Legal Affairs Intern

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Work Location

United Nations

Expected duration

Duration of internship is 2 - 6 months. Desired start date can be from 22 July 2024 through 31 January 2025.

Duties And Responsibilities

Org. Setting and Reporting The Office of Legal Affairs is recruiting interns for the period starting from July 2024 for its six (6) divisions and offices located in New York. We are seeking highly motivated graduate or undergraduate students, and recent graduates, who wish to gain professional experience in the legal field within an international organization in order to enhance their educational experience. This internship will include practical educational experience which provides the opportunity to work in a multicultural intergovernmental organization. Under the supervision of legal officers, interns will work on projects and tasks assigned by them, which may include assignments that are relevant to their educational background and interests. The interns will have an opportunity to apply and further develop their theoretical knowledge. The six divisions and offices of OLA located in New York are: the Office of the Under-Secretary-General (OUSG), the Office of the Legal Counsel (OLC), the Codification Division (COD), the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS), the General Legal Division (GLD), and the Treaty Section (TS). It is important that candidates familiarize themselves with the functions of these as described at https://www.un.org/ola/en/mission, and that they make an informed decision as to which division or office would be best suited for their interests and qualifications. Responsibilities Responsibilities of internship positions range widely, encompassing many aspects of OLA's work. These responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting in conducting legal research on issues related to international law and other areas of specialization using multiple research resources;
• Assisting in the review of legal documents, instruments or other material;
• Assisting in drafting and preparing official and legal documents;
• Attending and taking notes at conferences and meetings;
• Assisting in servicing conferences and meetings;
• Working on websites and/or presentations. Applicants are not required to have professional work experience to participate in the programme. The training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.
  
  

Qualifications/special Skills

The degree programme which applicants are enrolled in or have recently graduated from must be in the area of Law. Applicants must demonstrate their intention to study further or to work in a field relevant to the work of OLA. Applicants must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: Either, (a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or, (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's level or equivalent).

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat in New York. For the internship advertised, fluency in spoken and written English is required, and knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another United Nations official language, i.e. Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish, is an advantage.

Additional Information

TO APPLY: Please create and complete a Candidate Profile with a Motivation Statement in the UN online recruitment platform, Inspira, at https://inspira.un.org. In your Candidate Profile, please indicate if you are proficient in the English language. PLEASE NOTE THAT INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE REVIEWED. It is imperative that the Motivation Statement includes the following details: 1. Title of the degree currently being pursued, or recently completed, and the specific subjects taken; 2. Expected graduation date from the degree programme or graduation date if already graduated; 3. The applicant's objectives for undertaking an internship with the Office of Legal Affairs and how it fits within their education/career plan; 4. Three (3) divisions or offices of interest for internship from among the six units of the Office of Legal Affairs located in New York (in order of preference) with #1 being the most preferred:

• the Office of the Under-Secretary-General (OUSG),
• the Office of the Legal Counsel (OLC),
• the Codification Division (COD),
• the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS),
• the General Legal Division (GLD), and
• the Treaty Section (TS); 5. An explanation why the applicant is suitable for the specific division or office; 6. The applicant's availability, at time of application, to commence the internship between July 2024 and January 2025, and the projected end of availability.
  
  

Intern Specific text

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.