Regional Hearings Officer (Irregular On-Call)

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Do you have mediation and negotiation skills? Consider applying to this challenging role with the Ministry of the Attorney General, where you will conduct quasi-judicial hearings to assess and adjudicate solicitor's accounts, party and party costs results from court orders or civil litigation and family law cases.

Please Note:you will work zero to 36.25 hours per week, depending on operational requirements, with no guaranteed hours.

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About the job

In this role, you will:
• confirm statutory authority for the adjudication/assessment of lawyer's account, including compliance with regulated notice period
• conduct hearings by reviewing and analyzing testimony provided by witnesses at hearing, weighing evidence including expert reports, applying rules of evidence and procedure
• render oral and written decisions with reasons for the amounts allowed
• conduct hearings to determine costs between parties resulting from judicial court orders
• provide information and direction as to hearing practices and procedures, attendance, production of documents, and the identification of issues to be dealt with
• mediate disputes at the option of the parties during the pre-hearing

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What you bring to the team

Technical Knowledge and Skills:

• you have the ability to acquire knowledge of common law and statutory law, law of evidence, rules of civil procedure and evidence pertaining to procedural and substantive matters
• you have the ability to interpret and apply relevant legislation to conduct hearings and make determinations relating to cost disputes resulting from court orders or statutes
• you have the ability to acquire knowledge of the Justice administration in Ontario such as the court structures and court operations, including the operations of the legal and judicial systems, and procedures of the courts

Conflict Resolution, Mediation and Negotiation Skills:

• you have persuasion skills to maintain order and provide direction to the parties in pre-hearing meetings on hearing practices and procedures, attendance, production of documents, and the identification of issues
• you have demonstrated conflict resolution, mediation and negotiation skills to assist parties and mediate the settlement of disputes in an adversarial and sometimes emotionally charged environment

Communication Skills:

• you have demonstrated oral and written communication skills to prepare and deliver oral and written decisions

Analytical and Problem Solving Skills:

• you have analytical and problem solving skills to review, analyze and evaluate complex assessment disputes and claims
• you can assess the credibility of witnesses and reliability of evidence, research and adjudicate factual and legal issues
• you can develop and deliver reasoned decisions and orders based on interpretation of legislation, application of precedents, nature of evidence, testimony and arguments
• you can conduct hearings and lead mediation sessions between the parties and to draw forth evidence, identify and develop settlement options

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Additional information:

Note:

• In accordance with the Ontario Public Service Employment Screening Checks Policy, the top candidate(s) may be required to undergo a security screening check. Please refer to the Additional Information / Address section above to determine the screening checks that are required for this position.
  
  You will be responsible for obtaining the criminal record check at your own expense and provide it, along with your written consent, to the Transition and Security Office (TSO), HR Service Delivery Division to evaluate the results. If applicable, the TSO, with your written consent, will request and obtain any additional screening checks as indicated in the Additional Information / Address section above that were not obtained directly by you. (Note: If a Vulnerable Sector Screening/Check is required, it must also be obtained in person at your local police service.)
  
  A record under the Criminal Code and/or other federal offence record(s) does not automatically mean you will be ineligible for the position. The screening check(s) will only be reviewed and evaluated by the TSO for the purpose of making a security clearance decision. The details of an individual's screening check(s) will be considered in specific relation to the duties and responsibilities of the position being filled. Screening check records will be maintained by the TSO and kept strictly confidential.

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Language requirements and assessment:
All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

Exigences en matière de langue et évaluation:
Toutes les offres d'emploi externes de la fonction publique de l'Ontario (FPO) sont affichées en français et en anglais. Consultez la section « Langue du ou des postes » en haut de chaque offre d'emploi pour connaître les exigences linguistiques. Pour tous les postes, les candidats sont évalués en anglais, la langue d'affaires de la FPO. Si le poste est bilingue (anglais/français), vous devrez également passer un test de compétences linguistiques en français.