Counsel

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 specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Assessment accommodation

HOW DO I APPLY?

We will be looking closely at your application, so please read all application instructions carefully.

In your online application, you will be asked a series of screening questions, which will allow us to assess your education/occupational certification and experience. In order for us to determine whether you have what we are looking for, it is very important that you provide detailed answers (with concrete examples) to each question.

NOTE: Your résumé is not required at this time, but may be requested at a later date to validate your experience.

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT AFTER I APPLY?

Here is a summary of what you can expect:

• Phase 1
The information you provide will be closely reviewed by our management team, with a focus on your education and experience. This will help us determine if you will be further assessed. Once we review the applications, if you have the qualifications required, we will contact you about proceeding to Phase 2.

• Phase 2
If you reach this phase, you will be invited to demonstrate your skills. We may use a variety of different tools to assess them, including interviews, written tests, or online evaluations. We will advise you and provide you with time to prepare. This is a really important step for you and for us, as it lets you demonstrate your talent and lets us ensure you will be successful in our organization. This phase will take longer than the other phases, but the end result will be worth the time investment.

• Phase 3
If you have been successful in demonstrating your skills, our management team will be excited to meet you, either in person or virtually, to validate and further understand what we have learned about you. We may also assess what other assets you can bring to our team and where you best fit in.

• Phase 4
You have met all our requirements, and an offer could be on the table. We will let you know where you stand and tell you when and if you can expect to be offered a position on our team.

Please note the following:
• All the information collected during the process, from the time you apply until the end of the process, may be used as part of your assessment.

Work environment

The Criminal Law Policy Section is the Department of Justice's centre of expertise for criminal law and criminal justice. Located at Justice Headquarters in the beautiful East Memorial Building and only steps away from the Supreme Court of Canada and the Parliament buildings, the Criminal Law Policy Section is a multi-disciplinary team of approximately 65 staff, including lawyers, policy analysts and other professionals. We provide:

• support to the Minister of Justice in the development of criminal law and criminal justice policy; and
• advice to the Government of Canada on criminal law and criminal law policy issues.

Intent of the process

A pool of partially or fully qualified candidates resulting from this process may be established and may be used to fill similar positions within the Department of Justice with various languages requirements (English essential, French essential, English or French essential, bilingual imperative of various levels), and security level(s), as well as tenures which may vary according to the position being staffed.

Positions to be filled: 6

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

OCCUPATIONAL CERTIFICATION:

Eligibility for membership in the Bar of one of the provinces or territories of Canada or in the Order of Notaries in the Province of Quebec.

EXPERIENCE:

EX1: Experience* in interpreting the Criminal Code and related statutes.
EX2: Experience* in the preparation of legal opinions or policy options.
EX3: Experience* in legal research and compiling and analysing information in relation to legal issues.

*Experience is defined as the depth and breadth of work experience that would normally be acquired over a period of approximately three (3) or more years.

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS - EXPERIENCE:

AEX1: Experience in the development of criminal law policy, advice, or legislation.
AEX2: Experience in consulting with other federal departments, levels of government or external stakeholders.
AEX3: Experience in litigation or support of litigation.
AEX4: Experience in international law or international policy development.
AEX5: Experience in preparing materials in support of cabinet or parliamentary processes.

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

Various language requirements
English essential, French essential, English or French essential, bilingual imperative of various levels

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 substantive and procedural aspects of the criminal law.
K2: Knowledge of the laws relevant to criminal law, and related policy and operational initiatives.
K3: Knowledge of the processes of policy development and the development of legislation at the federal level of government, including cabinet or parliamentary processes.

ABILITIY:

A1: Ability to formulate policy proposals and draft policy documents.
A2: Ability to carry out research on legal issues and to develop legal opinions.
A3: Ability to communicate orally.
A4: Ability to communicate in writing.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY:

PS1:Teamwork
PS2: Initiative
PS3: Reliability
PS4: Judgement

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS - ABILITY:

AA1: Ability to support the drafting of laws and regulations.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

OP1: Willing and available to travel on occasion.
OP2: Willing and able to work overtime and on weekends.

Conditions of employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

Various Security Requirements: Secret, Top Secret

Remain a member in good standing of the Bar of one of the provinces or territories of Canada or the Order of Notaries in the province of Québec.

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 designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

For job advertisements open to the public, we tend to receive a high volume of applications. For this reason, we will not be sending acknowledgment of receipt messages. We will communicate with you if you are chosen to move forward in the assessment process.

Communications related to this process will be sent to you via email. It is your responsibility as an applicant to provide us with a valid e-mail address, verify your junk mail folder (some email systems block our emails), and inform us of any change in your contact information. We encourage candidates to provide a secondary e-mail address in their application.

If you are already an employee of the Federal Public Service, please ensure that your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) is included in your application.

Throughout the assessment process, you are entitled to participate in the official language of your choice (English or French).

Please be prepared to provide us with proof of your education credentials/occupational certification upon request.

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

TOP DOWN SELECTION MAY BE USED IN THIS SELECTION PROCESS.
Please note that achieving a pass mark on any of the assessments 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 of the evaluations used throughout the selection process.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order, with the exception of a job located in Nunavut, where Nunavut Inuit will be appointed first.

Information on the preference to veterans

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