2020 Lawyer-Linguists Competition Released

The European Court of Justice, with the support of the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has just released an Official Notice of Competition calling forward applications for Lawyer-Linguist roles, who are fluent in the following languages:

Danish-language (DA) Lawyer-Linguists
Greek-language (EL) Lawyer-Linguists
French-language (FR) Lawyer-Linguists
Croatian-language (HR) Lawyer-Linguists
Polish-language (PL) Lawyer-Linguists

Below we explore the specifics of this competition and the selection process that you will need to undertake.

Want to join the conversation and talk to other candidates about this competition?
Get helpful hints and advice from other candidates via the EPSO Lawyer-Linguists Facebook group.

Getting ready for the EPSO Lawyer-Linguists competition?
Access practice packages here, and view methodology webinars here - some are even FREE!

Competition Snapshot I Eligibility Criteria I Selection Process I How Can You Apply?

Competition Snapshot

Open for Applications: 5 March, 2020
Application Deadline: 7 April, 2020 (12-noon Brussels Time) - APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TILL 5 MAY 2020!
Reference Numbers: EPSO/AD/375/20 - DA, EPSO/AD/376/20 - EL, EPSO/AD/377/20 - FR, EPSO/AD/378/20 - HR, EPSO/AD/379/20 - PL
Grade: AD7
This notice covers FIVE competitions - you may only apply to one.
This competition includes a Talent Screener
Posts will be based in Luxembourg

Under this competition, the following reserve lists have been advertised, from which the European Court of Justice may recruit new temporary members:

Competition & Grade	Candidates Sought
Danish-language (DA) Lawyer-Linguists - AD7	9
Greek-language (EL) Lawyer-Linguists - AD7	15
French-language (FR) Lawyer-Linguists - AD7	20
Croatian-language (HR) Lawyer-Linguists - AD7	15
Polish-language (PL) Lawyer-Linguists - AD7	10

The Court of Justice is looking for highly qualified lawyers, who are able to translate complex legal/legislative texts into the language of the competition from at least two other languages.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates will need to satisfy the following:

Have EU citizenship
Fulfilled any military service requirements
Meet the character requirements for the duties concerned
Have knowledge of at least THREE official EU languages:
- Language 1: Have a perfect knowledge (C2 level - mother tongue or equivalent) of the language of the competition (Danish, Greek, French, Croatian OR Polish) - will be defined as your Language 1.
- Language 2: Have a thorough knowledge (minimum C1 level) of French for most of the competitions / Dutch, German, Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish or Swedish for the French language Lawyer-Linguists - will be defined as your Language 2.
- Language 3: Have a thorough knowledge (minimum C1 level) of one of the 24 official EU languages and MUST BE different to your Language 1 & 2 choices - will be defined as your Language 3.

Please consult ANNEX I of the Notice of Competition, which outlines the language combinations being sought in greater detail.

Qualifications & Work Experience

Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies, attested by qualifications required for the specific competition you are applying for. Please consult ANNEX I of the Notice of Competition for the specific qualifications sought for each competition listed in this notice.
No professional experience is required.

Selection Process

Please note: You must fill in your application form solely in the language you have chosen as your Language 1 - Danish, Greek, French, Croatian OR Polish.

1. ELIGIBILITY CHECK

EPSO will check the data provided by each candidate via their online application against the eligibility requirements of this competition. Remember, you must fill in your application form solely in the language you have chosen as your Language 1 - Danish, Greek, French, Croatian OR Polish.

2. TALENT SCREENER

The selection board assigns a weighting to each selection criterion and based on the information provided in the Talent Screener each candidate will receive a score. Only those candidates with the highest overall marks will go through to the next stage. Therefore, you should include all relevant information in your Talent Screener answers, even if you have already mentioned it in other sections of your application form. The questions are based on the selection criteria included in this notice - see ANNEX II for the list of criteria.

Getting this part wrong can easily jeopardise your chances of moving through to the next stage of the selection process - which you don't want to risk. To better understand how the EPSO Talent Screener works it is advised that you view this webinar recording - Everything You Need To Know About EPSO's Talent Screener.

Need help with your EPSO application or Talent Screener?
Take a look at our Application Assistance service

3. PRELIMINARY TESTS: TRANSLATIONS

Those who scored the highest marks in the Talent Screener will be invited to take part in the Translation Tests.

A maximum of 20 times the number of successful candidates sought per competition will be invited to this phase.

Candidates will need to complete TWO computer-based translation tests without the help of a dictionary:

Test(a) - translation into the competition language (Language 1) of a legal text drafted in your Language 2.
Test (b) - translation into the competition language (Language 1) of a legal text drafted in your Language 3.

Each Translation Test lasts 110 minutes and each will be marked out of 60, with a pass mark required of 30/60. If you fail test (a), your test (b) will not be marked.

The marks obtained in these Translation Tests, together with the marks obtained during the Assessment Centre phase, will count towards your final overall mark.

4. ASSESSMENT CENTRE

Those who scored the highest marks in the Translation Tests will be invited to the Assessment Centre.

A maximum of 4.5 times the number of successful candidates sought via each competition will be invited to this phase.

You will be invited to sit a series of tests in the language of the competition (Language 1) - Danish, Greek, French, Croatian OR Polish.

The Assessment Centre phase will comprise of TWO days of testing:

DAY 1: will take place at an EPSO accredited test centre.

This day will comprise of a series of computer-based multiple-choice reasoning tests, as well as, a Translation Review test without the help of a dictionary.

Tests	Language	Question / Duration	Pass mark
Verbal Reasoning	Language 1	20 questions 30 min	No minimum pass mark required. One point is available per question and the overall score will be out of 40. The marks obtained in these tests will count towards your final overall mark.
Numerical Reasoning	Language 1	10 questions 20 min
Abstract Reasoning	Language 1	10 questions 10 min
Translation Review	Review of a legal text in the competition language (Language 1) which is the product of a machine translation from your Language 2. 90 min		20/40

To get up to speed with these tests view our FREE - Beginner’s Guide webinars:

For further insights consult these additional resources as well:

DAY 2: will take place most likely in Luxembourg.

8 general competencies, as well as field-related competencies required for this role, will be tested through 3 tests:

Each competency will be awarded a mark out of 10, with a total pass mark required of 40/80.

The marks scored in the Translation Tests will be added to the Assessment Centre score to give a candidate their final overall competition score.

5. RESERVE LIST

After checking candidates’ supporting documents, the selection board will draw up a Reserve List for each competition, of eligible candidates who obtained the highest overall score, until the number of successful candidates sought is reached.

How Can You Apply?

Make sure to ALWAYS check the official Notice of Competition and understand the rules relating to the exams. For full details on this selection procedure read the official Notice of Competition and the General Rules Governing Open Competitions to ensure you have the required qualifications and satisfy the eligibility criteria before applying.

To start the application process, click below for the different competitions: