8/31/2026
The UN Legal Counsel is the United Nations' senior legal adviser and heads the Office of the Legal Counsel within the UN Office of Legal Affairs. According to the current official United Nations listing, Stephen Mathias serves as the Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel.
The position is important because the United Nations operates under international law, the UN Charter, treaties, resolutions and a complex system of rules governing its activities.
The Legal Counsel provides legal advice to the United Nations as an organization. The Office of the Legal Counsel assists with questions involving the interpretation of the UN Charter, international public law, UN resolutions and regulations, international humanitarian law and other legal instruments.
The Legal Counsel's responsibilities are therefore much broader than simply representing the UN in court.
The office can provide legal advice on:
Stephen Mathias is an American international lawyer and United Nations official who serves as Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel of the United Nations according to the current Office of Legal Affairs listing.
His office operates within the UN Office of Legal Affairs, which provides legal services across the organization.
The Office of the Legal Counsel is part of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. The office is headquartered at UN Headquarters in New York.
The Legal Counsel works with UN departments, organs, programmes and senior officials on legal questions arising from the organization's activities.
Not exactly. The UN Legal Counsel is an international organization’s senior legal adviser rather than a national attorney general.
The legal structure is different because the United Nations is an international organization created by an international treaty—the UN Charter.
The Legal Counsel therefore deals extensively with international law and the internal legal framework of the organization.
The Office of Legal Affairs provides centralized legal services to the United Nations. Its work includes legal advice, treaty-related activities, codification of international law and assistance relating to international judicial institutions.
The Office of the Legal Counsel is one important part of this structure. Its responsibilities include maintaining liaison with the International Court of Justice and handling legal responsibilities assigned to the Secretary-General under the Court's Statute.
The United Nations carries out peacekeeping operations, negotiates agreements, manages international programmes, interacts with governments and operates under numerous legal obligations. Legal advice is therefore essential to ensure that its actions are consistent with the UN Charter and applicable international law.
For people interested in UN legal jobs, international law, human rights law or careers at the UN Office of Legal Affairs, the Legal Counsel's office is particularly relevant.
Unchannel - 8/31/2026