Counsel

**Counsel**

**Job #**:

- req33943

**Organization**:

- World Bank

**Sector**:

- Legal

**Grade**:

- GF

**Term Duration**:

- 3 years 0 months

**Recruitment Type**:

- Local Recruitment

**Location**:

- Brasilia,Brazil

**Required Language(s)**:

- English, Portuguese

**Preferred Language(s)**:

- Spanish

**Closing Date**:

- 8/19/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

**Description**

The World Bank Group is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It uses financial resources and extensive experience to help our client countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and improve quality of life. To ensure that countries can access the best global expertise and help generate cutting-edge knowledge, the World Bank Group is constantly seeking to improve the way it works. Key priorities include delivering measurable results, promoting openness and transparency in development, and improving access to development information and data.

Legal Vice Presidency. In the context of the World Bank's broad development agenda, the Legal Vice Presidency (LEG), under the Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel (SVP-GC), is responsible for providing legal advice and support to internal and external Bank clients on operational, advisory, financial, administration, and institutional matters.

LEGLE is the unit within LEG that works on Bank operations in the Latin American and Caribbean Region and the Europe and Central Asia Region.

**Responsibilities and Accountabilities**:
The Counsel positions require demonstrated ability of rigorous analytical skills, to work harmoniously in a team, and to exercise good judgment. The level and quality of these skills will be a determining factor in the selection for the position, and references will be given consideration in this determination.

**The Counsel will be expected to handle the following areas of responsibility**:

- Draft, review, negotiate and finalize legal agreements under the Counsel’s portfolio.
- Provide risk-based advice to clients on legal and policy issues in operations.
- Research and advise on matters of Brazilian law as they affect the Bank’s operations.
- Facilitate dialogue with Brazilian authorities working on legal aspects as well as other relevant lawyers in Brazil on legal matters that affect Bank operations and suggest and implement ways to improve processes and interactions on legal aspects.
- Analyze new laws and court rulings in Brazil and summarize key aspects for the Country Management Unit.
- Identify, assess, and provide advice to management and staff under the Bank’s legal risk management framework, including rating and reporting of legal risks.
- Participate in or lead on initiatives or teams, through coordination of portfolios or programs, management of client relationships, participating in dialogue on corporate priorities and other areas relevant to the assigned functional scope.
- Provide legal advice to ongoing projects and programs, including reviewing project and program documents, for adherence to World Bank Group 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 LEG VPU’s knowledge management agenda and use of technology; and
- Perform ad hoc assignments as requested by the Chief Counsel or designated Lead Counsel.

**Selection Criteria**
- An LLM degree, J.D. or equivalent, with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience, and admission to the Bar (or equivalent) in at least one jurisdiction is required.

**Competencies**:
**General Competencies Required**:

- Excellent legal research, writing, drafting, analytical and communications skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Experience in international, commercial or contract law, in transactional legal work and the preparation and negotiation of legal agreements.
- Excellent legal drafting skills, including preparation of agreements and legal memos.
- Familiarity in the use of varied legal research sources (including electronic sources on the internet) and other databases.
- Experience working in the Brazilian legal system.
- Proven ability to operate effectively as a member of one or more teams; must be a self-starter and collaborate well with others; ability to exercise sound judgment in recognizing what