Legal Aid Alberta is a Centre of Excellence that helps vulnerable Albertans across the province at some of the most difficult times in their lives. Through professional, effective and accessible services that support better outcomes for our clients, we make a difference in the lives of Albertans and deliver value that extends beyond those who receive our services.
Legal Aid relies upon a mix of staff and roster lawyers to ensure that we meet the unique demands of our clientele and honors choice of counsel wherever possible when clients express a preference for dealing with a particular lawyer. Our staff lawyers support clients through high quality services in specialized areas such as duty counsel, priority areas of law and in circumstances where clients have no choice of counsel or are in need of a high degree of support.
Job Description
Reporting to the Legal Services Manager, some of the key responsibilities of the Lawyer are to:
Conduct of assigned files to professional standards and in accordance with the Rules and Code of Conduct of the Law Society of Alberta and policies and procedures of LAA.
Negotiate competent resolutions of files to achieve early, cost effective and lasting outcomes for clients.
Litigation at various court levels, including appeals.
Complete and accurate statistical, time entry and record keeping.
Compliance with office policy and procedures.
Participate in performance and staff meetings as required.
Qualifications
Education and Experience:
Law degree from a recognized law school.
Active member in good standing with the Law Society of Alberta.
Minimum 5 years of experience in criminal law practice.
Previous experience in youth, family, immigration and/or litigation practice is an asset.
Knowledge:
Rules of Court, and court proceedings.
Alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and negotiation skills.
Excellent understanding of court and tribunal processes.
Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Criminal Code and sentencing.
Excellent understanding of police and arrest procedures.
Legal research, writing and drafting, legal analysis, preparation of court documents, and application of law to relevant facts.
Advocacy, problem solving and conflict resolution.
A high level of comfort working with technology and a keen enthusiasm for learning new systems including, computer literacy in MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CRM), web-based legal research tools, and other web-based resources.
Skills:
Demonstrated time management and ability to deal with conflicting priorities and deadlines.
Ability to manage work in high pressure and high conflict situations.
Ability to investigate facts, identify issues, ascertain organizational objectives, consider alternative solutions, analyze risk and advise clients and/or LAA on the appropriate course of action.
Ability to build rapport and negotiate effectively with Crown Counsel and opposing counsel.
Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively.
Ability to work with clients who have complex needs either through frequent requests for alternate representation, physical or mental disability, substance abuse, or living situations that impair their ability to resolve legal matters.
How To Apply
If you got excited at the prospect of being a part of our team when you reviewed this posting and you meet the minimum qualifications, please forward your resume to [email protected]referencing posting number LAA-21-03.
This competition will remain open until April 9, 2021.
Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
