Senior Legal Counsel, Labour & Employment

Job Description

– Senior Legal Counsel, Labour & Employment

Reporting to and under the direction of the Executive General Counsel, the Senior Legal Counsel will provide legal advice and representation on a broad range of labour and employment law files.

As Senior Legal Counsel, Labour & Employment, you will be responsible for representing the Board at labour mediations and arbitrations, preparing legal submissions, researching case law, and advancing the Board’s interests at mediations, settlement discussions and arbitration. You will also be responsible for providing legal advice on legal issues arising from day to day with respect to the Board’s employees – both unionized and non-unionized.

As the ideal candidate, you will have a minimum of fifteen years of labour law experience and at least ten years of experience independently conducting labour mediations and litigating labour arbitrations. Public-sector experience is strongly preferred.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• Represent the Board at labour grievance mediations and arbitrations.
• Prepare legal submissions for filing at various labour and other related tribunals.
• Provide legal advice to Board leadership (e.g. Superintendents, Principals, Vice-Principals, Business Leaders and Human Resources professionals) on legal matters related to their rights, responsibilities and duties as leaders in a highly unionized environment (i.e. working with collective agreements and applicable legislation), and as leaders supervising non-unionized staff.
• Advise on the implementation of resolutions in labour matters from a legal perspective.
• Provide legal advice on disciplinary matters and the implementation of discipline as appropriate.
• Provide legal advice as needed to support the development of negotiation strategies and bargaining activities.
• Research and prepare legal opinions and memoranda for the Executive General Counsel on labour and employment law matters.
• Collaborate with the Executive General Counsel in supporting the vision for the Board’s legal services.
• Assist in drafting reports on legal matters as directed by the Executive General Counsel to support Board functions.
• Remain current on developments of relevant legal updates and issues.
• Adhere to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.
• Perform such other duties and tasks as directed by and to support the Executive General Counsel.

Education and Professional Skills / Knowledge

The TCDSB is strongly committed to fostering and creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the stakeholders and communities we serve. As such, we welcome and encourage applications from candidates who self-identify as members of groups protected by the Human Rights Code (including but not limited to racialized persons, persons with disabilities, Indigenous and Aboriginal peoples, and women).You are invited to voluntarily indicate if you identify as one or more of the aforementioned groups. This information will be kept confidential.