The Assistant Lawyers’ Scheme

 Fixed-term position (The total length of employment under fixed-term contracts at the European Court of Human Rights will not exceed four years)

The Assistant Lawyers’ Scheme opens the doors of the European Court of Human Rights to legal professionals at the start of their career, giving them an opportunity to gain experience working within this European institution. They will benefit from regular working contact with experienced case lawyers, senior managers and the judges themselves. While dealing with individual applications originating from their own legal system and assisting senior colleagues in handling more complex applications, assistant lawyers benefit from the Registry’s in-house training programme and deepen their knowledge of the functioning of the European Court of Human Rights and the Convention case-law.

The Scheme serves the twofold objective of bringing new talent to the Registry and contributing to greater awareness and understanding of the Convention in the legal profession throughout Europe as assistant lawyers advance in their careers elsewhere. Employment under the scheme is therefore of limited duration.

Job mission 

The principal duties of an assistant lawyer consist of assisting more senior members of staff in the preparation of correspondence with applicants and draft decisions in standard form cases.

Under the authority of the Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights and of a Head of a Division, the incumbent will be responsible for the following:

·         examining and dealing with applications in prima facie inadmissible cases and in cases which can be dealt with in a standard manner;

·         drafting decisions, minutes, reports, notes and other documents;

·         advising applicants, in correspondence or, if necessary, in interviews, on the conditions of admissibility of applications;

·         attending the Court’s sessions and presenting applications;

• assisting one or more experienced case-lawyers, where necessary, in the preparation of Chamber cases for examination by the Court. 

Please note that the incumbent may also be required to perform duties not listed in the vacancy notice.

·         Qualifications:  

o   university degree in law of a standard permitting access, either on the basis of qualifications or after passing a competitive examination, to the judicial administration or legal professions in Georgia;  

o   thorough knowledge of the Georgian legal system and ability to handle cases arising in other jurisdictions;

o   knowledge of constitutional and of international law;

·         Experience:

o   some professional experience acquired in the legal field in Georgia would be an advantage 

·         Language requirements:

o   very good knowledge of one of the two official languages of the Council of Europe (English, French) and ability to draft legal texts therein clearly and precisely; 

o   excellent knowledge of Georgian (mother tongue level). 

·         Nationality: open to nationals of Council of Europe member states. 

·         Age: under 65 years at the closing date of the Vacancy Notice. 

Please note that only applicants meeting the above-mentioned requirements will be considered for shortlisting. Moreover, these being only minimum requirements, there is no guarantee that applicants will be shortlisted, even if they meet all of these.

Essential:

• Professional and technical competencies:

o   ICT skills: ability to use current ICT tools;

o   planning and work organisation.

• Interpersonal skills: team work and co-operation. 
• Personal attitudes: initiative, sense of responsibility, concern for quality, efficiency and accuracy. 
• Personal values: integrity, loyalty and conscience; discretion; independence and confidence; respect for diversity; commitment to the judicial independence of the Court. 

For more information, please refer to the competency inventory of the Council of Europe.

Applications

Applications must be made in English or French using the Council of Europe on-line application system.  By connecting to our website http://www.coe-recruitment.com you can create and submit your on-line application.  Applications must be submitted at the latest 23 May 2013 (midnight Central European Time).  

The selection procedure may vary according to the specific requirements of the job vacancy. It consists of preliminary selection and can include ability tests, behavioural questionnaires, job related examinations, situational exercises, language tests, interviews and full assessment centres.

Depending on the number of applicants, the length of the required professional experience may be increased.  

Only candidates who best match the requirements of the job vacancy and, if applicable, candidates with the best results in the previous stages of the procedure (tests, exams, etc.) will, as a last stage of the procedure, be invited for an interview.

Following this competition, a list of eligible candidates, in order of merit, may be established. This list will be valid for two years with the possibility of extending it to a maximum of four years. During the period of validity of the list, candidates on the list may be offered employment of fixed term duration. It should be noted that placement on this list does not give candidates the right to an appointment within the Council of Europe. Moreover, the choice of candidates from a reserve list is not made solely according to the order of merit.  

The first year of employment will constitute a probationary period. Provided the staff members’ work is considered satisfactory, he/she may be offered  a contract of fixed term duration. However, the total length of employment will not exceed four years. The staff member so recruited shall not be eligible for any subsequent internal competition, promotion or transfer to a post, or for secondment. The compulsory retirement age is 65.

Details on conditions of employment including salaries, allowances, pension scheme and social insurance can be consulted on our recruitment website. 

Under its equal opportunities policy, the Council of Europe is aiming to achieve parity in the number of women and men employed in each category and grade. In the event of equal merit, preference will therefore be given to the applicant belonging to the under-represented sex.

The Council of Europe welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief or sexual orientation.

During the different stages of the recruitment procedure, specific measures may be taken to ensure equal opportunities for candidates with disabilities. 

The Organisation 

The Council of Europe is a political organisation founded in 1949 in order to promote greater unity between its members. It now numbers 47 member States. The Organisation’s main aims are to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and to develop common responses to political, social, cultural and legal challenges in its member States. Since 1989 it has integrated most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and supported them in their efforts to implement and consolidate their reforms.

The Council of Europe has its permanent headquarters in Strasbourg (France). By Statute, it has two constituent organs: the Committee of Ministers, composed of the member States’ Ministers for Foreign Affairs, and the Parliamentary Assembly, comprising delegations from the national parliaments. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe represents the entities of local and regional self-government within the member States.

The European Court of Human Rights is the judicial body competent to adjudicate complaints brought against a state by individuals, associations or other contracting states on grounds of violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.