Paralegal

Important messages

Please note that this job opportunity is being advertised internally and externally simultaneously. If you are a person employed in the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, please apply on the internal process (2017-PPD-IA-AB-109154) as internal candidates may be considered first.

Duties

As a Paralegal at the PPSC, you will conduct legal research on a variety of cases. You will determine disclosure requirements, develop arguments, and review settlements negotiated between investigative agencies and counsel. You will also assists counsel with all aspects in advance of, and during proceedings before courts and tribunals. Paralegals may be required to accompany and assist lawyers in court.

This is an excellent opportunity to get hands-on experience working with evidence, investigators and prosecutors within the overall context of large, complex criminal prosecutions.

Work environment

The Alberta Regional Office serves the province of Alberta, with offices in Edmonton and Calgary. The region’s work is primarily focused on drug and organized crime prosecutions, which often present complex Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms issues. There is also a notable volume of economic crime and regulatory prosecutions. National security work has become a priority in recent years.

Intent of the process

Internal candidates may be considered first.

The intent of the process is to staff (1) indeterminate position in Edmonton, Alberta and one (1) indeterminate position in Calgary, Alberta.

A pool of qualified candidates may be established from this process and may be used to staff similar positions at Public Prosecution Service of Canada in the Alberta Regional Office, with various tenures (such as indeterminate, specified period, acting, assignment/secondment) and various security requirements (Reliability, Secret, Top Secret), according to the position to be staffed.

Positions to be filled: 2

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. Some essential and other qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Education:
Successful completion of two years of a post-secondary program with acceptable specialization in paralegal studies or a law related field OR an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Degree equivalency

Experience:
- Experience in maintaining and updating a legal information management system (such as iCase, Ringtail, PRISM, JUSTIN).
- Experience using Microsoft office Suite.

EC-02 only:
- Experience providing legal support services.
- Experience in conducting legal research.

EC-03 only:
- Significant* experience in conducting legal research on medium complexity cases, files or projects.
- Experience in preparing, reviewing, and managing a wide variety of legal documents.

* Significant refers to the depth and breadth of experience normally associated with full-time performance of the duties for a period of one (1) year.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge:
- Knowledge of the Canadian legal system.

EC-02 Only:
- Knowledge of legal research methods and resources.
- Knowledge of basic criminal law concepts, rules and procedures.

EC-03 Only:
-Knowledge of methods and techniques for legal research.
-Knowledge of criminal law concepts, rules and procedures.

Abilities:
- Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
- Ability to communicate effectively orally.
- Ability to plan, organize and prioritize while working under pressure.

EC-02 only:
- Ability to conduct legal research and analysis.

EC-03 only:
- Ability to conduct legal research, conduct analysis, and provide recommendations.

Personal Suitabilities:
- Effective interpersonal relationships
- Judgement
- Attention to detail
- Reliability
- Initiative

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

Organizational Needs:
The organization is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. Qualified applicants who self-declare as members of a visible minority group, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and/or women may be selected for appointment to fulfill organizational needs.

Operational Requirements:
- Requirement to travel which may include assignments on short notice and for extended periods.
- Ability and willingness to work outside normal working hours which may include working evenings, nights and weekends based on operational needs.

Conditions of employment

- Various security clearances, depending on the position being staffed: Reliability, Secret, Top Secret.

Other information

A written examination may be administered.

An interview may be administered.

A simulation/situational exercise/role play may be used for assessment.

Reference checks may be sought.

Other sources of information (such as performance agreements, work samples, board member knowledge, etc.) may be used to assess the criteria identified on the Statement of Merit Criteria.

Selection board members may consider any information obtained throughout the selection process to assess the criteria identified on the Statement of Merit Criteria.

Acknowledgment of receipt of applications will not be sent; we will contact candidates when the screening process is completed.

Please ensure that your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) is included in your application if you have one.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application

Candidates MUST meet each ESSENTIAL qualification and conditions of employment to be appointed to a position.

Candidates MAY be required to meet any/all ASSET qualifications, operational requirements and/or organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed. Management may choose to apply one or more of these merit criteria at any stage of the process to determine the number of applicants who will advance to the following stage of the selection process.

Appointment decisions may be based on organizational needs. We therefore encourage candidates to self-declare their membership to any of the following employment equity groups: visible minority, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, or women, should the organizational need be invoked during the appointment process.

You will be required to provide proof of your education credentials and, if applicable, occupational certification, at the time of assessment. Foreign educational credentials must be assessed by a recognized credential assessment service (http://www.cicic.ca/415/credential-assessment-services.canada).

Candidates must include in their application a VALID E-MAIL ADDRESS, and are responsible that it is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users.

The screening questions may be used to assess your ability to communicate effectively in writing.

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.