Legal Counsellor

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 168,113 USD and 216,746 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING APPLICATION DEADLINE: please note that the deadline for applications is indicated in local time as per the time zone of the applicant’s location.

1. Organizational Context

1. Organizational Setting

The position is located in the Building Respect for IP Division, in the Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector. The Division is responsible for fostering international cooperation among Member States and other stakeholders to build respect for IP and to enforce IP rights in the interest of social-economic development and consumer protection. With this aim, the Division, inter alia, facilitates international policy dialogue on building respect for IP and IP enforcement, including in cooperation with other relevant international organizations, and provides assistance to Member States in the areas of coordination, legislation, training and awareness-raising.

2. Purpose Statement

The incumbent is primarily responsible for the Strategic Assistance and Awareness activities of the Division, providing strategic support to Member States in the undertaking of enforcement activities, including through the operation and development of the WIPO ALERT database(s), and in awareness-raising activities targeting the public, including young people.

3. Reporting Lines

The incumbent works under the supervision of the Director, Building Respect for IP Division.

2. Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following principal duties:

a. Lead the operation and extension of the WIPO ALERT platform and develop strategic engagement initiatives to assist Member States in the coordination of enforcement strategies against counterfeiting and piracy.

b. Provide advice to Member States and initiate research projects on strategies and technical requirements for online enforcement.

c. Provide legislative advice in the area of IP enforcement, in particular for common law countries, including the preparation of draft provisions for national or, where applicable, regional legislation, and the formulation of effective related enforcement strategies.

d. Organize and conduct national and regional workshops and make presentations on IP enforcement and awareness raising strategies.

e. Conduct comparative legal research pertaining to IP enforcement and drafting training materials, papers, case-law compilations, or guides, to be published by the Division, with a view to conducting training and awareness raising campaigns, as well as updating and further developing information on the website of the Division.

f. Organize and undertake consultations with stakeholders from the public and private sectors to develop and implement national strategies on Building Respect for IP and IP enforcement; provide guidance on activities and tools to implement such strategies; and where appropriate, provide assistance for purposes of reporting on the implementation of the said strategies to the WIPO Advisory Committee on Enforcement.

g. When requested, contribute to the enhanced cooperation with other intergovernmental organizations and networking with national, regional and international non-governmental organizations that carry out activities in the field of building respect for IP and IP enforcement, and represent WIPO in, and contribute to, activities of such partner organizations.

h. Manage and supervise staff and external consultants to achieve the above.

i. Perform other duties as required.

3. Requirements

Education (Essential)

Advanced university degree in law. A first-level university degree in law or related disciplines, plus two years of relevant experience in addition to the years of experience requested below may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Education (Desirable)

Specialization in intellectual property law.

Experience (Essential)

At least seven years of relevant professional work experience in the area of intellectual property law, preferably in enforcement related areas.

Experience (Desirable)

Training and experience in a common law system.

Language (Essential)

Excellent knowledge of English (written and spoken), including ability to draft legal texts.

Language (Desirable)

Good working knowledge of other UN languages.

Job Related Competencies (Essential)

Strong knowledge of international intellectual property law.

Excellent analytical and legal drafting skills.

Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey legal and policy concepts clearly in written and oral form.

Strong organizational skills with the ability to work quickly and accurately under pressure and to respect deadlines.

Team spirit and ease in working in a multicultural environment.

Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint) and the internet, and the ability to adapt quickly to new software.

4. Organizational Competencies

1. Communicating effectively.
2. Showing team spirit.
3. Demonstrating integrity.
4. Valuing diversity.
5. Producing results.
6. Showing service orientation.
7. Seeing the big picture.
8. Seeking change and innovation.
9. Developing yourself and others.

5. Information

Mobility: WIPO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director General and may be assigned to any activities, office or duty station of the Organization. Accordingly, the selected candidate may be required to move from time to time to new functions and/or to another duty station.

Annual salary****:

Total annual salary consists of a net annual salary (net of taxes and before medical insurance and pension fund deductions) in US dollars and a post adjustment. Please note that this estimate is for information only. The post adjustment multiplier (cost of living allowance) is variable and subject to change (increase or decrease) without notice. The figures quoted below are based on the January 2023 rate of 78.2%

P4

Annual salary

$75,602

Post adjustment

$59,121

Total Salary

$134,723

Currency USD

Salaries and allowances are paid in Swiss francs at the official rate of exchange of the United Nations.

Please refer to WIPO’s Staff Regulation and Rules for detailed information concerning salaries, benefits and allowances.

Additional Information

* Initial period of two years, renewable, subject to satisfactory performance. No fixed-term appointment or any extension hereof shall carry with it any expectancy of, nor imply any right to, (further) extensions or conversion to a permanent appointment.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill other posts at the same grade with similar functions in accordance with Staff Rule 4.9.5.

Applications from qualified women as well as from qualified nationals of unrepresented Member States of WIPO and underrepresented geographical regions are encouraged. Please click on the following links for the list of unrepresented Member States and the list of underrepresented regions and the WIPO Member States in these regions.

The Organization reserves the right to make an appointment at a grade lower than that advertised.

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By completing an application, candidates understand that any willful misrepresentation made on this web site, or on any other documents submitted to WIPO during the application, may result in disqualification from the recruitment process, or termination of employment with WIPO at a later date, if that employment resulted from such willful misrepresentations.

In the event that your candidature is shortlisted, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of an identification and of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WIPO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and these will be reviewed individually.

Additional testing/interviewing may be used as a form of screening. Initial appointment is subject to satisfactory professional references.

Additional background checks may be required.