Legal Counsel / Stream 1: Legislative Drafting // Stream 2: Advisory Services

Important messages

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please use the Contact information below to request special accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Information on accommodation for persons with disabilities

*** INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW ***

You must submit a complete application, consisting of screening questions which clearly demonstrate how you meet the screening criteria (education and experiences) and a résumé. The screening questions will be used as the primary tool in the screening process and the résumé will only be used to substantiate the information provided.

In your response to the screening questions, please provide concrete examples and the following MANDATORY information:

1. Name of the department or organization where the experience was acquired;
2. Title of the position occupied and duration for which you exercised the functions;
3. Specific details of tasks, projects, or accomplishments demonstrating how the experience was acquired.

Please note that point form, “copy and paste" from your resume and comments such “refer to my attached resume” will NOT be accepted. Failure to provide this information in the requested format WILL result in your application being rejected.

Intent of the process

A pool of partially or fully qualified candidates will be established from this process which may be used to staff similar positions within the Department of Justice with various tenures, linguistic profiles (bilingual imperative only), operational requirements and/or condition of employments, which may vary according to the position to be staffed.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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

EDUCATION

• ED1 - A bachelor of law degree.

OCCUPATIONAL CERTIFICATION

• OC1 - Eligibility for membership in the Bar of one of the provinces or territories of Canada or in the Chambre des notaires du Québec.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

• EX1 - Recent* experience in the provision of legal advice.
• EX2 - Recent* experience in legal research.

Definition:
*Recent experience is defined as experience acquired in the last five (5) years of work.

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

STREAM 2 - ADVISORY

EDUCATION

• ED1 - Training in both Quebec civil law and Canadian common law (Bachelor's degree or license in civil law from a recognized Canadian university and bachelor's degree or license in common law from a recognized Canadian university; or Bachelor's degree or license in civil law or common law from a recognized Canadian university, completed by graduate studies (masters or others) in the other Canadian legal system; or Bachelor's degree or license in civil law or common law from a recognized Canadian university completed by having the right to practice in a province or territory of the other legal tradition).

• ED2 - Graduate studies in law.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

• AEX1 - Experience in the provision of legal services to other departments and/or agencies.
• AEX2 - Experience in legislative or regulatory projects.

STREAM 1 - LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING

• AEX3 - Experience in legislative drafting.

STREAM 2 - ADVISORY

• AEX4 - Experience in the development of legislative policy or public policy.
• AEX5 - Experience in legal project management.
• AEX6 - Experience in Quebec civil law or in Canadian common law, especially in private law matters.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• OR1 - Willingness and ability to work in drafting rooms and to occasionally attend meetings with clients at their offices in the National Capital Region.
• OR2 - Willingness and ability to work occasionally after-hours and weekends.
• OR3 - Willingness and ability to do rotations in the different groups and sections of the Legislative Services Branch.

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

Bilingual - Imperative
• Stream 1: Legislative Drafting - Bilingual imperative CBC/PPC and Bilingual imperative PPC/ CBC *
• Stream 2: Advisory Services - Bilingual imperative CCC/CCC

* Note: The Legislative Drafting positions require technical or specialized langue skills (Code P – reading and writing) in French or English, which may vary according to the position to be staffed.

Information on language requirements

Second Language Writing Skills Self-Assessment
In order to help you decide if you should apply to a bilingual position, an optional self-assessment of your writing skills in your second official language is available for you to take before completing your application.

For more information, please consult:
Unsupervised Internet Test of Second Language Writing Skills

KNOWLEDGE

• K1 - Knowledge of constitutional and administrative law.
• K2 - Knowledge of the Interpretation Act and of the rules of statutory interpretation.
• K3 - Knowledge of the Statutory Instruments Act.

ABILITIES

• A1 - Ability to draft federal legislative text (Act or regulations).
• A2 - Ability to write legal opinions.
• A3 - Ability to communicate effectively.
• A4 - Ability to work effectively under pressure and handle conflicting priorities and tight deadlines.

PERSONAL SUITABILITIES

• PS1 - Demonstrating integrity and respect.
• PS2 - Showing initiative and being action-oriented.
• PS3 - Working effectively with others.
• PS4 - Thinking things through.

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

ORGANISATIONAL 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

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT

• Willingness and ability to work in drafting rooms and to occasionally attend meetings with clients at their offices in the National Capital Region.
• Willingness and ability to work occasionally after-hours and weekends.
• Willingness and ability to do rotations in the different groups and sections of the Legislative Services Branch.

• At the time of the appointment, the candidate must be a member in good standing of the Bar of one of the provinces or territories of Canada or of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, and remain so throughout the duration of his or her employment at the Department of Justice of Canada.

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the targeted groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

• Top-down selection or any volume management mechanism may be used during any stage of the selection process. Please note that achieving a pass mark on any of the assessment used does not mean you will move forward in the selection process.
Management may decide to use a cut-off mark that is higher than the pass mark on any evaluation used throughout the process.

• 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.

• Other qualifications may be taken into consideration in the selection decision.

• 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 available).

• Please identify clearly for which position(s) you are submitting an application.

• You must provide proof of your education credentials, upon request.

• 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.

• For this selection process, our intention is to communicate with the candidates by email. Candidates who apply to this selection process must include in their application a valid email address and make sure that this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). We encourage candidates to provide a second e-mail address in their application.

• IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CANDIDATE TO ENSURE ACCURATE CONTACT INFORMATION IS PROVIDED AND UPDATED AS REQUIRED.

• Locations, dates and times for exams and/or interviews will be determined by the employer. Scheduling of alternative exam and interview dates will only be considered for religious reasons, death in the family, in cases of serious illness or for a reasonable reason approved by the selection committee. A doctor's certificate or other proof will be required.

• On-line applications are strongly encouraged in order to take advantage of the many benefits of using the electronic recruitment system. Some of the benefits for applicants are as follows:

- modify your application at any time BEFORE the closing date;
- when applicable, answer screening questions highlighting the expected qualifications to the hiring manager;
- verify the status of your application and notifications, at any time; and
- obtain information through electronic notification of your assessment details and results.

If you are unable to apply online or require accommodation for any reason, you must send an e-mail to the address listed below before the closing date.

• If you do not clearly demonstrate how you meet all screening criteria, your application will be rejected. Your application may also be rejected if it has incomplete information. We will not contact you to request information that is missing from your application.

• Absence to the evaluation

Failure to participate in any of the assesment without prior notification or without valid reason, will be considered as your withdrawal from the process. Only the following will be regarded as being valid reasons for absence:

- Medical reasons with doctor’s certificate;
- Death in the immediate family;
- Confirmation of pre-approved travel plans;
- Religious reasons;
- Participation in an assessment for another appointment process.

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.