Counsel

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ELIGIBILITY FOR THIS COMPETITION IS RESTRICTED TO STEP 1 CANDIDATES INCLUDING OPS ALOC AND OCAA LAWYERS living or working within 125 km of this location. Note: Eligible lawyers from outside the Area of Search may apply but will not be entitled to relocation or travel expenses for the transfer as set out below.

Step 1: All regular/fixed-term OCAA and ALOC lawyers on staff, current Redeployment List Members and current Articling Student Hireback Pool Members.
Step 2: In the absence of qualified applicants at Step 1 the competition may be reposted so that external applicants or non-members of the above-mentioned groups would then be eligible to apply.

The Ministry of the Attorney General, Policy Division, Justice Policy Branch is seeking a talented lawyer to join its staff of policy counsel.

Counsel in the division are responsible for providing legal, policy and strategic advice to the Attorney General on a wide range of issues in the fields of civil, family, human rights, commercial and administrative law. Counsel provide legal advice and solicitor services to support the administration of over 140 statutes, and on issues relating to agencies, tribunals and appointments. The division is also responsible for managing the legislative agenda of the Attorney General. As part of these duties, counsel play a key role in the development and drafting of ministry submissions for consideration by Cabinet and its committees, and by instructing Legislative Counsel.

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How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are committed to build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and to promote a diverse, anti-racist, inclusive, accessible, merit-based, respectful and equitable workplace.

We invite all interested individuals to apply and encourage applications from people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black, and racialized individuals, as well as people from a diversity of ethnic and cultural origins, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

Visit the OPS Anti-Racism Policy and the OPS Diversity and Inclusion Blueprint pages to learn more about the OPS commitment to advance racial equity, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in the public service.

We offer employment accommodation across the recruitment process and all aspects of employment consistent with the requirements of Ontario's Human Rights Code. Refer to the "How to apply" section if you require a disability-related accommodation.

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About the job

As a member of the branch, and under the supervision of senior counsel, you will work as part of a team to support the Attorney General's policy and legislative initiatives, including:

• Drafting bills, regulations, opinions, agreements and related documents
• Providing written and verbal legal and strategic policy advice to ministry clients and the Attorney General
• Working collaboratively with other ministry divisions or ministries, as required

As policy counsel, you will be required to deliver integrated policy and legal services with a particular focus on the ministry statutes and tribunals and agencies for which the Policy Division is responsible. Policy counsel must be proficient in the law as well as able to integrate thorough legal analysis with strategic policy advice.

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What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

Membership in good standing as a lawyer with the Law Society of Ontario

Knowledge and Skills

• Familiarity and experience with Ministry of the Attorney General statutes administered by the Policy Division and knowledge of the areas of law underpinning those statutes
• Knowledge of and experience with legal issues affecting the ministry's agencies and tribunals
• Understanding of the following areas of public law: public inquiries, adjudication and dispute resolution and law relating to elections and public officers
• Knowledge of the Cabinet decision-making and legislative approval processes
• Demonstrated experience instructing Legislative Counsel
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate the various solutions offered by the courts or other dispute resolution processes against the benefits and risks of legislative action
• Demonstrated ability to effectively translate legal and public policy concepts into Cabinet documents, and to visualize those concepts in legislation when instructing legislative drafters
• Demonstrated experience in advising program area clients on the legal implications of practices, programs and policy proposals
• Demonstrated capacity and interest to work collaboratively with policy and legal professionals across government
• Capacity to interact on a professional footing with representatives of the judiciary, the private bar and other justice sector partners and stakeholders
• Team and project management skills

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Additional information:

Note:

• In accordance with the Ontario Public Service (OPS), Employment Screening Checks Policy (ESCP), the top candidate(s) may be required to undergo a security screening check. Refer to the above to determine the screening checks that are required for this position.
  
  Required security screening checks along with your written consent, will be sent to the Transition and Security Office (TSO), Corporate Talent Programs Branch, Talent and Leadership Division to evaluate the results. If applicable, the TSO, with your written consent, will request and obtain any additional employment screening checks that were not obtained directly by you.
  
  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 employment 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 employment screening check(s) will be considered in specific relation to the duties and responsibilities of the position being filled. Employment screening check records will be maintained by the TSO and kept strictly confidential.
• For issues with submitting applications, or questions, please contact CSMD.HR.LegalCompeti@ontario.ca

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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.