Principal Trial Lawyer (D-1) - Short Term

Organisational Context

The Principal Trial Lawyer, under the delegated authority of the Prosecutor, will manage a number of situations and cases based on a Unified Team concept.

The Principal Trial Lawyer will oversee investigations, prosecutions, and when applicable, appeals proceedings; providing strategic advice and guidance to the Prosecutor on each situation and case under her/his responsibility.  This will include recommendations on prioritisation and effective use of resources.

The Principal Trial Lawyer will also be responsible for overseeing  and ensuring effective coordination, maintaining an alignment with the overall vision and strategy of the Prosecutor; optimising further integration and effectiveness; and realising prioritization and focus on sexual and gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children.  Prioritisation may also include crimes against cultural heritage and other strategic priority areas identified by the Prosecutor.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance and direction of the Prosecutor, the Principal Trial Lawyer will have the following responsibilities:

• Lead by example through providing mentorship, guidance, advice and support to the (Senior) Trial Lawyers. Take the lead on highly complex matters in court with the support of the (Senior) Trial Lawyers;
• Exercise leadership and ultimate responsibility for the management and coordination of the unified team at the different stages of the proceedings, and the outcomes it achieves, subject to the strategic guidance and direction of the Prosecutor. Be in charge of the most complex situation and related cases that requires a proportionate, high- level of investigative and prosecutorial leadership experience;
• Provide strategic guidance on the investigation and prosecution of situations or cases assigned to the unified team, including defining short- and long-term goals, establishing priorities, identifying milestones to monitor progress, and ensuring goals are ultimately met as well as provide expert guidance and, when required, detailed instructions on legal, evidentiary and factual issues;
• Lead, supervise and manage a unified team of trial lawyers, investigators, analysts, international cooperation advisors and other staff constituting the unified team on specific, critical and complex situations and cases before the Court and create conditions within the team that favour high performance by empowering team members to achieve exceptional performance while setting timely and realistic performance objectives, including organizing and prioritizing tasks;
• Direct the preparation of arrest warrants, documents containing the charges and the prosecution filings and act as lead counsel before Pre-Trial Chamber and Trial Chambers and prepare cases for and oversee the conduct of confirmation hearings, trials, and appeals (when necessary, in co-operation with the Appeals and Prosecution Legal Coordination Section) as well as prepare written submissions and appear at court hearings;
• Manage, supervise and provide guidance on legal filings and drafting. Supervise the efficient presentation of the Prosecution’s case in court. Set the direction of the case and take responsibility for formulating positions to be taken before the Chambers, in consultation with the Deputy Prosecutor and the Appeals and Prosecution Legal Coordination Section, where required;
• Work closely and collaboratively with all members of the Office of the Prosecutor including regularly liaising with the Senior Coordinators to ensure lessons-learned, best-practices and an ongoing review of quality control across the office is implemented continuously and liaise with the Information, Knowledge and Evidence Management Section on the application of tools to manage and present evidence;
• Coordinate contact between Prosecutors and Counsel for the Defense and Victims;
• Provide training, contribute substantively to the implementation of the unified team training plan and participate in the legal training of members of the Office of the Prosecutor on oral and written advocacy and courtroom skills;
• Serve on various standing boards, committees, ad hoc working groups and task forces as required;
• Perform any other tasks as instructed by the  Prosecutor.

Essential Qualifications

Education:

An advanced university degree in law, from a recognized university, is required.  A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience is accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of fifteen (seventeen years with a first level university degree) years of relevant progressively responsible professional experience as a prosecutor, investigating magistrate or criminal defence lawyer is required, including demonstrated experience in:
  • complex and large-scale criminal cases or cases involving serious and high-profile  international crimes,
  • extensive courtroom advocacy and
  • directing case preparation in serious and high-profile criminal cases;
• Demonstrated experience with senior management functions (designing organisational culture, functions and systems, planning and quality control) is required;
• Experience working in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment is a strong asset;
• Experience in working in international organisations is an asset.

Knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Outstanding and proven advocacy skills;
• Excellent drafting and analytical skills;
• Strong planning and organizational skills, with flexibility and ability to adjust in a highly dynamic environment;
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills as well as ability to interact with tact and diplomacy;
• Ability to apply different leadership models, with a serving leadership as the default setting and the leading from the front in all situations;
• Ability to inspire people through vision, through leading by example, by creating an open, respectful culture where initiatives are supported, and where results are achieved;
• Sensitivity and active management of the staff welfare issues (culture, wellbeing, gender);
• Ability to think strategically and to translate this into concrete action;
• Excellent interaction skills and ability to build relationships while achieving the interests of the Office;
• Ability to lead and manage/keep on track a high volume of diverse activities and projects;
• Ability to create the conditions for delegation while keeping oversight on critical matters and on overall performance;
• Ability to deal with uncertain situations;
• Excellent communication skills both written and oral.

Knowledge of languages:

Proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court, English or French, is required. Working knowledge of the other is considered as a strong asset. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish) would be considered an asset.