Permanent Full Time

We are looking for an Assistant Vice-President (AVP) & Senior Counsel, Litigation.

Reporting to the Vice-President & Associate General Counsel, Litigation and Employment, as an AVP & Senior Counsel, Litigation, you will be a key member and leader of the Canadian Litigation and Employment group and support our Canadian business units by providing practical and timely legal representation and advice in legal disputes and on strategic and tactical legal and regulatory issues, particularly in Que9bec. Your primary focus will be on litigation, human resource matters in Que9bec, and advice on Que9bec regulatory matters, but will also include supervision, advice and carriage of common law matters. Your work will be wide-ranging and will provide the opportunity to develop expertise in dynamic practice areas within the litigation function. You will have responsibility for a broad portfolio of legal matters and interact with and provide advice to senior management on a regular basis. You will work with, and lead, a highly accomplished team of legal professionals and your general responsibilities will include:

• Contributing as a member of the Canadian Legal group by bringing your experience, creative legal skills, and collaborative work ethic to deliver practical solutions to our businesses.
• Providing legal opinions, advice, recommendations to various business units on any legal matter which affects or involves the Company (both civil and common law), and being a specialist on legal matters involving Que9bec, including advice on regulatory compliance questions related to the Autorite9 des marche9s financiers (AMF) and the Commission des normes de l'e9quite9 de la sante9 ed de la se9curite9 du travail (CNESST).
• Managing the day-to-day handling of requests for litigation advice, opinions and representation from various business units of the Company.
• Overseeing retaining, educating, instructing, and managing external counsel retained to handle litigation (civil and common law), Que9bec employment, and/or Que9bec regulatory matters involving the Company.
• Working closely with business units on select projects providing legal advice to further the business goals and meeting the business's needs and goals.
• Supporting a wide variety of business units in connection with legislative and regulatory matters, including advising on new legal and regulatory developments in Que9bec and/or with respect to litigation risk.
• Assisting the Vice-President & Associate General Counsel, Litigation and Employment on select legal matters and litigation team development, and broader Legal group initiatives.

Management/Leadership Function:

As an AVP & Senior Counsel, Litigation, you will be responsible for the efficient provision of litigation services through management of the litigation team's work and associated administrative resources. You will also have senior leadership and oversight responsibilities for our Montreal legal team for Que9bec law matters. Your leadership responsibilities will include:

• Coaching, mentoring, and developing team members for in-role, career development and succession planning.
• Collaboratively liaising with various business groups and functional partners to establish priorities, monitoring business unit satisfaction and coordinating litigation work and services.
• Working collaboratively with your colleagues in the Canada Life Legal Group to ensure comprehensive and consistent advice is provided to the Company.
• Recruiting, performance evaluation, goal setting and compensation activities for lawyers on your team.
• Co-ordinating and/or contributing to strategic projects that support the business groups we support and the development of the litigation function, efficiencies and capabilities.
• Organizing and leading a variety of litigation team meetings and team meetings for our Montreal legal office.
• Managing various data collection and reporting processes, including for example, reviewing/approving all team member expenses, monitoring budget issues, reviewing and monitoring caseloads, file cycle metrics, and business unit reporting metrics.
• Coordinating leadership objectives and team management with the Litigation Leadership Team to ensure one team approach across various geographic locations, in both civil and common law jurisdictions.

Qualifications and Competencies:

• Member of the Barreau du Que9bec (required) and of the Law Society of Ontario (strongly recommended).
• 10 years of relevant work experience (law firm, in-house, or regulatory body)
• Bilingual in French and English (verbal and written).
• Experience leading a team of strong legal professionals and guiding them in their practice and career development, including both inside and outside Que9bec.
• Strong knowledge of the Que9bec regulatory environment, practices, procedures and principles applicable to the Company (e.g. AMF, CNESST)
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to synthesize and present issues with clarity to senior management in all business and functional areas.
• Strong drafting, legal and communication skills with a practical solution-oriented approach and the ability to use clear, plain language.
• Excellent judgment, solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to identify key issues and provide an independent view to management in a clear and practical manner.
• Thorough understanding and up-to-date knowledge of court procedures and the Que9bec regulatory environment.
• Self-motivated, growth-oriented mindset with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Superior negotiating skills.
• Highly focused with attention to detail.

Career opportunities will be open a minimum of 5 business days from the date of posting, closing dates will vary depending on the search activity. All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

#LI-Hybrid

Requisition ID: 4577

Category: Corporate Functions

Location: