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.
You 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. The Court has so far indicted thirteen persons and holds nine people in custody.
You will be given the opportunity to work on current cases, prepare decisions, draft opinions and work on overall issues surrounding the Court, or participate in taking information about the Court to the people of Sierra Leone as part of the Outreach or Public Affairs teams.
Qualifications:
Interns in the Registry, Office of the Prosecutor, the Defence Office and Chambers should have a first level degree qualification preferably in law. Study in the area of international humanitarian law will be considered as an advantage.
Interns in the Public Affairs Office, Court Management, Outreach and other offices require no formal qualifications.
All interns must be proficient in English both written and spoken. Knowledge of local languages will be an advantage in applying for the programme.
International Universities / Graduates
No special preference can be given to universities or their graduates or undergraduates. However, those universities wishing to arrange for internships funded by the Universities at the Court for graduates / undergraduates should discuss this with the Programme Coordinator and / or Section Heads to see if their graduates / undergraduates can be accommodated at the Court. Graduates / undergraduates may apply on an individual basis to become a part of the programme.
Duration:
All internships will be for a period of 6 months. No extension will be granted. 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).
Interns Work Requirements:
CHAMBERS
The interns will provide support to the Judges of the Trial Chamber under the supervision of the Chambers Legal Advisor. The intern's 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 intern's 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. The intern 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
Interns will be expected to provide support to Outreach in organizing community town hall meetings, 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 in the Outreach section will be expected to go on field trips upcountry.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE
Interns will have the opportunity to work in the Public Affairs Office, which is responsible for the national and international media relations of the Court. They will have the opportunity to work on media monitoring, database compilation, and together with the video producer.
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 only. Successful national applicants will be paid US $300 per month.
Successful qualified national lawyers can apply for internships with the Office of the Prosecutor or the Office of the Principal Defender. They will be awarded a stipend of US $1,000 per month, but will be responsible for payment of their flights to and from Freetown, medical insurance and any additional living costs including 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 medical insurance and provide the Court with details of such insurance.
NATIONAL LEGAL ASSOCIATES PROGRAMME
National Legal Associates Programme
Deadline: 16 March 2007
UNFUNDED INTERNSHIPS
Unfunded interns may be accepted depending on the needs of the Section of choice and availability of existing resources, but ensuring that they do not hinder the chances of those that do not have the funds to be accepted on the programme as unfunded.
The Special Court will no longer offer funded internships to international applicants. All international applicants must secure their own funding.
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]