Counsel, Law​/Legal

Overview

The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. The Legal Vice Presidency (LEGVP) is responsible for providing legal advice and support to internal and external bank clients on operational, advisory, financial, administrative, and institutional matters. The Counsel positions are vacant under the LEGVP’s IBRD/IDA Operational Practice Groups, which handle legal and policy aspects of the bank’s lending operations in the South Asia (SAR), East Asia and Pacific (EAP), East and Southern Africa (AFE), West and Central Africa (AFW), and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP) regions.

• Draft, review, negotiate and finalize legal agreements under the Counsel’s portfolio.
• Cover a broad portfolio of countries, providing risk‑based advice to clients on legal and policy issues in operations.
• Identify, assess and provide advice to management and staff under the legal risk management framework, including rating and reporting of legal risks.
• Participate in or lead on initiatives or teams, coordinating portfolios or programs, managing client relationships, and engaging in corporate priorities relevant to the assigned functional scope.
• Provide legal advice to ongoing projects and programs, reviewing project and program documents for adherence to World Bank policies, procedures and business objectives.
• Conduct comparative legal analyses on a range of issues in operations, identify legal and policy issues, research relevant precedents, and propose appropriate solutions to colleagues and clients.
• Engage in policy discussions and negotiations with officials internally and externally, developing relationships with members of the legal profession and lawyers working in development partner agencies.
• Protect the World Bank’s interests and promote its goals and values.
• Write and review policy papers, undertake legal research on topics in an area of concentration and contribute to dissemination of policy and best practices in a given field.
• Prepare legal briefs on diverse topics, as required.
• Work to advance the LEGVP’s knowledge management agenda and use of technology.
• Perform ad hoc assignments as requested by the Chief Counsel or designated Lead/Senior Counsel.

• An LLM degree, J.D. or equivalent, with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience and admission in at least one jurisdiction.
• Excellent oral and written English skills required; additional languages (French, Spanish, Arabic or Portuguese) are a strong plus.

General Competencies

• Excellent legal research, writing, drafting, analytical, and communications skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Experience in international, commercial or contract law, including transactional legal work and preparation and negotiation of legal agreements.
• Excellent legal drafting skills, including agreements, legal memos and well‑reasoned litigation pleadings.
• Proficiency in varied legal research sources.
• Proven ability to operate effectively as a member of teams; self‑starter, collaborator, exercising sound judgment.
• Proven ability to identify and manage legal risk and guide junior staff.
• Ability to work sensitively in multicultural and multi‑ethnic environments.
• Ability to supervise and collaborate with local counsel.
• Ability to work under time pressure and manage multiple tasks within tight deadlines.

Other Competencies

• Legal Drafting, Research and Communication:
  Draft transactional documentation, briefs, etc., with precision and quality.
• World Bank Legal and Policy Framework:
  Extensive knowledge of the bank’s legal framework, policies and procedures.
• Independence:
  Prepare accurate documents and reports, presenting facts fairly.
• Professional Maturity:
  Clarify points of view and manage conflict.
• Legal Reasoning:
  Break down problems, articulate implications objectively.
• Decisive Action:
  Apply critical thinking, evaluate risk, and commit to decisions.
• Client Orientation:
  Timely response to client queries and remove obstacles.
• Flexibility:
  Adapt strategy and objectives to meet needs.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making:
  Analyze facts and…