Legislative Counsel / Legal Counsel - Inventory - Modification Closing Date

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

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.

To be considered for the initial round of screening and assessments, please ensure that your completed application is submitted no later than November 1, 2019. Subsequent screening of applications submitted to the inventory will take place on an “as and when needed” basis.

The organization will accept applications online only. All job applications must therefore be submitted through the Public Service Resourcing System.

TIPS FOR APPLICANTS:

In the "Screening Questions" section of the application, you will be asked to clearly demonstrate that you meet the screening criterion by answering a question.

In the “Assets qualifications” section of the application, follow this format, when drafting your responses to the experience qualifications:

1. include where, when and how you obtained the required experience.
2. include the period(s) in which you performed the functions of the position(s).

By providing the required information in the suggested format, you will ensure that the assessors in a position selection committee are able to assess the depth, complexity and scope of your experience.

Failure to provide sufficient information may result in your application being screened out of the process.

CANDIDATES WILL NOT BE SOLICITED FOR INCOMPLETE OR MISSING INFORMATION.

Duties

Legislative counsel: With the support of an experienced legislative counsel, drafts legislative texts, bills, motions to amend bills or proposed regulations for federal departments and agencies. With the support of an experienced legislative counsel, provides legal, strategic or drafting advice on all aspects of lawmaking including legislative policy, legislative drafting, legislative and regulatory processes and statutory interpretation.

Legal counsel: Provides legal advisory services on issues of limited scope, risk and impact and on more complex matters with the support of more experienced legal counsel.

Work environment

Why should you join Canada's Legal Team? Well, that’s easy to answer. The Department of Justice offers a diverse workplace where teamwork, respect and collaboration are highly valued. The Department can offer you a rewarding career, where you are part of a team working to ensure that Canada has an accessible, efficient and fair system of justice.

The tradition of excellence at the Department of Justice is embodied in its culture, which values inclusiveness, fairness and respect for Canada's legal system. The Department of Justice is often described as Canada's largest and most prestigious law firm. The Department makes and upholds federal laws and is the guardian of the Canadian justice system. By setting for itself the highest standards of integrity, fairness and professionalism, the Department of Justice has earned a reputation as a leader within the legal community.

The Department of Justice is proud to have been recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers in 2019! (Source: Ranked 99th in the Canada’s Best Employers published by Forbes -https://www.forbes.com/canada-best-employers/#578e7118241f). Canadian law students have identified the Department of Justice as Canada's most attractive employer in 2019! (Source: Ranked 1st in the Top Attractive Employers published by Universum.)

No matter what your expertise, you will benefit from the Department of Justice's supportive atmosphere, its emphasis on training and mentoring, and the ability to balance the personal and professional aspects of your life. The Department of Justice offers competitive salaries and benefits and gives you the opportunity to hone your legal knowledge and skills. Your professionalism and drive will be recognized and rewarded with enriching opportunities in a team-oriented environment.

The majority of the positions in the Department of Justice are located in downtown Ottawa, near public transportation in Quebec and Ontario (STO and OCTranspo) and the new light-rail transit system.

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 conditions of employment, 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)

OCCUPATIONAL CERTIFICATION:

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

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION:

Bachelor's degree in civil law and common law from a recognized Canadian university;
or
Bachelor's degree in civil law or common law from a recognized Canadian university, complemented by graduate studies in the other Canadian legal system;
or
Bachelor's degree in civil law or common law from a recognized Canadian university, complemented by a right of practice in a province or territory of the other legal tradition.

Master of Laws or Doctor of Laws.

Post-secondary studies in one or more of the following areas: accounting, finance, science (including environmental, computer, actuarial and health sciences), engineering, mathematics, statistics, pharmacology, philosophy, risk management or other technical subjects.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE:

Experience in the provision of legal advice;
Experience in legislative drafting;
Experience in legislative or regulatory projects;
Experience in the development of legislative or public policy;
Experience in one or more of the following areas: accounting, finance, science (including environmental, computer, actuarial and health sciences), engineering, mathematics, statistics, pharmacology, philosophy, risk management or other technical subjects.

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

Various language requirements
Bilingual imperative with linguistic profiles that may vary according to the position to be staffed.

Note: Some positions may require technical or specialized langue skills (Cote P - reading and writing) in French or English, which may vary according to the position to be staffed.

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE:

Knowledge of administrative law;
Knowledge of rules of statutory interpretation.

ABILITIES:

Ability to communicate effectively orally;
Ability to communicate effectively in writing;
Ability to analyze legal principles.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY:

Demonstrating integrity and respect;
Showing initiative and being action-oriented;
Working effectively with others;
Thinking things through.

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

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

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 sections of the Legislative Services Branch.

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance

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 in the province of Québec, and remain so throughout the duration of their employment at the Department of Justice.

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

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 including reducing representation gaps.

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

The selection committee reserves all rights to use any methods that they deem appropriate in order to evaluate the candidates (written examination, interview, reference check, written samples, argue a motion, etc.).

A written test could be administered to assess technical or specialized skills in the official languages.

Proof of citizenship will be required.

As part of the selection process, the use of online, innovative tools may be used for testing purposes. As a result, selected candidates will require access to a device that has internet capabilities.

Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required and to update their personal information when it changes. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

Time sensitive correspondence may be transmitted via email and it will be the candidate's responsibility to ensure they check their email regularly. Failure to respond to communications may result in elimination from this process.

Testing/interviews will be conducted at locations of the employer's choice and may require candidates to travel to the test/interview location. Please note that candidates (including employees of the Public Service) will not be considered to be in travel status or on government business and that travel costs will not be reimbursed. Consequently, candidates will be responsible for travel costs.

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

In order to be able to manage the number of applicants in this selection process, the Department may decide to use top-down or random selection or any other additional qualification as indicated in the statement of merit criteria in order to determine the number of candidates who will be considered further in the evaluation.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice.

If you require any accommodations (e.g. an alternative method of assessment, a technical aid, accessibility requirements, etc.) at any stage of the assessment process, please contact us so that we can take the appropriate measures to facilitate your full participation.

Your application in this inventory will be active for 180 days. A notice that your application is about to expire will be posted to the My jobs menu of your account 30 days before the end of your active period. If you do not take action, your application will no longer be active and therefore no longer be considered for this inventory. Should your application become inactive while the inventory is still open, a notice will be posted to your account indicating that your application has expired; you may select the link Update my Inventory Status to reaffirm your interest.

Results from previous evaluations in this process may be deemed valid for future rounds of application selection from this inventory.

For Current Federal Public Service employees:

Please identify clearly your substantive group and level, your employment status, and Personal Record Identifier (PRI) on your application.

Employees at the same group and level or equivalent may be considered for deployment or secondment.

An assignment or acting appointment or secondment requires approval of your supervisor.

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.