Legal Counsel

The National Police Federation

1d • Remote

About The Position

Legal Counsel’s core responsibility is to provide direction, advice, and/or ensure representation on NPF Member files. This includes Collective Agreement grievances, grievances filed under the Collective Agreement and/or the RCMP Act, Administrative discharges, disciplinary files under the RCMP Code of Conduct matters, and other legal processes as directed by the Manager, Legal Services, General Counsel, and the Board of Directors. Legal Counsel fulfills their responsibility by actively representing NPF Members in various labour processes, providing legal advice and direction to the NPF’s Member Services Team, and/or providing strategic advice and direction to NPF retained external counsel. Legal Counsel is also required to provide legal advice to NPF departmental directors regarding their day-to-day activities, as well as provide legal advice to the NPF as an employer and Not-for-profit Corporation.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Laws or a J.D. Degree
• Current member in good standing of a provincial or territorial Law Society.
• 3+ years of law experience.
• Knowledgeable with key areas of law, notably: labour and employment law, human rights law and administrative law.
• Ability to analyze, research, evaluate and interpret legal issues.
• Superior oral and written communication/advocacy skills.
• Legal research and drafting Skills.
• Superior interpersonal skills, excellent organizational and time management skills, and the ability to respond to a multiplicity of demands and prioritize work activities.
• Highly proficient with Microsoft Office productivity tools.
• Highly proficient with legal research tools such as Westlaw, Quicklaw, CanLII, etc.
• Ability to assess complex situations and problems with objectivity and clarity.
• Ability to exercise leadership and diplomacy amongst diverse perspectives and priorities.
• Ability to adapt to changing situations, new ideas and concepts.
• Sound judgement and tact.
• High level of attention to detail.
• Excellent problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to multi-task; take initiative; be proactive; flexible.
• Ability to communicate with a diverse workforce and facilitate successful performance in a team-based environment.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet continuous deadlines.
• Must successfully pass a pre-employment criminal record check.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingualism preferred.
• Knowledge of federal corporate law and/or criminal law is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Review files that are escalated to Legal Services, liaise with the involved individuals, prepare, or obtain legal opinions (where necessary) and formulate recommendations to the NPF Executive regarding file assignment, referrals to the FPSLREB for arbitration, and general strategy/ risk management.
• Supervise and manage ongoing legal files, which may include retaining external counsel, reviewing, and assessing retainer increase requests, reviewing written submissions, discussing strategy, etc.
• Review inquiries that are escalated to Legal Services, conduct legal research, liaise with subject matter experts where necessary and provide direction or advice to the assigned NPF representative(s).
• Provide representation to NPF Members in various labour processes, which may include conducting legal research, drafting submissions, engaging in alternative dispute resolution processes, appearing before tribunals, etc. (may require travel).
• Provide support to the NPF President, General Counsel or Director Manager, Legal Services regarding internal NPF Member Appeals.
• From time to time, assess and provide legal recommendation to the Board of Directors regarding the NPF’s involvement in other legal proceedings, such as civil litigation files, human rights complaints, harassment complaints and security clearance / reliability status reviews.
• Provide advice and representation in Duty of Fair Representation complaints before the Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board.
• Provide legal advice and interpretation to staff and/or the NPF executive regarding the Collective Agreement and related grievances, legislation (notably the RCMP Act) and relevant policies.
• Participate and conduct informal resolution processes and/or negotiations.
• From time to time, draft submissions and appear before administrative tribunals and/or courts.
• Assist in the development and/or improvement of Legal Services standard operating procedures, tools and databases, and file management systems.
• Provide training and create resource documents for NPF employees.
• Identify educative resources for continuing professional development.
• Assist with the onboarding of new legal services employees.
• Prepare legal memos / guides and provide training to NPF Staff and NPF Elected Officials on topics including the collective agreement, Code of Conduct, and legislation (may require travel).
• Assist in the development of NPF training material and educative resources.
• Identify and coordinate with subject matter experts.
• Provide support and advice on employment issues, including but not limited to drafting and/or reviewing employment contracts, drafting and/or reviewing internal policies, drafting and/or reviewing termination letters/agreements.
• Provide support and advice to NPF Staff Directors regarding legal issues that may arise during their day-to-day activities.
• Provide support and advice to the NPF Executive and Board of Directors regarding legal issues that arise in the day-to-day operation of the NPF, including attending meetings and providing advice to various internal Boards and Committees.
• Investigate and analyze emerging trends related to the implementation of the Collective Agreement, assess their impact on the NPF and its Members, evaluate their importance for existing interpretations, policies and procedures.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package.
• Generous Group Benefit package including Health Care Spending and Taxable Spending Accounts.
• Group Registered Savings Plan (GRSP) matching program of up to 7%.
• Professional development opportunities.
• An inclusive, passionate and fun team environment.
• Starting annual leave for this position is 4 weeks (accrued as earned), which increases to 5 weeks after five years of employment with the NPF.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior