Claudia Rinaldi

I am a criminal lawyer with 5 years’ experience in national and international Courts and organizations. In August 2022 I joined UNODA in New York in the field of Political Affairs. Immediately prior to joining ODA, I worked at the Court of Justice of the European Union providing legal assistance to the Spanish Advocate General and his cabinet. I passed the Bar Exam after completing my legal practice at both a law firm and a Court of first instance, assisting judges. From July 2019 to January 2021, I worked with the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) as Security Officer (in operational security) and assistant to the Regional Director of the Americas. I have a particular interest in the International criminal law and IHL, which was recently cultivated through my specialization in Transnational Crime and Justice and working experience at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as Visiting Professional at the Chambers of the Judiciary (Pre-Trial Division). I am currently working with the UNHCR.

January 2023 /Present – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – Budapest, Hungary Role: UNV Translator
Main activities:
 Assisting in the project which aims to translate the updated English module of the Protection Fundamentals course (a mandatory e-learning course for staff working in protection) into Spanish;
 Conducting research of legal instruments, concepts and terminology, human rights law, protection agreements.

August 2022 / December 2022 – United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) – New York, USA
Role: Political Affairs Intern at the Conventional Arms Branch (CAB)
Main activities:
 Participating in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects activities, drafts and reviews relevant documents and reports, liaises with relevant parties, identifies and tracks follow-up actions;
 Supporting the collection and analysis of information contained in communications and publications received from various sources;
 Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of trends, latest developments in area of disarmament and monitors policy developments at national, regional and global levels.

March 2022 / July 2022 – Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) – Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Role: Legal Consultant in the Cabinet of the Advocate General M. Campos Sánchez-Bordona
Main activities:
 Supporting the AG and the référendaires in the preparation of final motions and tasks related to the cases assigned;
 Drafting legal opinions and reports (mostly focused on asylum law and international protection; fight against illegal migration and European arrest warrant);
 Taking part in the oral hearings and supporting the team in other research related to a wide variety of areas of European Union.

November 2021 / March 2022 – International Criminal Court (ICC) – The Hague, Netherlands
Role: Visiting Professional – Chambers of the Judiciary (Pre-Trial Division)
Main activities:
 Assisting the PTC’s functions in granting/deny the OTP leave to initiate an investigation and reviewing decisions of the Prosecutor not to initiate an investigation and to prosecute;
 Supporting in issuing arrest warrants before the Court and ensuring the rights of all persons during the investigation phase, issuing orders to protect the rights of participants in the proceedings and in providing for the protection and privacy of victims and witnesses;
 Assisting in preservation of evidence and safeguarding information affecting national security;
 Conducting legal research on international criminal law, IHL and related fields; Drafting decisions and preparing summaries of submissions.

July 2019 / January 2021 – International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) – Panama City, Panama
Role: Security and Civil-Military Relations (CMR) Officer / Assistant in the Office of the Regional Director
Main activities:
 Development and supervision of projects and strategies related to operational security, including preparation of drafts, reports, briefings and presentations, and review of relevant documents;
 Implementation and updates of IFRC Minimum Security Requirements (MSR) and Security Rules;
 Maintaining working relationship with the staff of IFRC, PNS’s, the ICRC and with civil-military actors;
 Participation in missions, conducting field security assessments, organizing operational security training, providing detailed assessment reports, providing employed staff with up-to-date security briefing and ensuring all field movement are monitored;
 Processing documentation for any security related incidents, monitoring the security and threat environment and carrying out security analysis in relation to each country context, investigating violent crimes and drafting final reports;
 Substantial support to conferences and management meetings, to include briefing notes, proposal of agenda items, preparation of papers and presentations;
 General legal assistance by drafting agreements, including Status Agreements at regional level and memoranda of understanding.

May 2017 / April 2019 – Law Court / Law Firm – Latina, Italy
Role: Trainee Judge (Ex art. 73 D.L. 69/2013) – Trainee Lawyer
Focus areas: Civil Law, Criminal Law and National Criminal Justice; Paralegal and legal adviser.

November 2020 / June 2021 – Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Transnational Crime and Justice – UNICRI, UPEACE Main courses: International Criminal Law, IHL, International Human Rights Law, International Law Dimensions of Peace and Conflict, International Criminal Justice and Law enforcement, Transitional Justice, Refugee Law.

November 2019 – Fully qualified lawyer admitted to the Bar – Ministry of Justice (Italy)

January / June 2018 – Sapienza Università di Roma – Rome, Italy
Postgraduate course: Training Course on Refugees and Migrants

January 2011 / May 2017 – Master’s degree in Law (LMG/01) – Sapienza Università di Roma – Rome, Italy
Thesis: “Le riforme del diritto di famiglia spagnolo: profili di diritto comparato”
Final mark: 108/110

September 2013 / July 2014 – Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) – Erasmus programme
Main courses: Labour Law, Roman Law, Civil Law, Private International Law, Tax Law, Canon Law, Spanish.