Assistant Lawyer – Romania in Strasbourg

Junior Professional Programme

Assistant Lawyer – Romania

in Strasbourg, France

Registry of the European Court of Human Rights

Location: Strasbourg

• Are you a young law graduate who wants to gain experience in an international Organisation working for human rights, democracy and the rule of law? Do you want to help the European Court of Human Rights to ensure respect for the human rights of 820 million Europeans? Are you interested in dealing with applications alleging violations of the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights? If so, our Assistant Lawyers’ scheme may be the right thing for you.

Who we are

• With over 2000 staff representing all its 47 member States, the Council of Europe is a multicultural organisation. We all strive towards protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law and our three core values - professionalism, integrity and respect - guide the way we work.
• The European Court of Human Rights oversees the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights in the member States. See the Court’s website for information about its activities.

Your role

• As an Assistant Lawyer, you will assist more senior members of staff in the preparation of correspondence with applicants and draft decisions in standard form cases. You will:

• examine and deal with applications in prima facie inadmissible cases and in cases which can be dealt with in a standard manner;
• draft decisions, minutes, reports, notes and other documents;
• advise applicants, in correspondence or, if necessary, in interviews, on the conditions of admissibility of applications;
• attend the Court’s sessions and presenting applications;
• assist one or more experienced case-lawyers, where necessary, in the preparation of Chamber cases for examination by the Court.

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

What we are looking for

• As a minimum you must:

• hold a higher education degree in law obtained in Romania 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 Romania;
• after having obtained the relevant higher education degree in law, have at least six months’ professional experience acquired in the legal field (preferably in the judicial service) in Romania or in international Organisations;
• have a very good knowledge of one of the two official languages of the Council of Europe (English, French) and the ability to draft legal texts therein clearly and precisely;
• have an excellent knowledge of Romanian (mother tongue level);
• be a citizen of one of the 47 member States of the Council of Europe;
• be under 35 years of age at the closing date of the vacancy notice.

• Show us that you have the following competencies:                                                                 

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • thorough knowledge of the Romanian legal system and ability to handle cases arising in other jurisdictions;
  • knowledge of constitutional and of international law.
• Drafting skills

• Concern for quality

• Planning and work organisation

• Analysis and problem solving

• Learning and development

• Teamwork and co-operation

• Adaptability

• These would be an asset:

• Results orientation

• Communication

• Decision making

• Initiative

What we offer

• If successful, you may be offered employment based on a fixed-term contract at grade B3. In Strasbourg, you will receive a basic monthly gross salary of €3 400 which is exempt from national income tax. This salary may be supplemented by other allowances depending on your personal situation and you will be affiliated to a Council of Europe pension scheme. You will also benefit from private medical insurance, 32 working days leave per year and other benefits (including flexible working hours, training and development, possibility of teleworking, etc.).
• The Junior Professional Programme, carried out in accordance with Article 16 of the Regulations on Appointments (Appendix II to the Staff Regulations), is a specific recruitment scheme suitable for young graduates at the start of their career. Staff recruited under this scheme get a once-only opportunity of employment for a total maximum duration of four years and are not eligible for any subsequent internal competition, promotion, transfer or secondment. Details on conditions of employment (probationary period, salaries, allowances, pension scheme, social insurance, etc.) can be consulted on our recruitment website. Any changes to these conditions during the recruitment process are updated on this site and will apply at the time of the job offer.
• If your profile matches our needs and you are not recruited straight away, you may be placed on a reserve list, valid for a maximum of four years.

For more information on how to apply, please click the ‘Apply’ button.