COUNSEL

---

The Ministry of the Attorney General is seeking an experienced counsel to join the Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs. The position will have an emphasis on corporate commercial work.

---

About the job

Duties Will Include: Providing legal advice to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs on commercial matters including grants, farm finance, infrastructure programs and real estate; providing legal advice to support the programs, operations and activities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs and agencies (including duty to consult, freedom of information and conflict of interest matters); drafting and providing advice on memoranda of understanding, orders-in-council and other legal instruments; and litigation management.

---

What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

Membership in the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Knowledge & Skills

Extensive experience in negotiating and drafting complex grant agreements and other commercial agreements; experience in providing legal advice on infrastructure projects; understanding of agricultural law, public law, administrative law, land-use planning law, drainage law; food safety law and intellectual property law; proven judgement and analytical ability; excellent communication skills (both oral and written); ability to recognize/assess legal implications in proposed or existing programs or initiatives and policy; ability to provide strategic and solutions-oriented legal advice to complex, time-sensitive and high profile issues; understanding of government policies, procedures, guidelines and directives; ability to handle a high volume of complex files independently and work effectively in a team environment; superior interpersonal skills with a strong client service orientation and demonstrated ability to inspire client confidence.

---

Additional information:

Note:

• In accordance with the Ontario Public Service Employment Screening Checks Policy, the top candidate(s) may be required to provide a general or enhanced screening check. Please refer to the Additional Information / Address section above on this job advertisement to determine the screening check that is required for each position.
  
  A general screening check includes a criminal record check and if applicable, fingerprint verification at your own expense. An enhanced screening check includes a criminal record check and if applicable, fingerprint verification at your own expense and permission for the Negotiations & Security Branch , Employee Relations Division to conduct any specific screening as indicated in the Additional Information / Address section above.
  
  A record of a Criminal Code and/or other federal offence record(s) does not automatically mean you will be ineligible for the position. The screening check results will only be reviewed and evaluated by the Negotiations & Security Branch for the purpose of making a clearance decision. The details of an individual's screening check will be considered in specific relation to the duties and responsibilities of the position being filled. Screening check records will be maintained by the Negotiations & Security Branch and kept strictly confidential.

---

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.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a position with a specific ministry (either for a pre-determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

Information collection notice

We are collecting your personal information to assess how well you meet the qualifications for employment with the Ontario Public Service, and for related recruitment purposes. The collection of personal information is necessary to the proper administration of OPS Careers, which is an authorized common service in accordance with s. 6 of the Ministry of Government Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.25.

Please do not include any more personal information than is needed for your application (for example, do not include your photograph or social insurance number).

If you have any questions about how your information is collected, used, shared or saved, please contact us.