General Counsel

Job Description

General Counsel

The Law Society of Alberta (Law Society) regulates the legal profession in the public interest by promoting and enforcing a high standard of professional and ethical conduct by Alberta lawyers.

We derive our authority from the Legal Profession Act of Alberta and set standards through a Code of Conduct and the Rules of the Law Society.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, the General Counsel is responsible for providing high-level strategic, legal, and governance advice to the Law Society’s executive.

This role is directly responsible for litigation management, organizational risk management, and provision of in-house legal advice and services.

This role is a member of the Executive Leadership Team.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• Providing high-level strategic, legal and governance advice to the Law Society’s executive.
• Acting as in-house counsel to the Law Society and its internal stakeholders.
• Litigation management. Monitoring all court actions against the Law Society and its staff, agents and volunteers, instructing external counsel, and managing the day-to-day requirements of the E&O insurer including notices, legal costs and litigation holds.
• Overseeing the organization’s privacy program or, if required, acting as the designated Privacy Officer.
• Identifying governance, business and legal issues that pose significant financial, operational or reputational risk to the Law Society.

As required, planning and leading programs, including enterprise risk management, insurance, and contract review, to mitigate identified Law Society risks.

Collaborating with Law Society subsidiary on their risk mitigation strategies and tactics.

• Participating as an active member of the Executive Leadership Team.
• Participating in external boards and committees as required, including involvement in strategic Federation of Law Societies of Canada initiatives.
• Leading special projects and strategic initiatives of the Law Society of Alberta as assigned by the CEO and Executive Director.

Education and Professional Skills / Knowledge

• LL.B. or J.D. degree (or equivalent).
• Good standing with a Canadian Law Society.
• Minimum of 15+ years of practice experience, and 5+ years of leadership experience in a complex organizational environment.
• Demonstrated experience with litigation management.
• Demonstrated experience with contract review and risk assessment.
• Demonstrated experience with applying a strategic business perspective.
• Demonstrated experience with organizational risk identification and mitigation.
• Occasional travel required.

Core Competencies

• Professional and Ethical : Professional yet approachable demeanor with unwavering integrity. Demonstrated track record of maintaining the highest level of ethical and professional standards.
• Innovative : Thinks progressively and proactively identifies and seizes opportunities.
• Intellectually curious; understands organizational challenges and is a "progressive idea person" committed to excellence and innovation in the workplace.
• Leadership : Acts as a role model for others, holding self and others accountable for actions and results. Articulates a vision, provides clear direction, sets high performance standards, and contributes to a high-performance culture.
• Collaborative : A good listener. Understands the views of a wide range of stakeholders and works in a collaborative manner to reach consensus.

Actively promotes collaboration both within and across teams.

• Skilled Communicator : Capable of establishing a high level of credibility, both internally and externally with a wide variety of stakeholders.
• Business and Financial Acumen : Able to manage a sizable budget. Skilled at optimizing resources and continuously improving services and operations.
• Organizational and Political Competence : Able to move through the organizational environment and complex situations effectively, sensitively, and with integrity.

Politically aware, but not political.