Please be advised that, pursuant to General Assembly resolution A/63/253 of 24 December 2008 (English) (French), a new system of administration of justice is operational as of 1 July 2009. As of that date, a new Office of Staff Legal Assistance (OSLA) replaces the Panel of Counsel, which ceases to exist after 30 June 2009.
Please be assured that if you have an active case with the Panel of Counsel, the new OSLA Office has your file and the Legal Officers of that office will continue to assist you. Once it is fully staffed OSLA will have full-time Legal Officers at Headquarters, as well as in Geneva, Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Beirut. However, during this time of transition for the Office, there is limited staffing which may result in delays in answering your queries. Please contact the OSLA New York Office via email: osla@un.org. In case of emergencies please call +1(212) 963 3957. The new Office will endeavour to keep staff informed of further developments via the web and information circulars. Your understanding and patience is appreciated.
For further information on the new system of UN administration of justice, please see A guide to resolving disputes - Administration of Justice at the United Nations, ST/SGB/2009/11 on Transitional measures related to the introduction of the new system of administration of justice and a United Nations intranet (iseek) article dated 1 July 2009, After 60 years, a new page in UN internal justice.