General Counsel

Intent of the process

Initially, there is one indeterminate position to be staffed with the National Litigation Sector - Northern Region. A pool may be established to staff similar positions with various tenures at Justice Canada.

Positions to be filled: 1

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)

The candidates MUST answer the screening questions and must provide concrete and detailed examples to clearly demonstrate how they meet the education and experience requirements listed in the essential and asset qualifications sections. Include one or two paragraphs on each screening criteria. It is not sufficient to say that you have the required qualifications or to list your current duties. The résumé will be used as a secondary source to confirm the experience described in the screening questions. APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THAT THE CANDIDATE MEETS THE SCREENING CRITERIA WILL NOT BE GIVEN FURTHER CONSIDERATION.

EDUCATION:

- Law degree from a recognized university.

Degree equivalency

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION:

- Member in good standing of the Bar of one of the provinces or territories of Canada and eligibility for membership in the Law Society of Yukon within a specified period of time.

EXPERIENCE:

- Significant* experience in providing strategic and expert legal advice to senior management;

- Significant* experience in providing functional guidance to other lawyers and in actively participating in knowledge sharing;

- Significant* experience having primary responsibility for the conduct of highly complex** civil litigation (including approximately 2 years of recent experience in Aboriginal litigation) and having primary responsibility for the strategic direction of the litigation, advocating orally and in writing before trial and appellate level courts and tribunals.

*Significant is defined as the depth and breadth of experience normally acquired within a period of at least 8 years.
**Highly complex refers to matters of considerable scope, risk and impact, dealing with multiple interconnected legal and factual issues often involving questions of law that are new or emerging.

If you possess any of the following, your application must also clearly explain how you meet it (other qualifications)

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS:

- Experience advising on police services issues.

- Experience working in a Northern and cross-cultural environment.

- Experience briefing senior government officials on complex and high risk legal files.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE:

- In depth knowledge of the legislation and case law relating to aboriginal law, administrative law or public law.

COMPETENCIES:

- Demonstrating integrity and respect;
- Strategic thinking.

ABILITIES:

- Ability to communicate effectively;
- Ability to manage legal risks.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY:

- Effective Interpersonal Relationships
- Dependability
- Initiative
- Client Oriented Service
- Leadership

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

ASSET QUALIFICATION:

- Knowledge of the legal issues arising in the context of comprehensive land claims and self-government agreements.

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

Secret security clearance

OTHER CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

- Willingness and ability to work overtime when required.
- Willingness and ability to travel when required.
- Remain a member in good standing with the Law Society of Yukon.
- Medical clearance.

Other information

- Reference checks may be sought.

- An interview may be administered.

- A written examination may be administered.

- Candidates must meet the essential qualifications to be appointed to a position.

- Candidates may be required to meet the asset qualifications or the organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed.

- Performance agreements and talent management results may be used in the process.

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

- Please identify clearly your substantive group and level and your employment status on your resume and/or application form.

- Please ensure that your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) is included in your application.

- You must provide proof of your education credentials.

- 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.

- The term "degree" refers to a baccalaureate as established by educational authorities.

- A "recognized" university is a Canadian university that has provincial or territorial degree-granting status, or a university outside Canada, the programs/degrees of which are accepted by a recognized Canadian university. In the latter, please indicate if the programs/degrees you hold have been accepted by a recognized Canadian university or if you have received an equivalency established by educational authorities. It is the candidate's responsibility to demonstrate that the degree/program held has been approved by a "recognized" Canadian university.
Note: Candidates will need to provide proof of their education credentials at a later time in the process. Candidates with foreign credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at http://www.cicic.ca/indexe.stm.

-The Department of Justice encourages persons with priority entitlements to self-refer to our selection processes in circumstances where they believe that they meet the essential qualifications of the advertised position.

- Candidates who apply on this selection process must include in their application a valid email address and to make sure that this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

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.