during the application, may result in disqualification from the recruitment process, or termination of employment with WIPO at a later date, if that employment resulted from such willful misrepresentations.

 

In the event that your candidature is shortlisted, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of an identification and of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WIPO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link\: http\://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and these will be reviewed individually.

 

Additional testing/interviewing may be used as a form of screening.  Initial appointment is subject to satisfactory professional references.

 

Additional background checks may be required.