Counsel authorised to act before the Court

 

Lawyers who wish to practice before the Court, whether as duty counsel, ad hoc counsel, defence counsel or as legal representative of victims, must meet the criteria of admission to the List of Counsel created and maintained by the Registrar in accordance with Rule 21(2) of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. To be admitted, candidates must satisfy the minimum quality assurance requirements set out in Rule 22 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, and Regulation 67 of the Regulations of the Court. These prerequisites to practicing before the Court are designed to guarantee that every person in need of legal representation implicated in ICC proceedings has available to him or her a pool of highly competent counsel to ensure quality legal representation.

From the inception of the List of Counsel in 2004, the Registry has continuously received applications for admission from interested candidates. Click here to view the publically available List of Counsel before the ICC. Please note that the List furnished to the end-users contains much more information and detail than the publically available version.

Qualifications and Appointment of counsel for the defence

The Registry reviews applications received to establish whether the candidate meets the criteria for admission to the List of Counsel, in conformity with the relevant provisions of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence and the Regulations of the Court.

To qualify for admission, a candidate must meet all the following criteria:

• Established competence in international or criminal law and procedure;
• The necessary relevant experience in criminal proceedings, whether as a judge, prosecutor, advocate or in another similar capacity. This experience must amount to at least ten years
• Excellent knowledge of and be fluent in at least one of the working languages of the Court (English or French)
• Counsel should not have been convicted of a serious criminal or disciplinary offence considered to be incompatible with the nature of the office of counsel before the Court

Regulation 4 of the Regulations of the Court ensures that a representative of counsel from the List created and maintained by the Registry will sit on the Advisory Committee on Legal Texts of the Court.

Duties and responsibilities

Counsel added to the List can be contacted at any time to provide legal assistance in relation to proceedings before the Court to persons concerned.

The conduct of counsel acting before the Court are governed by the Code of Professional Conduct for Counsel (ICC-ASP/4/32), adopted during the fourth session of the Assembly of States Parties.

On 8 December 2006, in accordance with Articles 36 and 44 of the Code of Professional Conduct for Counsel (ICC-ASP/4/32), the members of the peer review Disciplinary Board and the representatives of counsel on the Disciplinary Appeals Board of the ICC were appointed following the first of such elections organized by the Registry.

• Results of the Election of members of the ICC Disciplinary Board and Disciplinary Appeals Board
• Results of the appointment of the Commissioner by the Presidency in accordance with Article 33 of the Code

How to apply to be included in the List of Counsel

The Court specifically encourages and welcomes applications from female candidates, as well as from candidates practicing in countries in which a situation has been brought before the Court.

Candidates seeking to be admitted to the List of Counsel must provide all of the following documents for their applications to be considered complete. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.

1. Candidate application form
2. Certificate of good standing
3. Original or certified copy of registration with governing body
4. Certificate issued by the relevant authority of each State of which the person is a national or where the person is domiciled stating the existence, if any, of criminal convictions
5. Detailed curriculum vitae, allowing for appraisal of the candidate’s competence and experience
6. Valid copy of professional insurance policy
7. Legible copy of birth certificate
8. Legible copy of identity card
9. Legible copy of passport/travel document
10. Two passport size photographs

These documents should be sent to the following address:

Registry of the International Criminal Court
Division of Victims and Counsel (Ref: List of Counsel)
PO Box 19519
2500 CM The Hague
The Netherlands

Kindly direct any related queries concerning the above to the attention of the Defence Support Section of the Registry at: dss@icc-cpi.int.

By postal mail

ICC – Defence Support Section
P.O. Box 19 19519
2500 CM, The Hague
The Netherlands

By phone: +31-(0)705158787