OFFICE(14)/63 
14-6202 
 
 
The recruitment policy of the WTO is to seek to attract and retain staff members 
offering the highest standards of competence, efficiency and integrity. 
As an Equal Opportunities Employer, the WTO gives full regard to merit and diversity. 
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Vacancy Notice No.:  EXT/F/14-33 Issued on:  24 October 2014 
 
Title:  Dispute Settlement Lawyer Application Deadline (CET):  24 November 
2014 
 
Grade:  7 
 Division:  Appellate Body Secretariat, Rules, 
Legal Affairs  
Contract Type:  Fixed-term 
 
Starting Salary:  CHF 90,429 net per annum 
(approximate)  Duration:  Two years with the possibility of 
extension 
 
Other 
Conditions: In accordance with WTO Staff Regulations and Staff Rules and WTO Pension Plan 
Regulations. 
The World Trade Organization offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary (subject to mandatory deductions for pension 
contributions and health insurance), dependency benefits, pension plan, health 
insurance scheme, separation grant, and 30 days annual leave. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include travel and removal expenses on 
appointment and separation, installation grant, education grant, rental subsidy, 
and home leave. Additional information on the compen sation package is provided on the 
WTO website:  
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto _e/vacan_e/comp_p ackage_e.pdf.  
  
The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking to f ill several positions of Dispute Settlement 
Lawyer in the Appellate Body Secretariat, Rules Division and Legal Affairs Division.  
 
The Appellate Body Secretariat is responsible for de livering advice and assistance to the Appellate 
Body in connection with all aspects of appeals of panel reports. The Appellate Body Secretariat also often advises and supports arbitrators in proceedings to determine the reasonable period of time, and, occasionally, provides advice and/or information to the Director-General, other WTO 
Divisions, and WTO Members, as appropriate. 
 The Rules Division is responsible for all aspects of WTO work, legal and technical, in the areas of 
trade remedies (anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard measures), subsidies, Trade-Related 
Investment Measures (TRIMS), civil aircraft, and state trading enterprises.  The Rules Division 
facilitates and actively assists in negotiations, consultations and monitoring tasks, provides legal 
and other assistance to dispute settlement panels considering disputes, and provides 
implementation assistance, counselling and expert  a d v i c e  t o  W T O  M e m b e r s ,  i n  e a c h  o f  t h e s e  
areas.  
The Legal Affairs Division is responsible for providing legal advice on the WTO agreements and 
other legal issues as they may arise, to the Director-General and the WTO Secretariat, to the Dispute Settlement Body and other WTO bodies, to dispute settlement panels and arbitral bodies, 
and, as appropriate, to WTO Members or the general public. 
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General Functions  
 
1. Under the supervision of senior lawyers, deliv er substantive legal advice and assistance to 
dispute settlement adjudicators.  
2. Under the supervision of senior lawyers, conduct research on complex substantive legal and 
technical as well as procedural issues arising in the context of dispute settlement proceedings. 
Prepare written analyses of these and related issues as required.  
 
3. In the case of the Rules and Legal Affairs Di visions, under the supervision of senior staff, 
deliver legal advice and assistance to chairpersons of WTO bodies and negotiating groups, other WTO Divisions, the Director-General and WTO Members on matters within the respective Division's 
areas of responsibility. In the case of the Appe llate Body Secretariat, under the supervision of 
senior lawyers, assist Appellate Body Members ge nerally to stay abreast of dispute settlement and 
other WTO activities, including through the preparation of analysis and materials for internal 
meetings and reporting on the activities of relevant WTO bodies and negotiating groups. 
 4. Under the supervision of senior staff, deliver technical assistance and training on matters 
within the respective Division's areas of responsi bility. Contribute to the development of training 
materials, internal research materials, and WTO publications.    
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 
 Education: 
 
An advanced university degree in law, including studies in international trade law and public international law. Studies in international economics would be an advantage, as would a licence or 
eligibility to be licensed to practice law in at least one municipal jurisdiction. 
 Knowledge and Skills:  
Knowledge of international trade law and familiarity with international legal and economic 
principles and issues; familiarity with adjudicative processes and practice, particularly those of the WTO. 
 
Knowledge of the WTO Agreements and some familiarity with WTO jurisprudence is desirable. For the positions in the Rules Division, knowledge of the specific WTO Agreements within the Divison's 
areas of responsibility would be an advantage, as  would knowledge of national practices in trade 
remedies investigations. For the positions in the Appellate Body Secretariat, good knowledge of Appellate Body jurisprudence and appellate procedures is highly desirable.  
Excellent research, drafting and analytical skills an d the ability to pay close attention to detail. The 
ability to present thoughts in a logical, succinct, and coherent manner, both orally and in written form. The ability to familiarize oneself quickly an d work with voluminous documentary records, and 
to extract therefrom and analyse information that is often of highly technical, complex, and/or 
economic nature; and the ability to produce legal research and contribute to a coherent team product under very high time pressure. 
 
Highly developed tact and discretion and the ability to adhere rigorously to set rules of conduct ensuring confidentiality, impartiality and an absence of conflicts of interest.   
Ability to work independently as well as cooperate with others in a diverse international setting as 
a member of a team that works under severe time pressure and resource constraints and must produce a coherent group product; to persuade others through sound argumentation and advice 
while remaining flexible and open to different po ints of view and evolving approaches; to meet 
strict deadlines within a dynamic work environment; to develop and maintain collegial, respectful and professional relationships with colleagues and adjudicators and, as appropriate, with others 
both inside and outside the WTO, including representatives of Members.   
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Work Experience:  
At least three years relevant practical work experience as a lawyer, preferably including 
government, academic or private sector experien ce in national or international trade-related 
litigation and/or within judicial institutions or quasi-judicial agencies of Members is highly 
desirable. For the positions in the Rules Division, experience in trade remedy investigations would 
be an asset. For the positions in the Legal Affairs Division and the Appellate Body Secretariat, experience with international or national courts or adjudicative bodies would be an asset.  
 
Languages:  Excellent English, including a demonstrated ability to write accurately, concisely, clearly and within 
tight deadlines. Knowledge of French and/or Spanis h is desirable. For one of the positions in the 
Legal Affairs Division, an excellent command of written and spoken Spanish, at a native speaker level, is a requirement. 
 
 Additional Information: 
 
Unsuccessful candidates whose performance in the selection process nevertheless shows them to be suitable for a Dispute Settlement Lawyer position may be kept on a roster for up to 18 months, and may subsequently be called upon as and when the need arises for additional dispute 
settlement lawyers.  
 Only applications from nationals of WTO Members will be accepted. 
 
_____________________________________________________________________ 
APPLICANTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIT A WRITTEN EXAMINATION 
____________________________________________________________________ 
APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED DIRECTLY IF SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW 
_____________________________________________________________________ 
Online applications are strongly encouraged to enable the WTO to store 
your profile in a permanent database. 
 
Please visit the WTO' s E-Recruitment website at:  www.wto.org. 
The system provides instructions for online application procedures. 
 
All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has 
been posted and well before the closing date – Central European Time (CET) –  
stated in the vacancy announcement. 
 
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE 
CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED 
 
The WTO is a non-smoking environment.