Legal Officer at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice

The Community Court of Justice was created pursuant to the provisions of Articles 6 and 15 of the 1993 ECOWAS Revised Treaty as the principal legal organ of the Community. The Court’s main Mission is to “discharge and promote its judicial function of interpreting and applying Community texts as well as to ensure the protection of human rights in an efficient, timely and cost-effective manner with the support of well-trained and motivated staff.” The Court imbibes Independence, Impartiality, Integrity and Accessibility as its core values.

To effectively carry out its mission, the Court seeks applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the underlisted position:

Job Title: Legal Officer

Job Code: ECW/CCJ/LO/011
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Grade: P2 / P3
Status: Permanent
Institution: Communnity Court of Justice
Department: Registry
Line Supervisor HOD:  Chief Registra
Supervising: Information Officer New media and Audio-visual and Information Assistants

Job Description

• Under the supervision of the Chief Registrar, the Legal Officer shall assist the Chief Registrar in carrying out legal research and drafting memoranda. S/he shall assist in proofreading legal documents, maintain the Chief Registrar’s Case Files, Dockets of Legal Texts and Instruments, prepare briefs and legal opinions, and ensure the effective and efficient execution of the functions of the Office of the Chief Registrar by maintaining his legal diary and legal appointments.

Responsibilities

• Assist in conducting Legal Research for the Chief Registrar.
• Draft memoranda and review contracts.
• Draft Legal opinions and various legal documents.
• Maintain the Chief Registrar’s legal diary and schedule legal related appointments, Maintain Chief Registrar’s Case files.
• Maintain Dockets of Legal Texts and Instruments in the Office of the Chief Registrar.
• Draft legal correspondence and perform legal tasks in the office of the Chief Registrar.
• Assist the Chief Registrar in monitoring the execution of Orders of Court such as
• compilation of cost, computation of compensations/damages, and issuance of Witness Summons.
• Track and follow up on time limits as ordered by the Court and report to the Chief Registrar accordingly.
• Monitor the caseload management.
• Proofread documents for the Chief Registrar’s attention.
• Maintain all Court Records in a manner that facilitates retrieval.
• Collate and keep custody of all Institutional Statistics and Records for the Chief Registrar.
• Maintain and Keep Custody of Court Orders and Exhibits for the Chief Registrar.
• Assist in maintaining the Minute of Proceedings of Court sessions for the Chief Registrar.
• Keep custody of the Institutional Seal for the Chief Registrar.
• Draw up and maintain forms and precedents for the Chief Registrar.
• Represent the Chief Registrar in any legal event.

• Carry out any other tasks as assigned by the Chief Registrar.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) in Law, with a specialization in international, administrative or commercial law from a recognized university.
• 3 years progressively responsible experience as a lawyer in the legal office of an intergovernmental organization or government.
• Knowledge of theories, concepts, and approaches relevant to drug law enforcement/criminology /criminal justice.
• Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts, and approaches relevant to organized crime, illicit trafficking, drug demand reduction, etc.
• Knowledge of relevant regulations and rules of ECOWAS, as well as of applicable jurisprudence; legal and administrative expertise to analyze a diverse range of issues and problems, including in the context of the disciplinary process, and to develop innovative and creative solutions and to litigate employment-related matters.

Leadership:

• Ability to execute tasks, contact colleagues, and contribute as needed towards decision-making to ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner.
• The ability to respect the chain of command in an appropriate manner.
• Ability to guide your own work by setting and monitoring goals with strong personal initiative and commitment to ECOWAS.
• Ability to model and advocate for compliance, good work ethics, flexibility, and persistence to get the job done, coupled with an ability to influence positive teamwork and cooperation.
• Ability to work in teams to carry out semi-routine work, including assigning work, training, and checking work.

Client Service Orientation:

• Excellent interpersonal skills to engage with clients in positive exchanges that establish mutual expectations, understanding and reduce uncertainties and conflicts.
• Ability to keep clients informed on matters of relevance to expectations, establishing “bring forward” systems and introducing other procedures/techniques to ensure that service standards are maintained.
• Ability to make decisions based on guidelines, procedures, and precedents and maintain confidentiality and discretion with clients.
• Good judgment and demonstrated ability to be assertive – rather than passive or aggressive when interacting with clients.
• Well-developed problem-solving, critical thinking, and conflict resolution skills.

MulticulturaL Sensitivity and Advocacy:

• Ability to perceive the moods and feelings of others and to understand the attitude, interests, needs, and perspectives of others.
• Well-developed ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, open to understanding diverse cultural differences, especially within West Africa.
• Ability to listen attentively to people’s ideas, requests, and concerns and to explain to others the need for diversity management in everyday workplace practices.
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Ability to factor in diversity when providing services, responding to requests, recognizing andreleasing preconceived notions and stereotypical views of certain groups and individuals.

Knowledge of Ecowas:

• Basic understanding of the ECOWAS organization mandate and its functions.
• The ability to explain the functional area assigned to it and the contributions it makes to the organization and its mandate.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS semi-routine procedures, processes, and practices as it relates to assigned responsibilities and information systems.
• Ability to apply ECOWAS standards in emailing, reporting, correspondence, etc. and to contribute to implementing associated changes as directed

Analytical and Critical Thinking:

• Ability to carefully review and check the accuracy of information in work reports provided by management, management information systems, or other individuals.
• Good knowledge of office monitoring indicators of relevance to own work and ability to provide brief reports or updates.
• Ability to edit, check, track, and review documents prepared by others and reorganize data or information according to instructions using the latest technology.
• Efficiently retrieves, inputs, edits, formats, transmits and links electronic file data used for analysis and understands data management operations;
•  Ability to condense information and/or produce concise summary notes to help others with decision-making, problem-solving, and/or assessment of work.

Communication:

• Demonstrated computer skills to communicate using tools, to write and format documents appropriately for presentation, the web, proposals, reports, and other documents.
• Ability to proofread, edit, and revise documents to ensure they follow standard conventions for punctuation and mechanics and are formatted in accordance with ECOWAS communication standards;
• Ability to relay/redirect complete and accurate messages to appropriate persons/departments.
• Proficiency in information communication technologies (ICT).
• Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.

Planning and Implementation:

• Ability to organize information and materials for others, solve minor problems, and check for completeness and compliance to standards and instructions.
• Knowledge of techniques to prioritize tasks in a fast-paced workplace with frequent interruptions and moving deadlines and adaptability/ flexibility to meet work expectations.
• Understanding and adherence to the policies, procedures, and guidelines required to support the ECOWAS planning cycle at the individual and organizational level.
• Good initiative with an ability to identify what needs to be done and act in a proactive manner.

Eligibility:

• Must be a citizen of an ECOWAS Member State.
• Must not be more than 50 years of age at the time of recruitment. This does not apply to internal candidates.

Salary
USD 31,191.47 / 45,109.22 Annually.

Application Closing Dates
25th April, 2025. (Internal Candidates)

6th June, 2025. (External Candidates)

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their complete Application Documents to: legoff_25int@courtecowas.org (Internal Candidates), legoff_25ext@courtecowas.org (External Candidates) using the Job Title as the subject of the email.

Click Here To Download Application Form (MS Word)

Application Documents
Applicants who meet the requirements must submit:

• An ECOWAS job application form
• An updated Curriculum Vitae,
• A signed motivation letter.

Note

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed.
• Offers of employment will be subject to a satisfactory background check.
• Candidates must be ECOWAS citizens
• Candidates must be under 50 years. (This condition does not apply to internal candidates)
• The documents submitted shall not be returned. Only short-listed candidates shall be contacted.
• Offer of employment will be subject to a satisfactory background check and official documentation attesting nationality.