JFCY is looking for a litigation lawyer to fill a 12 month parental leave contract position. The lawyer will fill the role of the Street Youth Legal Services lawyer, providing advice and representation to young people under 25 years old experiencing homelessness, and doing community development and public legal education in the sector. More information about the SYLS program can be found here.
The SYLS lawyer attends youth drop-in centres and shelters across the City of Toronto, where they meet with clients, provide summary legal advice, and conduct legal education workshops on topics relevant to youth experiencing homelessness. In addition to their client work, the SYLS lawyer has a significant role in public legal education and community outreach. They may also be involved in the clinic’s test case litigation and law reform initiatives.
The successful candidate will demonstrate an ability to work well in a team environment with a commitment to anti-oppression and social justice values and practice, and a commitment to the protection and advancement of child and youth rights.
Essential Qualifications:
- Lawyer Licensee of the Law Society of Ontario
- Commitment to social justice and respect for the rights of children and youth, and experience providing trauma informed services
- Strong legal and advocacy skills
- 3 years of litigation experience and a demonstrated ability to learn new areas of law
- Demonstrated skill in one or more of: victims’ rights, criminal justice, immigration, landlord/tenant, human rights, employment, health, child welfare or family as they relate to the rights of children and youth
- Interest in all areas of law practised by the clinic
- Strong written and oral communication skills, organizational and administrative skills
Assets:
- Experience with youth outside law
- Ability to provide legal services in French
- Ability to communicate in a language other than English
- Policy development / law reform experience
Salary and benefits are in accordance with funding, based on year of call. Range $80,000 – $103,000; reflective of 3-9 years of call.
JFCY believes in giving each and every applicant an equitable opportunity to succeed on their own merit and we strive to hire staff that reflect and support the diverse perspectives, experiences and needs of our clients and our communities. We remain committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our work environment. We know that diversity underpins excellence, and that we all share responsibility for creating an equitable, diverse and inclusive organization. Therefore, in pursuit of our values, we seek employees who will work respectfully and constructively with differences and across the organizational hierarchy in actualizing the Clinics’ priorities, goals and principles.
We are strongly committed to employment equity and we actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to:
- First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and all other Indigenous peoples;
- members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race, ancestry, colour, religion and/or spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;
- persons with visible and/or invisible (physical and/or mental) disabilities;
- persons who identify as women; and
- persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.
Applications, including a cover letter, résumé, and a writing sample must be submitted to Lisa Salenga, Legal Assistant at Justice for Children and Youth by email only at lisa.salenga@jfcy.clcj.ca
Deadline: noon on Monday, October 24, 2022.
No phone calls please. Only candidates selected for an interview will be notified.