Legal Counsel - A career at the Ontario Regional Office (Inventory)

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.

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📣 Please note: 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 13, 2024
 • April 29, 2024
 • June 24, 2024
Subsequent pulls will be done as needed.

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► INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW
A complete application must be submitted, consisting of a résumé and responses to screening questions. The responses must clearly demonstrate, with the use of concrete examples, how you meet the occupational certification and experience factors listed under the essential qualifications, as well as any of the asset experience qualifications that may apply.

The following information is required for each experience criterion:
1. Name of the department or organization where the experience was acquired (WHERE);
2. Title of the position occupied and duration (including dates) for which you exercised the functions (WHEN);
3. Specific examples and details of tasks, projects, or accomplishments demonstrating how the experience was acquired (HOW).

The screening questions will be used as the primary tool in the screening process and the résumé will be used to substantiate the information provided. Applications that do not clearly demonstrate how the screening criteria are met will be eliminated from consideration.

***Your ability to communicate in writing may be assessed throughout your application. Please answer the screening questions with complete sentences.***

Work environment

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.

You can make your mark as Legal Counsel in the Ontario Regional Office as part of a team working to ensure that Canada has an accessible, efficient and fair system of justice. You will be collaborating with lawyers who are national leaders in their areas of practice, working on high profile, cutting edge and socially significant litigation.

Apply your experience and legal knowledge in these key areas of practice:
 • Administrative Segregation Unit
 • Immigration Law Division
 • Indigenous Rights and Relations Division (IRRD)*
 • Litigation, Extradition, and Advisory Law Division (LEAD)*
 • Tax Law Services Division*
*For more details about these divisions, please see the OTHER INFORMATION section.

No matter what your expertise, you will benefit from Justice Canada's supportive atmosphere, emphasis on training and mentoring, commitment to equitable workplace policies, and the ability to balance the personal and professional aspects of your life.

Intent of the process

The immediate need is to staff 30+ positions for various tenures (term or indeterminate) in the Ontario Regional Office (Toronto) in the Tax Law Services Division and the Administrative Segregation Unit.

A pool of partially or fully qualified candidates may be established to staff similar positions within the Department of Justice in the Ontario Regional Office (Toronto) with various tenures, various language requirements, operational requirements, organizational needs and/or conditions of employment.

Any indeterminate appointments at the LP-01 group and level resulting from this process will be made under the Justice Canada LP-01 Training and Development Program. This program provides for the progression of participants from LP-00 (articling student) to LP-02 (counsel) over approximately 5 years. As such, it is expected that an initial indeterminate appointment to this program would ultimately result in an indeterminate non-advertised LP-02 appointment (subject to meeting all program requirements).

Positions to be filled: 30

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 du Québec

EXPERIENCE
Experience gained providing legal services (i.e. working on legal and/or legal policy matters) as counsel, articling student, or law clerk to a judge.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge of recent and significant case law relevant to the position(s) to be staffed.

ABILITIES
Ability to identify legal issues and recommend solutions.
Ability to demonstrate judgment in seeking guidance on more complex issues.

COMPETENCIES
Demonstrating integrity and respect
Thinking things through
Working effectively with others
Showing initiative and being action-oriented
Oral communication
Written communication

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS
 • Experience in tax law

 • Experience in civil litigation

 • Experience in administrative law

 • Experience in Crown law

 • Experience in tort law

 • Experience in commercial law

 • Experience in Aboriginal law

 • Experience in immigration law

 • Experience in extradition law

 • Experience in class actions

 • Experience in mutual legal assistance

 • Experience in national security law

 • Experience conducting litigation in the Tax Court of Canada

 • Experience conducting litigation before the Federal Court and/or Federal Court of Appeal

 • Experience conducting litigation before the superior courts of a province or territory of Canada

 • Experience conducting hearings before administrative tribunals

 • Experience conducting document review exercises using litigation software (Ringtail, Nuix or similar)

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 a woman, an Indigenous person, a person with a disability, a member of a racialized group* or a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+**/ 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.
** 2SLGBTQIA+: Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual 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, a woman, a member of a racialized group, or a person with a disability, self-declaration information will be collected via your job application profile, under the Employment Equity section.
• 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: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/appointment-framework/guides-tools-appointment-framework/affirmation-indigenous-identity-form.html.
If you are a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+/ Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) communities, self-declaration information will be collected via a non-screening question in your job application.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
OR1: Willing and able to work extended hours including weekends.

OR2: Willing and able to travel, as required.

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 Ontario.
Periodically available on call after hours for motions duty (for immigration positions in the Ontario Regional Office).

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

CANDIDATES WILL NOT BE SOLICITED FOR INCOMPLETE OR MISSING INFORMATION.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice. Please indicate your preferred official language(s) in your application.

Communication for this process will be sent via e-mail. It is your responsibility 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 you to provide a second e-mail address in their application.

All information obtained throughout the selection process, from the time of application to close of process, may be used to evaluate the candidates.

Proof of citizenship or permanent residency will be required.

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

Other qualifications may be taken into consideration in the selection decision.

- INFORMATION ABOUT LAW DIVISIONS -

- Tax Law Services Division -
Tax LP-01s work on informal procedure hearings before the Tax Court of Canada, judicial review hearings before the Federal Court, and bankruptcy discharge hearings at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, among other duties.

- Indigenous Rights and Relations Division (IRRD) -
LP-01s in IRRD handle a variety of civil litigation work before tribunals, Provincial Courts, and Federal Courts. Practice areas include: Indigenous rights, land and treaty claims, environmental law, administrative law, and constitutional law.
LP-01’s also handle:
 • Judicial Review hearings before the Federal Court; and
 • Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Hearings before the Tribunal
LP-01’s are also members of teams that deal with complex long-term litigation, primarily relating to Indigenous rights, title, land and treaty claims.

- Litigation, Extradition, and Advisory Law Division (LEAD) -
LP-01s either assist more senior counsel or have independent carriage of a broad range of civil litigation matters. Our files cover a wide range of practice areas including, Class Actions, Constitutional, Administrative, Health, Transportation, Telecommunications, Tort, Public Safety, Human Rights, National Security, Border Security, Firearms, Bankruptcy, Insolvency, Labour and Employment, Food Safety, Health, Environment, and Social Welfare. Our counsel appear before administrative tribunals, federal courts, and provincial courts.

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