Reporting to the General Counsel, the Legal Counsel provides legal advice and services to the District, with a particular focus on overseeing workplace investigations involving the professional conduct of employees, including the Respectful Workplace (Anti-Harassment) Policy and investigations into Alleged Employee Misconduct Toward Students. The Legal Counsel supervises the work of the internal professional conduct investigators as well as third-party investigators, and provides legal advice to leaders across the district on issues related to professional conduct in the workplace, including progressive discipline.
The Legal Counsel also provides legal advice to Senior Staff, Principals and Managers on matters related to privacy law, coordinates the Access to Information process and related procedures, implements privacy programs for the District, and provides advice on other labour and administrative law matters.
Qualifications:
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Law degree (LL.B / J.D.) and is a member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario;
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At least 5 years experience as a lawyer, preferably in an area of law involving investigations such as workplace investigations, child protection, or criminal law;
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Demonstrated understanding of the law related to conducting fair and effective workplace investigations;
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Demonstrated managerial and leadership skills, including the ability to lead teams and engage in change management;
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Knowledge of labour relations and employment matters as they relate to the education sector, including an understanding and/or experience with the Education Act, Labour Relations Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Human Rights Code, and Child, Youth and Family Services Act;
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Demonstrated understanding of anti-oppression and anti-racism, and the impact of racism and how it intersects with other identities, on the experience and achievement of students in schools and on staff in the performance of their professional duties;
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Familiarity with privacy statutes that apply to the protection of personal information in the public sector, including the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and the Personal Health Information Protection Act.
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High degree of initiative, independent thought, judgment and decision-making skills;
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Research and analytical skills combined with superior written skills for report writing;
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Demonstrated managerial and leadership skills to supervise, coach and mentor staff and teams.
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Organizational skills, as well as time management techniques for planning and managing multiple demands, priorities, and conflicting deadlines;
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Demonstrated expertise with electronic file management systems, complex spreadsheets, or database management would be considered an asset;
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Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in order to provide advice, direction and/or consultation at a high level, to internal and external stakeholders on legal, privacy and employee conduct matters; delivering presentations and facilitating training & information sessions;