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 Legal Services Branch, Ministry of the Solicitor General (SOLGEN), has an immediate challenging opportunity for an intermediate or senior counsel to provide legal advice and opinions to ministry clients.
Our Values: Integrity, Judgment, Commitment, Justice, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration
The Legal Services branch welcomes applications from candidates who can contribute to the goal of promoting a diverse, respectful and supportive workplace
About the job
This role requires counsel to provide legal services to ministry clients including: Correctional Services, Public Safety Division, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Office of the Chief Coroner, the Office of the Centre of Forensic Sciences, Animal Welfare Services and the ministry's Strategic Policy and Infrastructure Divisions as well as other corporate divisions and ministry agencies.
Duties may include:
• Negotiating, drafting, advising on a variety of legal documents and instruments including memoranda of understanding, appointments, contracts, transfer payment agreements, complex procurements in the areas of IT, ASD, and goods and services of all kinds, intellectual property, privacy, and digital or IT products and services.
• Conducting legal research and providing legal advice on a range of complex issues in corporate-commercial law, privacy and freedom of information law and other areas as required.
• Providing written and oral legal opinions and advice to the divisions and branches of a diverse client ministry to support the operational, policy and legislative requirements of the ministry including addressing a wide range of legislative and regulatory issues, freedom of information, and conflict of interest issues.
• Assisting with knowledge management, including drafting and updating internal legal guides and other resources.
• Drafting briefing notes and other documents
• Providing training and education to SOLGEN clients, legal colleagues and across government.
• Participating on committees, in training, projects and other duties as assigned
• Advise on the development of legislation and regulations as well as on ministerial directions and Orders in Council
What you bring to the team
Mandatory requirements
• Membership in good standing as a lawyer with the Law Society of Ontario
Knowledge and Skills
• Experience in drafting and advising on documents related to public law (appointments, crown agencies, orders-in-council) and corporate/commercial law, including complex contracts that may pertain to transfer payments, procurements, intellectual property, privacy, and digital or IT products and services or the duty to consult
• Demonstrated experience in negotiating, drafting and reviewing corporate and commercial documents including procurement documents, grant agreements, and other commercial legal documents with varying levels of complexity
• Ability to recognize and assess legal implications in proposed and existing programs and initiatives and able to provide innovative, strategic, risk-based and solutions-oriented legal advice on complex, time-sensitive and high-profile issues that arise
• Demonstrated analytical skills, political acuity and judgment including ability to identify and assess legal and risk implications in client practices, policies and programs
• Demonstrated ability to handle a high-volume practice involving senior clients with short turnaround times, and able to work both independently and as part of a team with effective outcomes
• Demonstrated commitment to providing excellent client service and ability to produce high-quality work under tight deadlines with changing and competing demands
• Demonstrated knowledge of applicable Ontario Public Service Directives and Policies
• Comfortable and effective in briefing senior officials
• Proven ability to develop expertise quickly in new areas, to conduct in-depth legal research in complex and evolving areas of law, to provide cogent legal advice, draft legal opinions, agreements and other legal documents
• Demonstrated exceptional judgment, analytical and interpersonal, written and oral communication skills
• Demonstrated great client service, with a proven record of building relationships with clients and colleagues and of fostering and creating a culture of diversity, anti-racism, equity and wellness in the workplace.
How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility
We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's
Human Rights Code and the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer
accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please
contact us.Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace: