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 post is located in WIPO Lex, WIPO Judicial Institute, IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector (IES).  WIPO Lex is responsible for developing and maintaining the WIPO Lex database with the goal of making it the world’s most comprehensive collection of IP laws, treaties and judgments.  The WIPO Judicial Institute provides online and offline platforms for the exchange of IP information and practices of common concern among national and regional judiciaries;  supports Member States in strengthening the human and institutional capacities of the judiciary for IP adjudication;  and conducts and coordinates research and studies on judicial systems and decisions on IP. 

 

Coordinating with other vertical and horizontal WIPO sectors, IES is responsible for helping Member States develop their IP and innovation ecosystems to drive enterprise and economic growth.  IES is also responsible for providing support for researchers and innovators, as well as enterprises, including SMEs, in IP commercialization and otherwise using IP for business growth;  issues relating to the emergence of IP as an asset class;  and the development of advisory expertise in these and related areas, for example, in national IP strategies.

 

2. Purpose Statement

 

The main role of the incumbent is to implement the development, updating and maintenance strategy of WIPO Lex, by reviewing records for quality and accuracy, undertaking legal analysis for a streamlined and user-friendly database architecture, and supervising fellows engaged in legal data entry functions.

 

3. Reporting Lines

 

The incumbent works under the supervision of the Head, WIPO Lex.

 

 

 

The incumbent will perform the following principal duties\:

 

 

a.   Coordinate and implement the quality control and review strategy of WIPO Lex country profiles and legal entries, assess the validity of existing legal and bibliographic details and new content entered by supervised colleagues, correct errors in the WIPO Lex database, make determinations as to the display of content and entries in the public member profiles, and provide regular reports on quality control targets and deliverables to the Head of Section.

 

b.   Identify, research, and analyze a variety of national and regional IP legal texts to determine relevant bibliographic elements for inclusion in the WIPO Lex database in supported languages, and where requested, draft legal notes interpreting such texts.

 

c.   Provide training and guidance to, and supervise and review the work of fellows on the legal and procedural aspects of legal data entry functions.

 

d.   Liaise with national IP offices, international and regional organizations in accordance with established outreach and member profile review strategies to acquire relevant legal texts and verify legal data for the WIPO Lex database.

 

e.   Coordinate the creation and publication of HTML documents for relevant legislative entries by appropriate colleagues in accordance with the Section’s HTML document policy.

 

f.    Draft legal correspondence in response to internal and external queries regarding the substantial content, legal status, and other characteristics of legislation in WIPO Lex.

 

g.   Draft news items on recent legislation or other relevant items of interest to WIPO Lex for review by the Head of Section and for publication on the WIPO Lex website and via email circulars.

 

h.   Select and analyze topics for legal research and analysis, identify areas for improvement on data quality and other Section practices and activities, and provide Head of Section with reports and recommendations.

 

i.    Propose revisions to, and organize the drafting of, updates of the WIPO Lex Manual regarding process documentation and standard operating procedures.

 

j.    Keep abreast of new developments in the area of legal databases, participate and deliver presentations in seminars and workshops, and represent WIPO at meetings as requested.

 

k.   Perform other duties as required.

 

 

 

Education (Essential)

First-level university degree in law, or a first-level university degree plus an advanced university degree in law.

 

Education (Desirable)

Advanced university degree including studies in intellectual property law and international and comparative law.

 

Experience (Essential)

At least six years of relevant professional work experience in the area of law.  An advanced university degree in law may be accepted in lieu of two years of relevant experience.

 

Experience (Desirable)

Experience in intellectual property law in a law firm and/or department or agency.

 

Language (Essential)

Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English.

 

Language (Desirable)

Knowledge of another official UN language.

 

Job Related Competencies (Essential)

Excellent knowledge of intellectual property law at international and national levels.

Excellent understanding of the legislative process generally.

Good working knowledge of modern legal databases.

Good management, organizational and supervisory skills.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

Flexibility and team spirit.  Ability to work quickly and accurately under pressure.

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, with the ability to quickly learn and use new software and information management tools.

 

 

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 September 2021 rate of 75.9%

 

P3
Annual salary	$62,120
Post adjustment	$47,149
Total Salary	$109,269
Currency USD

 

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

 

Additional Information

 

Initial period of two years, 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.