Nancy Paterson ’83
Currently:
Counsel to the Special Investigations Unit of the Federal
Reserve Board
Washington, DC

Formerly:
Team Legal Advisor
Office of the Prosecutor, International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
The Hague, Netherlands

The Purpose of the ICTY
"Our mandate is to prosecute serious violations of international humanitarian law committed during the war in the former Yugoslavia. According to our statute we can prosecute four basic violations of international humanitarian law: genocide, crimes against humanity, violations of the Geneva Conventions, and violations of the laws and customs of war." 

Former Positions
From 1994 to 2001 Nancy was a Trial Attorney for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). In 1999 she co-supervised the investigation and co-wrote the indictment of Slobodan Milosevic and others. Nancy also worked for eleven years as an Assistant District Attorney in the NY County (Manhattan) District Attorney's Office and worked as a fraud and corruption investigator for The World Bank.

"As a ’Team Legal Advisor’ at the ICTY my job was to supervise the investigations being undertaken by one of ten investigative teams within the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP). I worked closely with the investigators and helped guide the direction of the investigations. I made the decision when I thought we have enough evidence to issue an indictment and then did the actual drafting of the indictment and any other relevant documents. If an arrest was made I then became a co-counsel for the trial case, assisting a Senior Trial Attorney who was the lead prosecutor. Several of the cases assigned to my team involved allegations of large-scale sexual assaults against female and male victims.

"I took an active role in the investigations and often went to Bosnia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia as well as several European countries. In addition to talking to witnesses and various officials, I went to several crime scenes and supervised the forensic investigations, participated in different aspects of three mass grave exhumations, coordinated victim/witness issues with NGO’s, and have closely with IFOR and SFOR personnel who provided security for our investigations."

Career Path
"Although I had no prior international law experience, before coming to the ICTY I spent eleven years as a prosecutor with the New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney’s Office. During that time I did a number of trials and some appellate work and specialized in sex crimes and child abuse prosecutions. In the spring of 1994 I volunteered to take part in an investigation for the United Nations "Commission of Experts" into allegations of sexual abuse in the war in the former Yugoslavia. In that capacity I spent a month in Zagreb, Croatia supervising ten other female lawyers who interviewed over 200 witnesses. About the time the Commission of Experts was finishing its work, the ICTY was just getting started and I was encouraged to apply for a position. I did so and came to the ICTY as one of the original twenty staff members of the OTP in July, 1994."

Useful SUCOL experiences
"My courses at Syracuse in evidence, criminal law, criminal procedure and trial practice all helped prepare me for this career. In particular my participation in Professor Lewin’s trial practice and advanced trial practice helped prepare me quite well for a career as a trial lawyer and prosecutor. In addition, I took part in all the moot court programs offered at SU and that, too, proved very valuable in preparing me for the work I am doing now. While many of my colleagues from other countries are excellent lawyers with impressive experience, few foreign countries have the kind of trial practice training that we have in the US and my foreign colleagues have eagerly signed up for some advocacy programs that have recently been offered to them."

Advice for Students
"I would encourage students to take full advantage of all the opportunities presented in law school, both academically and through extra-curricular activities such as moot court. You will never get a second chance for such experiences. In addition, I would encourage students to take the time to build a strong foundation of experience, but then don’t be afraid to look into some "non-traditional" career opportunities. If job opportunities are not available, consider volunteering your time to gain experience and start to network in the field you are interested in. Language training is a must if you want a serious international career and you must be well versed in different legal systems and practices. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to take a chance on a unique opportunity -- those opportunities don’t present themselves often, but if you are willing to ’go for it’ the decision can literally change your life."