Legal Counsel

Role Responsibilities

Are you a strategic lawyer with strong analytical and research skills, looking to accelerate your career? Do you have experience and expertise in criminal law and regulatory offences and procedures? If so, Legal and Legislative Initiatives (LLI) has an exciting opportunity waiting for you!

Reporting to the Director of LLI and working alongside an experienced team, the Legal Counsel provides interpretive and advisory support to develop and implement legal policy and legislation related to the Courts, court administration, and resolution services. You will play a key role in project management and in leading or supporting various initiatives, particularly those involving criminal and regulatory offence legislation, processes and procedures.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supporting CJS achieve its strategic goals and objectives effectively and in accordance with legal and legislative requirements and principles.
• Ensuring legislation administered by CJS is appropriate, effective and legally sound by developing policy direction, reviewing and approving draft legislation, and preparing briefing materials for consideration by the Deputy Minister and Minister.
• Leading or supporting the successful implementation of legislative and policy initiatives, including analyzing relevant legislation and information on existing and emerging issues and trends. 
• Participating in various committees and teams, including working with senior officials from Legislative Counsel and the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service as well as Operational Advisory Teams to provide legal and policy advice on process and procedures in the Court of Justice and the Court of King's Bench.
  
  

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Excellent verbal and written communication and consultation skills.
• Strong diplomatic skills to work with stakeholders, including the judiciary and the Deputy Minister's and Minister's Office, on complex and sensitive matters.
• The ability to work well under pressure and manage competing priorities effectively.
  
  

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies:
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

As the successful candidate, you will demonstrate the following competencies:

Agility: Ability to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, manage resilience in times of uncertainty and work effectively in a changing environment.

Develop Networks: Proactively build networks and connect and build trust in relationships with different stakeholders.

Build Collaborative Environments: Lead and contribute to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.

Systems Thinking: The work done within the APS is part of a larger integrated and interrelated environment. It is important to know that work done in one part of the APS impacts a variety of other groups/projects inside and outside the APS. Systems Thinking allows us to keep broader impacts and connections in mind.

Creative Problem-Solving: Ability to assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solutions.

Drive for Results: Determine what outcomes are important and maximize the use of resources to achieve results that are aligned with the goals of the organization, while maintaining accountability to each other and all stakeholders.

Develop Self and Others: Commitment to lifelong learning and the desire to invest in the development of the long-term capability of self and others.

Qualifications

Requirements:

A Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD) degree supplemented with 11+ years of directly related experience.

Candidates with fewer qualifications may be considered at a lower classification and salary, as follows:

• Civil Crown Counsel 1 – 0 to 3 years of directly related legal experience. 
• Civil Crown Counsel 2 – 4 to 11 years of directly related legal experience.
  
  

For Law degrees obtained outside Canada, proof of accreditation from the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) is required.

Related legal experience includes legal research, analysis, and writing, as well as the development and interpretation of policy, legislation, and regulations.

Membership in good standing with the Law Society of Alberta or eligibility for membership is required.

All applicants are required to submit the following materials as part of the screening process to assess the quality of work:

• Cover Letter: Please provide a brief overview (approximately 300–400 words) outlining how your skills and qualifications make you a strong candidate for this role.
• Writing Sample: Please submit a sample that demonstrates your legal research or analytical skills (maximum length: 5 pages).
  
  

Assets
Preference will be given to candidates with:

• Practice experience or experience in criminal law and regulatory offence procedures.
• Experience working with the courts, with a solid understanding of court processes.
• Work experience in project management.
• Work experience in strategic planning.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 
Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

Position Information:

• This posting will be used to fill one (1) permanent, full-time position.
• Hours of Work: 7.25 hours per day (36.25 hours per week), Monday to Friday. 
• Location: John E. Brownlee Building, Edmonton.
• Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening.
  
  

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in. 

Links and information on what the GoA have to offer to prospective employees:

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP)  - https://www.pspp.ca. (Applicable if the successful candidate only qualifies under the Civil Crown Counsel 1 classification)
• Management Employees Pension Plan (MEPP) - https://www.mepp.ca. (Applicable if the successful candidate qualifies under the Civil Crown Counsel 2 or Civil Crown Counsel 3 classification)
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits.
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive.
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca.
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.