Child Protection Staff Lawyer
Job Title: Child Protection Staff Lawyer
Location: Toronto Head Office
Reports to: Legal Advocacy Director (LAD)
Travel Required: within Toronto
Position Type: Full time- Temporary (mat leave)
Posting Expires: July 20, 2023
Job purpose Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) strengthens the capacity of the Aboriginal community and its citizens to deal with justice issues and provide Aboriginal-controlled and culturally based justice alternatives. Our dedicated staff is our most valued resource. Compassionate care, teamwork, professionalism,
communication, and respect are the values that set ALS apart.
This vacancy has resulted from a maternity leave of absence. The position ends when the employee on leave returns to work. ALS is seeking a Child Protection Staff Lawyer, beginning as soon as possible. This position is funded by Legal Aid Ontario. The ideal candidate will have 1 to 6 years of experience, with a year of call not more than 2017. The anticipated salary range is between $83,507 and $105,282 annually, depending on the year of call.
ALS Staff Lawyers carry out casework independently; conduct legal research; assist the LAD and senior staff lawyer in legal supervision and coordination of community legal workers and students; and participate in volunteer coordination. This position's duties are detailed below. Generally, you can expect to provide intake, summary legal advice, provide child protection referrals, services, litigation, case management and team contributions to test case litigation. The position will include 2-3 weeks of culturally relevant training, trauma-informed training, ASSIST training, and ALS principles and protocol training before commencing direct services. This lawyer will also work closely with our Family Court workers.
General Duties and Responsibilities
To review the full job description of an ALS Staff lawyer, please contact HR department,
Lawyers applying for this position should have a minimum one-year call to the bar and experience in child protection practice. More specifically, it is crucial to have an understanding of the impact the child protection system is having on Indigenous children and the best interest of an Indigenous child. It will be of assistance if you have practice experience in:
doing intake and initial assessment of legal issues and interviewing of clients;
conducting legal research, familiarity with resources and tools that can assist with research and preparation;
reviewing case files and evidence;
negotiating with CAS agencies, their legal representatives;
legal drafting of documents and legal argument in preparation for motions, trial and appearances;
conducting motions and hearings;
conducting trials before Judges.
Other duties include:
Awareness and practice experience with Giwedin Anang or Indigenous dispute resolution (IDR) processes and ability to negotiate or champion cases into Giwedin Anang Program;
Providing summary advice and intake for members of the public or clients, there will be regular child protection intake/summary advice scheduled into services;
Ensure that potential clients meet service criteria for assistance beyond summary advice prior to retainer;
Client Representation at court;
File carriage and management, including
organizing facts and preparing case plan, writing and obtain documents and material required;
Prepare argument, including oral and written submissions;
Identify witnesses and evidence;
Prepare client and witnesses for trial;
Examine and cross-examine witnesses and expert witnesses;
Oral advocacy at hearing;
Law Reform or Advocacy;
Other duties and tasks as directed by the Legal Advocacy Director;
Qualifications
LL.B. or J.D., called to the bar in Ontario. Relevant experience in child protection services is preferred;
Must be able to attend court and office in Toronto on a regular basis. This is a Toronto-based position;
Minimum of one year experience as a lawyer;
Knowledge and experience with Aboriginal cultural and legal issues is preferred;
Experiences serving or working with Aboriginal clients, and communities is also an asset that will be considered when selecting candidates for interviews;
To apply:
To apply to this job posting, please submit your cover letter or a letter of interest with “Staff Lawyer” in the subject line to hrgeneral@aboriginallegal.ca by no later than 12 noon on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
Aboriginal Legal Services is an equal-opportunity organization committed to diversity and inclusion. Our goal is to attract, develop and retain highly talented employees from diverse backgrounds, allowing us to benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified applicants.
Accommodations for persons with disabilities required during the recruitment process are available upon request.
To request accommodation, please email Nazaninn@aboriginallegal.ca.
We would like to thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Aboriginal Legal Services
Head Office
211 Yonge Street, Suite 500 Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1M4 Tel: 416-408-4041