LP-01 – Legal Counsel / LP-02 – Legal Counsel Practitioner

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

*** INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW ***

You must submit a complete application, consisting of answers to screening questions which clearly demonstrate how you meet the screening criteria (education, occupational certification 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 résumé and comments such “refer to my attached résumé” will NOT be accepted. Failure to provide this information in the requested format WILL result in your application being rejected.

*NOTE: Please note your application and your answers to the screening questionnaire may be used to assess your ability to communicate effectively in writing.

Please note that if you have previously participated in selection process 16-IRB-EA-01-921155 (Legal Counsel (LP-01) and Legal Counsel Practitioner (LP-02)) with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, your results may be applied to this current process. This will be confirmed during the assessment stage of the selection process.

However, if you would like to be re-evaluated for this new selection process, you will have to indicate on your application that you would like to be reassessed.

Only on-line applications will be accepted in order to take advantage of the many benefits of using the electronic recruitment system. Some of the benefits for applicants include that you can:
- modify your application/résumé at any time BEFORE the closing date,
- complete screening questions which will highlight your qualifications to the hiring manager, and
- verify the status of your application and notification(s), at any time

Persons who are unable to apply on-line should contact the person identified at the end of this poster prior to the closing date.

Duties

Provides legal advice and legal support on matters of law, procedures, legislation and relevant precedents for Refugee Appeal Division and Immigration Appeal Division appeals, Immigration Division and Refugee Protection Division matters and advises Board members on their written reasons for decisions.

Work environment

The IRB is Canada's largest Federal independent administrative tribunal, comprised of four divisions: the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD), the Immigration Division (ID) and the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD). The IRB is responsible for making well-reasoned decisions on immigration and refugee matters, efficiently, fairly and in accordance with the law. Amongst its responsibilities, the IRB decides who qualifies for refugee protection among the thousands of claimants who come to Canada annually.

The role of IRB Legal Services is that of in-house counsel to the IRB. Our mandate is to provide timely and high quality legal services to contribute to the fulfilment of the IRB's mandate, in an environment that promotes personal and professional growth. Legal Services provides a full range of legal and policy advice on immigration, refugee and corporate law matters to the IRB Chairperson, senior management, decision makers and staff. In carrying out its responsibilities, Legal Services incorporates the principles of legal risk management.

Intent of the process

The intent of this process is to create a pool of fully qualified candidates for anticipatory staffing of Legal Counsel (LP-01) and Legal Counsel Practitioner (LP-02) positions in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary with various linguistic requirements, various conditions of employment, various operational requirements, various organizational needs and/or various tenures (acting, assignment, deployment, indeterminate, secondment, specified period) within the IRB.

Those who are at the same group and level may be considered first for a deployment.

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:

A degree in law (Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor) from a recognized university

Degree equivalency

OCCUPATIONAL CERTIFICATION

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

EXPERIENCE (LP-01: LEGAL COUNSEL):

*Recent experience formulating advice on legal issues.
OR
*Recent experience as a decision-maker in an administrative tribunal or court of law.
OR
*Recent experience presenting cases before an administrative tribunal or court of law.

Notes:
*Recent experience will be assessed by the **depth and breadth of experience which would normally be attained within the period of the last two (2) years.
**Depth and breadth is defined as experience normally associated with having performed a broad range of various and complex activities.

EXPERIENCE (LP-02: LEGAL COUNSEL PRACTITIONER):

*Extensive experience formulating advice on complex legal issues
OR
*Extensive experience as a decision-maker in an administrative tribunal or court of law
OR
*Extensive experience presenting cases before an administrative tribunal or court of law

Notes:
*Extensive experience will be assessed by the **depth and breadth of experience which would normally be attained over the course of a period of approximately three (3) years or more.
**Depth and breadth is defined as experience normally associated with having performed a broad range of various and complex activities.

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience related to Federal Court, judicial review or appellate litigation

Experience advising on or applying administrative, immigration or refugee law

Experience in the practice of law pertaining to the Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Experience in the practice of law pertaining to the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Experience in the practice of law pertaining to the Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Experience in the practice of law pertaining to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Experience providing training

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

Various language requirements
English Essential: Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver
Bilingual Imperative CCC/CCC : Montreal

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE:

Knowledge of the role and mandate of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Knowledge of legal and policy instruments related to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Knowledge of administrative law, procedural fairness and standards of judicial review

ABILITIES:

Ability to analyze, evaluate and interpret legal issues

Ability to communicate effectively orally

Ability to communicate effectively in writing

PERSONAL SUITABILITIES:

Effective interpersonal skills

Judgment

Initiative

Reliability

Adaptability to change and effective stress management

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

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS

The IRB would like its workforce to be reflective of the population it serves. As a result, preference may be given to candidates who are members of one or more of the Employment Equity groups (Aboriginal persons, members of visible minorities, women, and persons with disabilities), and have voluntarily completed the self-declaration form on their application. Therefore, we encourage candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a member of one of these groups.

Placement of IRB employees affected by Workforce Adjustment (WFA):

In order to ensure placement of IRB employees affected by Workforce Adjustment (WFA), we are asking all affected employees who are interested in this position to apply. Since a pool of qualified candidates will be established from this process, we will proceed with the assessment of all candidates. However, should affected employees qualify; they will be appointed prior to other qualified candidates.

It is important to note that if an employee is no longer affected by WFA at the time of appointment, he/she cannot be appointed ahead of other affected qualified candidates.

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance

Willingness and ability to travel across Canada

Willingness and ability to work overtime

The successful candidates for each position must be willing to relocate to the respective city of appointment (Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, or Vancouver)

OCCUPATIONAL CERTIFICATION:

Member in good standing at the Bar of one of the provinces or territories of Canada or member of the Chambre des notaires du Québec at the time of appointment

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

GENERAL INFORMATION

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

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

Candidates are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of their choice. Candidates are required to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

For this selection process, our intention is to communicate with candidates by e-mail. This includes: invitations, information requests, assessment results, etc. Candidates MUST check their email accounts frequently as there may be a deadline for responses.

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

APPLICATIONS

Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS): will time out after 60 minutes; this may result in your inability to save your work or loss of data. It is recommended that you draft ALL RESPONSES as well as your CV/résumé in another document on your PC which may be saved (e.g. in MS Word or WordPerfect) and copy/paste into the PSRS when completed.

If you are a Federal Public Servant please identify your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) on your résumé and/or application.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

Proof of your education credential(s) and Canadian Citizenship will be required. Education and Citizenship MUST have been acquired at the time of application.

If you are currently an indeterminate or term public servant, a copy of your current letter of offer will be required.

ASSESSMENT STRATEGY

Qualifications indicated on this advertisement may be assessed throughout the selection process effective from the time you submit your application. This includes any correspondence (written or oral) with Human Resources and Management.

Asset Qualification(s) may be used as part of the screening criteria and/or selection decision.

You may be assessed using one or more of the following tools: standardized tests, written exams, interview, simulation exercise, reference check, and other assessment tools.

Pass marks will be established for each qualification. However, achieving the pass mark is not a guarantee of an appointment or that candidates will be put through the next stages of the assessment process. A cut-off score, top-down approach or random selection may be used at any step if there is a sufficient number of candidates to meet anticipated staffing needs. You will be notified if this approach is used.

Decisions regarding final selection may be based on the level, extent or degree of skill achieved in one or more qualifications; for example, we could select candidates who achieved the highest rating for a specific qualification or for a combination of qualifications.

Timelines for this process are very strict. The onus is on candidates to make themselves available for each assessment session.

Scheduling of alternative assessment dates will ONLY be considered for the following reasons with proof:

o Religious reasons;
o Death in the family;
o Medical reasons;
o Conflicting exams; or
o Other exceptional circumstances

TRAVEL

Please note that in order to proceed with assessments, candidates may be required to travel to the closest assessment location (such as IRB Regional Offices or other assessment centres).

Attempts may be made to assess candidates through methods such as teleconference and videoconference.

Travel costs for individuals who are not Federal Public Servants will not be covered.

Federal Public Servants' travel will be covered in accordance with the National Joint Council's Travel Directive.

RELOCATION

All newly appointed employees other than EX/GIC appointees to the Federal public service, who accept an indeterminate or term position of at least one year, will be relocated under the Initial Appointees Relocation Program.

The Initial Appointees Relocation Program provides newly appointed employees with the sum of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000), subject to certain provisions.

For more information on the Initial Appointees Relocation Program please visit the following website: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/tbm_113/iairp-prinefp-eng.asp

Federal Public Servants who accept a position will be relocated under the National Joint Council Relocation Directive.

For more information on the Relocation Directive please visit the following website: http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/index.php?dlabel=nrd-drc&lang=eng&did=6&merge=2

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.