Internships

SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME


In light of the high level of interest in the Court's work amongst students and newly qualified legal practitioners, the internship programme will provide unique opportunities to work with the Court and contribute to its development.
Interns will be working for a criminal court established by an Agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone, responsible for trying those accused of crimes against humanity, violations of Article 3 common to the Geneva Conventions and of Additional Protocol II, other serious violations of international humanitarian law and crimes under Sierra Leonean Law.

Qualifications:

Interns in the Registry Legal Office, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Office of the Principal Defender and Chambers must have a first level degree qualification, preferably in law and must pass the Bar. Study in the area of international humanitarian law will be considered as an advantage.

Interns in the Outreach and Public Affairs Section, Court Management, General Services Section, Detention, Communication/Information and Technology Section, Finance and Administrative Support Services and other offices require formal qualifications and must be recommended by their Institution, Technical College or any other qualified institution.

All interns must be proficient in English both written and spoken. Knowledge of local languages will be an advantage in applying for the programme.

Duration:

All internships will be for a period of 3 months (maximum 6). No extension will be granted after the maximum period. Internships for less than 6 months will only be allowed in circumstances agreed between the Programme Coordinator and the Head of Section requesting the intern(s).
 
Internship Programmes

NATIONAL FUNDED INTERNSHIPS


As part of the legacy of the Special Court, emphasis is placed on recruiting nationals of Sierra Leone for the Internship Programme. There are currently funded internship positions under the Special Court Internship Programme which are funded by a donation from the European Commission. Positions are available for national interns in the technical and administrative fields only. Successful applicants in Freetown will be paid US $300 per month.

Successful qualified national lawyers can apply for internships both in Freetown or The Hague with the Appeals Chamber, the Office of the Prosecutor or the Office of the Principal Defender. They will be awarded a stipend of US $1,000 per month (Freetown) or Euro1,200 (The Hague).  The Special Court covers the costs of medical and air tickets for interns going to The Hague but the interns will be responsible for their accommodation.

The Special Court does not accept responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness which may occur during an internship, whether as part of the SCSL/EC project or not. All interns are therefore required, on being offered an internship, to obtain appropriate life insurance and provide the Court with details of such insurance.


UNFUNDED INTERNSHIPS


Unfunded interns may be accepted depending on the needs of the Section of choice and availability of existing resources.

The Special Court will no longer offer funded internships to international applicants. All international applicants must secure their own funding.
 
Intern Work Requirements

CHAMBERS

The interns will provide support to the Judges of the Trial Chamber under the supervision of the Chambers Legal Advisor. The interns’ duties will include legal research and analysis, document and file management, preparation for hearings and other support as necessary, which may involve attending Court on occasion. The interns will be expected to prepare a report at the end of the placement, recording work undertaken during the placement.

OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTOR

Trial

The trial interns will each be assigned to one of the 6 trial teams and act in direct support of the Trial Attorney and Associate / Assistant Trial Attorney. Their duties will include recording notes for Counsel during the trial, and planning and producing follow up material derived from each session. They will also work closely to ensure the effective flow of information from different sections regarding the case or cases they are working on.

Pre Trial / Appellate

Pre-trial and appellate interns will provide support to the Senior Trial / Appellate Attorney for respective trials and appeals. This will include: following up decisions from the Appeals Chamber (both pre-trial and appeals arising during trial), preparing for future appeals and preparing for trial hearings as directed by the Senior Trial Attorney. Duties will include legal research and analysis, document and file management, preparation for hearings, and direction and support to investigation / witness support teams.

DEFENCE OFFICE

The intern will provide support to the Defence Office under the supervision of the Principal Defender. The interns’ duties will include legal research and analysis, document and file management, preparation for hearings and other support as necessary. It is important to note that the Defence Office of the Special Court provides briefing and support to Defence counsel and their teams. Interns’ will work for the Office and not for a specific Defence team.

REGISTRY LEGAL OFFICE

Under the supervision of the Legal Adviser to the Registrar, the intern will undertake legal research and analysis of issues relating to the functions of the Registry; review and draft internal policies and procedures; assist in the negotiation of draft bilateral cooperation agreements with third States; and contribute to the formulation of the Special Court's exit strategy.

OUTREACH AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE

The Outreach and Public Affairs Section is responsible for the national and international media relations of the Court. Interns will be expected to provide support to Outreach and Public Affairs Section in organizing community town hall meetings, work on media monitoring, database compilation, and together with the video producer, undertake research for the production of information and educational materials about the Special Court, assist in setting up 'Accountability Now Clubs' at tertiary institutions and work closely with students in promoting broader issues of human rights and justice. Interns may be expected to accompany Outreach Associates on field trips upcountry.  
 
Application Forms

Please complete the application form in full and return to the Special Court Personnel section, clearly marked 'INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME' to the address overleaf. You will be required to rank in order of preference the three offices in which you would like to work as an intern.

Contact Address:

The Internship Coordinator
Personnel Section
Special Court for Sierra Leone
Jomo Kenyatta Road
Freetown, Sierra Leone

By E-mail: scsl-interns@un.org
By Fax: +39 0831 257204 or +232 22 297204

We encourage applicants based outside Sierra Leone to send the application form by email or fax.

Applications will be considered on a competitive basis. An acceptance of an internship is not an offer of a permanent job in the Special Court, and interns should not expect to be offered a job on the basis of having previously secured an internship.

Open the Application Form [in MS Word format]

 
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