Counsel

Update: *Closing date extended to November 17, 2023*.

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.

When submitting an application to this selection process, you will be prompted to answer screening questions concerning the essential and asset experience qualifications. It is your responsibility to provide clear and concrete examples in your responses to each question, including when (from-to), where (occupational title, organization) and how you obtained your education and experience. It is recommended that you describe the experience examples in specific terms, providing sufficient details so that the Assessment Board can clearly understand. The content of your response must be supported by your resume as your responses to these questions will be used as a primary source of information and your resume will only be used to validate this information.

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Northern Allowances:
In addition to your base salary, you will receive an Isolated Post Allowance:
 • approximately $3,989 – $40,991 per year (rates vary depending on work location)
 • Vacation Travel Assistance provided upon request once or twice per year for each eligible member of the household (rates and frequency vary depending on work location)
 • Please see the Isolated Posts and Government Housing Directive for more information http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/ipgh-pile/index-eng.php

• Please note that rates and conditions above are subject to change.

We also offer:
 • Relocation Assistance: Applicants may be eligible for relocation assistance and may wish to review the Relocation Directive: https://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/d6/en
 • Pension & Benefits package: For more information, see: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/topics/pension-plan.html and https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/topics/benefit-plans.html
 • Training, Development & Education Opportunities: Multi-year career development plans which include opportunities for education assistance funding and training opportunities

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📣 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟯𝟭, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰; 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧(𝐬). 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫:  
• 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑  
• 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑  
• 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
• 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
• 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
• 𝐉𝐮𝗹𝘆 𝟳, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
• 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯,
• 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟰, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯
• 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟴, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯
𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝.

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A list of qualifications/merit criteria in Inuktitut will be available upon request. Please email to make a request.

Duties

As an experienced counsel joining the Northern Regional Office, you will have an opportunity to immerse yourself in a broad scope of practice, working closely with your colleagues in our Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit offices, providing litigation or advisory services in a truly northern context, and across all of the Northern territories.

As litigation counsel, you will prepare pleadings, review documents develop strategic directions on files, provide advice to client departments on legal risk, engage with legal counsel for other parties, and represent Canada in courts and tribunals in case conferences, motions and trials.

As advisory counsel, you will attend meetings with client officials, produce memos, review documents, assist with transactions and represent officials in engagements with legal counsel for other parties.

Work environment

This is an opportunity to join the Northern legal team of Justice Canada as litigation or advisory counsel, working in Whitehorse, Yellowknife or Iqaluit.

About the Northern Region of Justice Canada:
The Northern Region of Justice Canada provides advisory and litigation services to departments and agencies operating in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The Northern team includes approximately 14 lawyers plus administrative support and managers.

■ Litigation:
Much of the work of the Northern Regional Office is litigation-based. A significant portion of the work requires defending actions involving Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, the Royal Canadian Mountain Police, and to a lesser extent other federal departments operating north of 60.

As litigation counsel you will represent the Attorney General of Canada in actions and judicial reviews, in the Federal Court and the courts of one or more of the Territories.

■ Advisory:
About one-third of the work of the Northern Region is comprised of a broad range of advisory services. This includes legal advice and support in relation to Aboriginal law, environmental law, torts, contracts, real property practice including conveyancing, statutory interpretation, and administrative law including some tribunal proceedings.

Intent of the process

The immediate need is to staff one position in the Iqaluit, Nunavut office and one position in the Yellowknife, Northwest Territories office.

A pool of partially or fully qualified candidates may be established to staff similar positions within the Department of Justice with various tenures, various linguistic requirements, various operational requirements and/or various conditions of employment.

★ Please note that if successful and offered a position, you would be required to relocate to the location of the position in either Whitehorse, Yellowknife, or Iqaluit.

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.

Experience:

Significant experience providing legal services as counsel.*

*Significant experience providing legal services as counsel is defined as the depth and breadth of experience normally associated with performance of the duties of a lawyer with conduct of civil litigation (or an acceptable combination of criminal and civil litigation) or the duties of a lawyer providing legal advice and services, over a period of approximately four (4) years within the last six (6) years.

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

Experience working as a litigator in one or more of the following areas of Canadian law or file types: Aboriginal law, administrative law and tribunal practice, civil litigation, constitutional law, Crown law, environmental law, police law, tort law.

Experience providing legal advice in one or more of the following areas of Canadian law or file types: Aboriginal law, administrative law and tribunal practice, commercial law, constitutional law, Crown law, environmental law, procurement law, real property law, federal real property transactions.

Experience working on legal issues pertaining to the Territorial North of Canada

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

Various language requirements
English Essential or Bilingual Imperative (depending on position or as required).

Information on language requirements

Competencies:

Demonstrating integrity and respect
Thinking things through
Working effectively with others
Showing initiative and being action-oriented
Oral communication
Written communication
Ability to analyze legal issues and provide strategic advice
Ability to manage the legal practice, including using digital tools

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

Organizational Needs:

The Department of Justice believes that to be able to effectively serve the public, its workforce needs to reflect the diversity of the Canadian population. Diversity is a great source of strength in driving Canada’s Legal Team in ensuring that Canada’s justice system is as fair, accessible and efficient as possible. The Department is committed to a representative workforce that represents the Canadian public we serve. If you are an Indigenous person, a woman, a person with a disability, a member of a racialized group* or a member of the 2SLGBTQI+**/Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) community we encourage you to self-declare in this staffing process.

* Please note that this group is currently designated as members of visible minorities in the Employment Equity Act and the self-declaration form.

** 2SLGBTQI+: Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and people who identify as being part of sexual and gender diverse communities.

INFORMATION ON SELF-DECLARATION
Self-declaration information can be factored into the screening, assessment or selection decision to address our commitment to eliminate gaps and increase representation for these groups. This information will only be used in connection with this selection process.

HOW TO SELF-DECLARE
If you are an Indigenous person, woman, member of a racialized group*, Person with a disability:
· when you apply for a job through GC Jobs, complete the Employment Equity section under Requirements.
· Please note that your self-declaration as a member of First Nations, Inuit or Métis will be verified via the Affirmation of Indigenous Identity Form to be provided later in the staffing process. For more information on this requirement, please consult the Questions and Answers page.

If you are a member of the 2SLGBTQI+/ Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) community:
· For employees of the Department of Justice, please self-declare through the EE Self-Declaration tab in PeopleSoft by accessing the “Self Service” module and providing consent that your information can be used for Staffing actions, such as actings, appointments, assignments.
· For candidates external to the Public Service and employees of the Public Service outside of the Department of Justice, candidates will be provided an opportunity to self-declare during the assessment process.

Operational Requirements:

Willing and able to work extended hours including weekends.
Willing and able to travel, as required.

Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment:

Reliability, Secret, or Top Secret security clearance (depending on position or as required).

Remain a member in good standing of the law society of Yukon, Nunavut or Northwest Territories (depending on the position being staffed)

Medical Clearance
*The incumbent and their dependents may be required to obtain Health Canada medical clearance in accordance with the Isolated Posts and Government Housing Directive.

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

We will only accept on-line applications received via the GC Jobs site.

CANDIDATES WILL NOT BE SOLICITED FOR INCOMPLETE OR MISSING INFORMATION.

Proof of citizenship or permanent residency will be required.

Communication for this process will be sent via e-mail. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that a current and valid e-mail address is provided and updated accordingly and that it accepts messages from unknown senders. We encourage candidates to provide a second e-mail address in their application.

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.

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

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans first and then to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, 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.

Apply online