Vacancy Notice N° e106/2015
Lawyers Norway (Grade A1/A2)
Office Wide

1) Registry of the European Court of Human Rights 2) Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI), Human Rights Directorate, Department for the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
Closing date: 26 October 2015
Location : Strasbourg

Job mission

 FIXED-TERM CONTRACT
 
The Council of Europe is recruiting lawyers from Norway, in the field of the European Convention on Human Rights.
 
 
 
1)      Under the general authority of the Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights and of a Head of a Legal Division of the Registry, the incumbent manages case-files in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights, the Court’s procedures and the Council of Europe’s values;
 
OR
 
2)      Under the authority of the Head of Department and a Head of Division, the incumbent manages a certain number of cases and friendly settlements submitted to the Committee of Ministers in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights, the Department for the Execution of Judgments’ procedures and the Council of Europe’s values.
 

Key activities

The incumbent performs the following key duties:

 

1)            At the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights:

 

The incumbent is responsible for a certain number of case-files to be processed in English or French, and performs the following duties:

 

-              manages a certain number of case-files in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and the Court’s procedures:

-              examines and deals with applications lodged with the Court in accordance with the general time-limits, internal guidelines and specific country-management meetings instructions;

-              maintains correspondence with the applicants and, where appropriate, with Governments and third parties;

-              advises applicants in correspondence or, if necessary, in interviews, on the conditions of admissibility of applications to the Court;

-              prepares case-files for the examination by the Judge-rapporteur and for submission to the Court;

-              ensures legal analysis;

-              attends the Court's sessions and presents cases;

-              drafts judgments, decisions, minutes, reports, notes and other documents;

-              undertakes studies and research relating to the case-law of the ECHR and national law, including constitutional law;

-              analyses and distributes information concerning the Court’s case-law;

-              advises and reports to the Head of Division: reports on the results achieved, on further requirements, risks and opportunities of developments or events.

-              communicates in matters concerning the case-files:

-              ensures that all those concerned are informed appropriately;

-              maintains contacts with counterparts.

 

2) At the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the Court, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law:

 

-              manages  cases and friendly settlement decisions transmitted to the Committee of Ministers by the European Court of Human Rights, with a view to identifying the execution measures required to prevent similar violations and give full effect to the applicant’s rights;

-              prepares documentation consisting of the legal assessments needed for the “Human Rights” meetings of the Committee of Ministers, including memoranda, briefing notes, draft resolutions and decisions and, where necessary, summaries of the meeting proceedings;

-              deals with necessary correspondence with the authorities of the respondent States, applicants and other interested parties;

-              co-operates and maintains dialogue with various instances concerned by the process of supervising the execution of judgments and decisions of the Court (in particular, Permanent Representations, government agents, national bodies responsible for execution, NGOs and national human rights institutes);

-              participates in the relevant meetings of the Committee of Ministers and follows up cases in accordance with the decisions taken;

-              prepares information documents, summaries, studies and reports, in particular for the attention of the Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, the Director of the Directorate of Human Rights and the Head of Department;

-              participates, on request, in technical co-operation activities, which may involve missions;

-              contributes actively to the performance of other specific tasks of the Department.

 

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

 

Eligibility Requirements

Only applicants who best meet the following criteria will be considered for shortlisting.
 
Qualifications:
Higher education degree in law obtained in Norway permitting access, either on the basis of qualifications or after passing a competitive examination, to the judicial administration or legal professions in Norway.
Experience:
After having obtained the relevant higher education degree in law, at least two years of professional experience at an appropriate level acquired in the legal field (preferably in the judicial service) in Norway or in international Organisations.  
Language requirements:
Excellent knowledge of Norwegian (mother tongue level); very good knowledge of one of the official languages of the Council of Europe (English or French) and knowledge of the other.
Nationality:
Nationality of one of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe.
Age:
Under 65 years of age, at the closing date of the vacancy notice.
 

Employee Core Values

Council of Europe staff members adhere to the values Professionalism, Integrity and Respect.

Competencies

Essential:  
          Professional and technical expertise
-        Thorough knowledge of the legal system in Norway ,  and ability to handle cases arising in other jurisdictions;
-        Knowledge of constitutional and international law;
-        Good knowledge of international law and of human rights protection standards in general, and very good knowledge of the Convention system and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.
          Drafting skills: ability to draft legal texts clearly and precisely in English or French.  
          Planning and work organisation
          Analysis and problem solving
          Relationship building
          Teamwork and co-operation
          Results orientation
          Concern for quality
 
Desirable: 
          Decision making
          Negotiation
          Adaptability
          Learning and development
 
For more information, please refer to the Competency Framework of the Council of Europe.

Additional information

Applications must be made in English or French using the Council of Europe on-line application system.  By connecting to our website www.coe.int/jobs you can create and submit your on-line application.  Applications must be submitted at the latest  26 October 2015  (midnight Central European Time).  
 
The selection procedure consists of shortlisting, assessment(s), and a panel interview.  Assessments may include one or more of the following: ability tests, behavioural questionnaires, job-related examinations, situational exercises, language tests, interviews and full assessment centres. At least one assessment will be eliminatory.
 
Depending on the number of applicants, the length of the required professional experience may be increased.  
 
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 with a panel.
 
Following this competition, a reserve list of successful 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. It should be noted that placement on a reserve list does not give candidates the right to an appointment within the Council of Europe.  The choice of candidates from a reserve list is not made solely according to the order of merit but also takes into account the requirements of the position to be filled and the qualifications of the candidates. 
 
During the period of validity of the reserve list, candidates on the list may be offered employment on a fixed-term contract, which may be renewed one or several times. There is a statutory probationary period of two years.
 
The compulsory retirement age is 65. 
 
For the moment, the duration of the positions is limited to 3 years.  
 
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 the continent’s leading organisation in the protection of human rights, democracy and rule of law. It was founded in 1949 in order to promote greater unity between its members  and  now includes 47 member states, all having signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights.
 
By Statute, the Council of Europe 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 Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent and impartial institution within the Council of Europe mandated to promote the awareness of and respect for human rights in member states.
 
The European Court of Human Rights is the judicial body which oversees the implementation of the Convention in the member states. Individuals can bring complaints of human rights violations to the Strasbourg Court once all possibilities of appeal have been exhausted in the member state concerned.

The Council of Europe has its permanent headquarters in Strasbourg (France) and in addition it maintains external presence in more than twenty countries. More information about Council of Europe external presence.
 
*External recruitment procedure organised in accordance with Article 15B of the Regulations on Appointments