Counsel (Inventory / LP-02)

Important messages

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.

Assessments are taking place on an ongoing basis. Apply now!

The inventory will be updated every 90 days. You will receive a notice in your applicant account 14 days before the end of your active period to determine whether or not you wish to keep being considered for an additional 90 days.

Persons with a disability preventing them from applying on-line should contact 1-800-645-5605.

Work environment

Would you like to join Canada’s largest and most exciting legal team? Working at the Department of Justice, you can be a leader in your community and the guardian of Canada’s justice system. Your legal team will exude integrity, fairness and professionalism.

You can make your mark as Counsel in the British Columbia Regional Office working and collaborating with experienced lawyers on groundbreaking, important and interesting cases.

Apply your experience and legal knowledge in these key areas of practice:

Aboriginal Law Services;
Business & Regulatory Law;
Criminal Law and International Assistance;
Public Safety, Defense & Immigration; and
Tax Law Services

Your professionalism and drive to succeed will be rewarded with challenging opportunities in a team-oriented workplace. Training opportunities and a National Mentoring Program will help you further develop personal and technical skills and excellence in legal knowledge.

Experience a healthy work-life balance! We support and encourage the wellness and mental health of our employees. We are committed to workplace policies such as employment equity, flexible work hours, job sharing and teleworking. At the Department of Justice, we also offer a supportive work environment, competitive compensation, a pension and full range of benefits.

Intent of the process

Depending on the needs of the organization, candidates will be selected from the inventory for assessment purposes. A pool of qualified candidates will be established and may be used to staff similar, term and/or indeterminate positions, acting, or assignments/secondments situations with various tenures, and security levels at the Department of Justice.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter in 2,000 words (maximum) "Please detail in your resume and cover letter how you meet each of the screening criteria (i.e. Education, Occupational Certification, and Experience Qualifications) using concrete examples, and indicate time lines of when experience was gained (please indicate the month and year). Do not provide a list of current responsibilities."

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)

Law degree from a recognized university.

Degree equivalency

Membership in good standing in a Law Society of one of the provinces or territories of Canada; and eligibility for membership in the Law Society of British Columbia within a specified period of time.

*Recent and significant experience in litigation.

*Recent and significant experience in litigation means the candidate has spent approximately five of the past seven years working as counsel primarily on files involving the litigation of disputes before courts. This experience must include having sole conduct or conduct of discrete issues within litigation files, making strategic decisions on such files and communicating those decisions to clients or colleagues.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of recent and significant case law.

Oral Communication
Written Communication
Strategic Thinking
Interpersonal Relations
Dependability
Initiative
Values and Ethics

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

Other Qualifications:
Experience conducting trials in British Columbia Supreme Court.

Experience conducting trials in the Tax Court of Canada.

Experience conducting trials in Federal Court.

Experience in personal injury litigation.

Experience in Indigenous litigation.

Organizational Needs:
The Department of Justice is committed to maintaining a representative workforce reflective of Canadian society. In support of achieving a diversified workforce and our employment equity goals, qualified candidates who self-declare in a staffing process as members of Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, visible minorities and/or women may be selected for appointment to fulfill organizational needs.

Conditions of employment

Reliability or Secret security clearance (depending on position or as required).

Willingness and ability to work overtime when required.

Willingness and ability to travel when required.

Membership in good standing with the Law Society of British Columbia.

Other information

Reference checks may be sought.

An interview may be administered.

A written examination may be administered.

Successful candidate(s) must meet and maintain the Conditions of Employment throughout their employment.

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.

Selection decision may be based on the level, breadth or degree of qualifications.

In order to manage the number of applications in the selection process, management may use top-down consideration of scores at various steps in the process, to determine the number of candidates who will be further considered in the process.

Candidates from outside the federal public service may be required to pay for their own travel and relocation expenses.

All applications must be submitted online.

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.