Internship – Legal Office

23361 Registry

Organisational Unit:	Legal Office, Registry
Duty Station:	The Hague
Contract Duration:	3 to 6 months
Deadline for Applications:	31 December 2024

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 date.
• One short essay on a subject relevant to the work of the Court (maximum of 750 words, single spaced, type written).

Contract Duration

Interns are required to work full time for a period between three and six months (to be agreed to prior to commencement). Internship placements cannot be extended beyond six months.

The Opportunity

The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and, where warranted, tries individual charges with the gravest crimes of concerns 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 the 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 RLO supports the Registrar in the legal aspects of the functions he performs under the Rome Statute, 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.

The RLO’s advisory role covers both the ICC’s judicial functioning where the Registry is involved – such as in matters related to witnesses, detention of the accused, victim participation, and legal aid – and legal matters affecting the ICC as an international organisation – such as privileges and immunities, relations with States and other international organisations, and all aspects of its administration. In performing this dual role, the RLO is responsible for ensuring the quality, uniformity and consistency of legal positions across the various Registry divisions, units and sections; coordinating an internal legal network comprised of all the lawyers across the Registry; and providing legal advice to its clients. The RLO also advises the Registrar in staff litigation, including before the International Labour Organization’s Administrative Tribunal.

The RLO provides a broad range of legal services including drafting, negotiating, advising and litigating. It combines a commitment to legal excellence with a result-oriented and policy-friendly approach in delivering legal services. Because of the diversity of matters on which it advises, it operates as a dynamic and multifaceted international law practice in anticipation of and in response to client requirements.

The RLO is headed by the Legal Counsel.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within this framework, and under the direct supervision of the Legal Counsel, Deputy Legal Counsel or other designated staff members of the RLO, the intern 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;
• Contributes to providing advice to client sections and assit in providing advice to the Registrar and other senior officials of the Court;
• Assist in negotiating agreements with a variety of parties within the Court;
• Prepare summaries and updates of 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 MoUs;
• perform other or additional duties as assigned.

Essential Qualifications

Education:

All candidates must have a university law degree in law. Candidate 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:

Internship placements focus on candidates in the early stages of their professional careers; therefore, practical experience is not an essential prerequisite for selection. However, practical experience that is relevant to the work of the RLO may be considered an asset.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Candidates must:

• Demonstrate excellent 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 and Spanish) is an asset.

Other criteria:
It is the Court’s objective to have diversity and gender balance. And in line with the ICC’s efforts to improve geographical representation among staff, nationals of non-represented and under-represented countries at the ICC are encouraged to apply. The list can be found here.
 
Remuneration

Please note that internship and visiting professional placements at the ICC are unfunded. The ICC is not able to provide participants in the Internship and Visiting Professional Programme with any remuneration, nor is it possible to provide reimbursement for expenses incurred prior, during or after the internship or visiting professional placement.
 
Applicants must therefore be able to support themselves for the entire duration of their internship or visiting professional placement.