Adviser and Mentor to Judge Counselor Court of Appeal Job Closing date: 30 Jun 2011 Management Sciences for Development Download DOCX (66.03 KB)

Adviser and Mentor to Judge Counselor Court of Appeal

Job

Closing date: 30 Jun 2011

Management Sciences for Development

Download DOCX (66.03 KB)

There has been a recent appointment of a Judge Counselor as member of the Appeal Court of Timor-Leste. The person appointed is the first citizen of Timor-Leste to have achieved this status solely upon experience within the Judiciary in Timor-Leste. Other members of the Appeal Court gained the majority of their experience in other civil law jurisdictions.

Decisions of the Appeal Court are made when a majority of members of the Court decide in favor or against the appeal in question. In reaching their decisions members are expected to be influenced by not only the arguments of the litigants but also on the basis of their own knowledge, experience and research and not necessarily only those propounded by colleagues.

In an endeavor to build the foundations of a sustainable, effective and efficient Appeal Court in the country, the newly appointed Judge Counselor is most anxious to ensure she brings an independent, yet informed and Timorese culturally influenced mind to the deliberations and decisions of the Court. She also wishes to be in a position to facilitate the preparation of other Timorese Judges to take up similar roles.

Further, she wishes to rapidly access best practices and precedents from other civil law jurisdictions and to be able to consult an experienced counselor and mentor, not only in respect of ongoing issues, but also on the ethics and protocols of her conduct and demeanor as an Appeal Court member. She is also keen to receive advice, counseling, mentoring and support in the production, presentation and delivery of written and verbal judgments and the management of the professional inter-relationships between herself and others members of the Appeal Court. In view of her relatively short experience of Appeal Court deliberations and the need for her to immediately take full part in the work of the Court of Appeal, the newly appointed Judge Counselor has approached MSD and USAID for assistance in recruiting an adviser and mentor to be assigned to her chambers. Whilst having no judicial functions or right of audience before the courts of Timor-Leste the adviser and mentor would guide, advice and support the Judge Counselor through verbal briefings, one-to-one counseling and written opinions.

Whilst the content of the advice, support and counseling provided by the Adviser will remain confidential, the Adviser will be required to provide MSD’s Chief of Party with monthly reports indicating the range of activities undertaken and assessments of progress made.

Subject to the availability of funding, the appointment would be for a period of six (6) months commencing as soon as possible. Extensions to the appointment will be considered dependent on need, and also the availability of funds and contractual conditions.

This assignment is to be an integral part of USAID’s Justice Institutions Strengthening Project (JISP) in Timor-Leste being implemented by MSD. Please review the attached Terms of Reference for additional details and application details.