Principal Counsel, Labour and Employment Law - Temporary

Air Canada • Dorval, QC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Air Canada is seeking a Principal Counsel, Labour and Employment Law to join their team of professionals in Montreal. The successful candidate will support the Assistant General Counsel, Labour and Employment Law on a variety of matters. This role involves representing Air Canada in labour arbitration, litigation, and before various boards and tribunals. The position also includes drafting legal documents, gathering information for complaints and grievances, advising on collective bargaining, providing employment law advice to internal clients, preparing and delivering training, and maintaining team tools and templates. The role also entails providing strategic advice on complex matters and mentoring junior lawyers.

Requirements

• Law degree from an accredited law school
• Member of the Bar for at least 10 years in one of the Canadian provinces or territories
• Minimum of 10 years of labour and employment practice in a law firm or in a large corporate environment with a track record of success providing legal advice and counsel on a broad range of issues.
• Knowledge of federal labour law and procedure.
• Strong business sense.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, in English and French. A writing sample may be requested.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Strong negotiation and advocacy skills in grievance arbitration, labour board proceedings, and employment related litigation.
• Facility with Adobe, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, QuickLaw, Westlaw, and other online legal research tools.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly.
• Demonstrate punctuality and dependability to support overall team success in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong attention to detail and a rigorous approach to legal work.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize.
• Desire to pursue on-going professional development.
• Willingness to ask questions as needed.
• Strong time management skills, including the ability to work independently and to work on several projects simultaneously. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with others, at all levels of the organization and whether internal or external counsel.
• Demonstrated professionalism, integrity and discretion.
• Capacity to work under pressure, displaying composure in stressful situations while managing multiple priorities.
• Resilience and enthusiasm.
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the country of interest at the time any offer of employment is made and are responsible for obtaining any required work permits, visas, or other authorizations necessary for employment. Prior to their start date, candidates will also need to provide proof of their eligibility to work in the country of interest.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in arbitration, human rights tribunal proceedings, and judicial proceedings preferred.

Responsibilities

• Representing Air Canada in labour arbitration (both in traditional and expedited formats), and in litigation before the Courts as well as the Canada Industrial Relations Board and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal or their provincial counterparts.
• Drafting and reviewing correspondence and hearing documents (briefs, witness statements, written arguments, motion records, settlement documents, etc.).
• Gathering and reviewing the information necessary to respond to inquiries, complaints and grievances.
• Advising on collective bargaining matters and supporting bargaining teams in reaching advantageous agreements.
• Providing advice on a variety of employment law related matters to internal clients.
• Preparing training materials and delivering training to internal clients on labour, employment, and human rights matters.
• Maintaining and updating the tools and templates used by the Labour and Employment team.
• Providing strategic advice on complex labour and employment matters and playing an active role in mentoring and supporting junior lawyers within the Labour and Employment team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree