Under the overall supervision of the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, and within delegated authority, the Legal Assistant will provide the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs (UN Legal Counsel) with support in the following areas: ? Conducts legal research on a diverse range of assigned issues in international law and other area(s) of specialization using multiple research sources; selects relevant material, analyses information and presents findings for internal review. ? Assists in the preparation of drafts of background papers, studies, reports, etc. ? Assists in the maintenance of a body of legal reference files, both paper and electronic, to ensure rapid retrieval of critical information; conducts reference searches upon request; reviews material and determines appropriate file classification category; identifies material for inclusion in files; coordinates with Archives on retirement, storage and retrieval of files; participates in initiatives to enhance existing systems for records management and retrieval, including development of proposals for consideration. ? Drafts, edits and conducts final check for accuracy of a variety of specialized documentation, legal publications, and related correspondence. ? Handles a variety of relatively complex verbal and written inquiries from internal and external parties, including providing detailed information on processes and procedures related to a range of legal activities, instruments, issues, etc. ? Assists in servicing diplomatic conferences, commissions, committees, task forces and other bodies, including preparation of background materials, summaries of issues and views of delegations, etc. ? Maintains internal databases on cases for tracking and trend analysis; generates a variety of standard and non-standard statistical and other reports from various databases, and posting of documents on the website. ? Provides general office support services; processes, drafts, edits, proofreads and finalizes for signature/approval a variety of correspondence and other communications, as well as specialized legal documentation. In addition, and within delegated authority, the Legal Assistant will also provide a wide range of administrative support to the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs: ? Takes full responsibility for time management and scheduling of the Under-SecretaryGeneral for Legal Affairs, with appropriate consultation with the Special Assistant of the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs as required; effectively prioritizes and resolves related conflicts and competing demands. ? Screens and prioritizes all incoming correspondence; compiles relevant background documents and references; monitors and follows-up on actions to be taken. ? Supports the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs in presentations to intergovernmental bodies and other meetings. ? Establishes/improves administrative procedures and systems to ensure smooth functioning of the department, including filing (paper and electronic) systems. ? Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements: 

Education

High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of experience in paralegal/legal work, conference servicing, library work, administrative services, general office support or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience working with different offices of the United Nations Secretariat or a comparable international organization, as well as with high-ranking officials of the United Nations or a similar international organization, is desirable. Experience using enterprise resource planning information systems such as Umoja or similar tools in the United Nations or similar international organization is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.