Legal Counsel and Legal Communications Officer

Legal Counsel and Legal Communications Officer




Duties

The successful candidate will provide legal and legal communications advice to the Chief Justice of Canada and the Executive Legal Officer and Chief of Staff. Key responsibilities include conducting legal research, drafting memoranda and legal communications documents, preparing content for speeches and presentations, as well as preparing briefing materials for domestic and international meetings.


Work environment

The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) is Canada’s final court of appeal. The SCC is a bilingual institution that hears cases in French and English, in all areas of the law, such as family, criminal, and tax law. It decides cases from Canada’s two major legal traditions, common and civil law. Its decisions affect the lives of all Canadians. The SCC recognizes that a key element necessary in achieving and retaining a representative workforce is providing a supportive work environment and fostering a corporate culture that is welcoming to all employees, including designated group members. According to the most recent public service employee surveys, the SCC is one of the best places to work in the federal public service. Given that the SCC is not served by Pay Center, it has its own compensation team responsible for administering the full range of pay and benefit transactions in Phoenix and MyGCHR.

This position requires you to work on-site at the Supreme Court of Canada located at 301 Wellington Street, in Ottawa.


Intent of the process

This process will be used to staff the above mentioned position. It may also be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to staff similar positions at the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada with varying language requirements, security profiles, and tenures.

Positions to be filled: 1


Information you must provide

Your résumé.


In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)



EDUCATION:

Law degree from a recognized Canadian university or its equivalent.


OCCUPATIONAL CERTIFICATION:

Membership or eligibility for membership in the bar of one of the provinces or territories of Canada or in the Order of Notaries in the Province of Quebec.


EXPERIENCES:

Experience in drafting legal opinions or legal documents.
Experience in conducting legal research and analysis.
Experience in providing legal and/or legal communications advice to senior management* or judges.
Experience in writing and editing communication products for various public audiences (for example news releases and backgrounders, media lines, speeches, presentations, social media content).
Experience collaborating with a variety of internal or external stakeholders.

*Senior management refers to the group of high-level executives or leaders within an organization who are responsible for making strategic decisions and overseeing the overall operations.


If you possess any of the following, your application must also clearly explain how you meet it (other qualifications)


ASSET QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience in writing and editing communication products related to the law or the courts for various public audiences (for example news releases and backgrounders, media lines, speeches, presentations, social media content).
Experience working in a Court, a Tribunal, a Board or a Commission environment.
Experience in editing documents for publication, preferably legal documents.


The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)


Bilingual - Imperative (CCC/CCC)


KNOWLEDGES:

Knowledge of the Supreme Court of Canada’s jurisdiction, role and function.
Knowledge of the laws of Canada and its legal system.
Knowledge of social media platforms.
Knowledge of communications best practices.


ABILITIES:

Ability to summarize facts and legal issues relating to cases before the Court.
Ability to analyse complex judgments and draft summaries.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
Ability to communicate effectively orally.
Ability to work under pressure.
Ability to prioritize competing demands.


PERSONAL SUITABILITIES:

Effective interpersonal relationships
Initiative
Judgment
Reliability
Attention to detail


The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)


Selection may be limited to members of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal persons, visible minorities


OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Willingness and ability to work late as required.


Conditions of employment


Secret security clearance


Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

A random and/or top down selection of candidates may be used in the determination of those to be given further consideration in the assessment process.

You must be prepared to provide the original or a certified true copy of your educational credentials. Candidates with foreign credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at www.cicdi.ca/2/home.canada

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice.

All communication and information obtained throughout the selection process, from the time of application to the close of process, may be used in the assessment of qualifications.

Our intention is to communicate with candidates via email. Candidates who apply on this selection process must include in their application a valid e-mail address and to make sure that this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). It is the candidate’s responsibility to provide any changes to their personal information to the contact indicated on this job advertisement.


Preference

Preference will be given to veterans first and then to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of a job located in Nunavut, where Nunavut Inuit will be appointed first.

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.


Contact information