Paralegal

Important messages

The Federal Public Service is stronger and most effective when we reflect the diversity of the Canadian population we serve. The Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) is dedicated to building and promoting a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, representative of Canadian society where everyone feels they belong. All candidates in the area of selection who believe they are qualified are encouraged to apply, including Black, other racialized and Indigenous peoples, women, persons with disabilities and persons of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Set yourself up for success! As the objective of this process is to assess qualifications needed for the position(s) to be staffed, let us know if you have a functional limitation or disability, which may affect your participation. For example, you may contact us if you need assistance in completing and submitting your application. Should you proceed to a future assessment stage, such as an exam or interview, we will send you an e-mail with additional information and you can determine if you may require an accommodation at that time (such as a different test format, an adaptive technology, or additional time). Assessment accommodations are designed to remove the obstacles without altering the criteria being assessed so that candidates with functional limitations can fully demonstrate their abilities.

If you require an accommodation during any phase of this assessment process, please use the Contact information below to request accommodation. All information received in relation to your accommodation will be kept confidential and your right to privacy will be protected.

If you are unable to submit your application before the closing date, please do not hesitate to contact Rachel Gates-Flaherty by email at .

Duties

As a Paralegal, you will conduct legal research on a variety of cases. You will determine disclosure requirements, develop arguments, and review settlements negotiated between investigative agencies and counsel. You will also assists counsel with all aspects in advance of, and during proceedings before courts and tribunals. Paralegals may be required to accompany and assist lawyers in court.

This is an excellent opportunity to get hands-on experience working with evidence, investigators and prosecutors within the overall context of large, complex criminal prosecutions.

Work environment

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) is a federal government organization responsible for the prosecution of criminal offenses under federal jurisdiction. Our organization consists of approximately 1000 employees in regional offices across the country who all play a key role in strengthening Canada’s criminal justice system. The PPSC handles the prosecution of all Criminal Code offences in the territories as well as offences under all other federal legislation, such as the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the Fisheries Act.

The National Capital Regional Office (NCRO) is also expanding with the creation of a brand new office in Thunder Bay. Thunder Bay is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and is located on beautiful Lake Superior. We are looking at building a team of lawyers to take on this challenging work. Thunder Bay’s economy is a "knowledge economy" based on medical research and education. It has become the regional center for most provincial departments as well as the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Institute, Lakehead University and Confederation College.

Thunder Bay rests on the Canadian Shield with an abundance of nature activities and trails including on the famous Sleeping Giant, a large formation of mesas in Lake Superior that resembles a reclining giant. Thunder Bay is also home to a variety of music performance arts venues and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, the only professional orchestra between Winnipeg and Toronto.

Thunder Bay’s main tourist attraction is Fort William Historical Park, a reconstruction of the North West Company's Fort William fur trade post as it was in 1815, which attracts 100,000 visitors annually.

Intent of the process

The immediate need is to staff one (1) position on an indeterminate basis.

The results of this staffing process may also be used to staff similar positions with various tenures, linguistic requirements, language profiles, and/or security requirements, as needs arise.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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

Education:
- Successful completion of two years of a post-secondary program with acceptable specialization in paralegal studies or a law related field OR an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Degree equivalency

Experience:
- Experience in maintaining and updating an information management system.
- Experience as a paralegal working on medium complexity* cases, files, or projects.

*Medium Complexity is defined as a broad range of legal competencies with respect to the litigation conduct, and more particularly the discovery process to coordinate and/or advance related activities, such as:
• Coordination of the collection of documents, in collaboration with partners and stakeholders;
• Reviewing/analyzing documents to determine facts and legal issues;
• Determination of relevancy and identification of different privileges, etc;
• Management of the evidence management system such as: database set-up, document clean-up, quality control and final coding, etc;
• Drafting legal documents, i.e., pleadings, motions, memoranda, settlement brief, and other documents;
• Debt collection, assistance with judgment-debtor examination, third-party garnishment.

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

Asset Qualification - Experience:
- Experience working in the area of criminal law.

Organizational Needs:
- The organization is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. Qualified applicants who self-declare as members of a visible minority group, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and/or women may be selected for appointment to fulfill organizational needs.

Operational Requirements:
- Possession of a valid driver’s licence. Note: the licence class must, at a minimum, authorize the driver to drive a car, van or small truck, on all roads and highways without an accompanying driver
- Ability and willingness to travel which may include assignments on short notice and for extended periods.
- Ability and willingness to work outside normal working hours which may include working evenings, nights and weekends based on operational needs.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge:
- Knowledge of criminal law in the Canadian legal system.

Competencies:
- Attention to Detail
- Demonstrating integrity and respect
- Thinking things through
- Working effectively with others
- Showing initiative and being action-oriented
- Communicating effectively with others
- Leadership

Abilities:
- Ability to conduct substantive legal research and analysis.
- Ability to provide recommendations on legal issues.

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

Asset Qualification - Knowledge:
- Knowledge and understanding of Indigenous issues in the justice system.
- Knowledge and understanding of issues facing the justice system in Northwestern Ontario.

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance

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

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.