The National Judicial Institute (NJI) is an independent, bilingual, not-for-profit organization located in Ottawa and Montreal. We are a world leader in the design and delivery of dynamic and relevant judicial education in Canada and internationally, designing and delivering over 70 education programs annually to Superior and Provincial Court Judges across Canada. We equally provide resources to the judiciary, including Electronic Bench Books, e-Letters on legal developments and publications on legal matters of interest. The Chair of the NJI’s Board of Governors is the Chief Justice of Canada and members of the judiciary play an integral role in all aspects of the Institute’s work.

The NJI is looking to fill two permanent Counsel, Judicial Education positions. These positions are based in Ottawa (hybrid work environment); however, we are open to staffing remotely within Canada.

Counsel at the NJI have responsibility for a portfolio of judicial education courses, resources, and projects. NJI Counsel work with judicial education planning committees, court-based committees and NJI program delivery teams to produce judicial education seminars and educational materials at the national, regional, and provincial levels for judges across the country. Counsel play a key role supporting the development of knowledge and skills by judicial planners, facilitators and faculty members to enable them to plan and deliver effective and innovative judicial education. Counsel at the NJI apply their legal expertise and employ their legal skills to assist in the development of the substantive content of our judicial education programs.

Counsel work closely with the Chief Judicial Officer (a judge), the Director of In-Person Education, and the broader team of NJI counsel. Together, this professional team is responsible for developing judicial education programs, providing a comprehensive curriculum of judicial education, implementing a range of adult education methods, and fostering a continuous learning culture. This entails regular interaction with those responsible for education within courts in Canada and with other judicial education providers. While teaching roles are limited, this position allows considerable scope to engage in a wide range of projects relevant to the judiciary that foster excellence in judicial education.

Counsel at the NJI may develop an expertise in a specific area of the law, or with a specific court to create specialized programming and resources or work on the development and maintenance of the curriculum, as well as resources to support the curriculum.

Domestic travel to judicial education programs is normally part of the position. While Counsel usually travel once or twice a month, on occasion Counsel might be required to travel for several weeks in sequence during our peak program delivery period. There is very little travel during December, July, and August.

Specifically, the responsibilities of the position include:

1. Developing judicial education programs for delivery by the NJI and the courts, including conducting meetings and conference calls with judicial education planning committees and faculty members;

2. Providing expertise with respect to curriculum design, to complement subject expertise offered by members of planning committees;

3. Working in collaboration with Program team staff to ensure cohesion between logistical planning processes and program content and delivery;

4. Overseeing and taking responsibility for the successful delivery of judicial education seminars, including travel to those events;

5. Providing research and drafting input for education materials, including course materials, electronic resources, agendas, hypothetical problems, discussion questions, video scripts and facilitator notes;

6. Developing a thorough understanding of adult pedagogical theory and the learning needs of the judiciary, and responding to education requests in collaboration with the Director of Education and Provincial and Superior Court Judges;

7. Supervising articling students, law student internships, and administrative staff members, and assisting with their selection and onboarding processes, as needed;

8. Working on on-line programs and special projects (e.g. Judicial Education Counsel may be requested to work on the development of online education programming and resources, or become involved in research projects), as requested;

9. Monitoring legal and judicial developments in Canada; and,

10. Representing the organization nationally.

Essential

1. Bachelor of Laws (LL.B), Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.), Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent legal education;

2. A minimum of 6 years experience working with professional or community organizations (including but not limited to a law firm, government, university, public legal education, not-for-profit, community organization);

3. Experience in legal research;

4. Demonstrated writing ability;

5. Fluent in English (R/W/O);

6. Proficiency with Office 365; and

7. Membership at the Bar.

Assets

1. LL.M, SJD, DCL, or other postgraduate degree;

2. Bijural knowledge;

3. Experience in adult or professional education;

4. Fluent in French (R/W/O);

5. Experience working with members of the judiciary; and

6. Experience in project management.

The skill set of the successful candidate must include:

1. Manages sensitive and potentially controversial information and interpersonal situations; uses effective negotiation and persuasion skills using professionalism and integrity;

2. Exhibits a positive attitude, builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, clients and stakeholders using integrity and respect; consistently leverages effective negotiation and persuasion skills;

3. Meets deadlines, works in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and consistently demonstrates the ability to work on a team;

4. Conducts in-depth research into specific problems, concerns, or issues; develops options and makes a recommendation for final decision-making;

5. Remains current with legislation, adult pedagogy and judicial learning needs; ensures continued improvement of service delivery; and

6. Maintains professional ethics and discretion; protects sensitive and personal information.

Compensation is to be determined at the time of hiring, based on the successful candidate’s experience and profile, within salary band 7 which ranges from $89,922 to $112,402. Please note that this position is subject to a vaccine mandate.

While we appreciate all responses, only candidates under consideration will be contacted. The National Judicial Institute is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If contacted for an interview or employment testing, please advise Human Resources if you require accommodation.

Apply here