Legal Counsel

Welcome to Gordon Food Service

We are excited that you are thinking about opportunities with us, and we have an amazing story to share. Here's a quick glance of who we are and the impact you could have on the food service industry.

There's a seat at our table for you…

This role is based in Milton, Ontario as a part of the growing legal team in Canada.

What We Offer:

• The salary range for this position is $145,000 to $165,000 plus 20% bonus potential

• Hybrid work

• Travel across Canada and occasionally in US

• Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug, and EAP Benefits after 30 days of employment

• FULL flex benefits program

• Company matching RRSP

• Profit Sharing

• 125-year, family-owned and operated company history

• Family culture and advancement opportunities

What you would do:

• General provision of legal advice to business and operational employees of company and specialty companies including but not limited to:

  Employment Law: Management of sensitive legal issues such as employee termination negotiations and related litigation, human rights complaints, integrity hotline complaints, investigations, ensuring consistency in template documents, advising on employment equity compliance, assist with immigration and work permit applications, work with Compliance and HR in policy development and respective processes

  Commercial Law: Contract negotiation, drafting, review; recommending solutions and mitigating risk

  Corporate Law: Support on business acquisition and merger activities, including due diligence, negotiation, and documentation

  Real Estate Law: Lease review, landlord disputes, purchase and sale of real property, lease negotiations, contractor management, etc.

  Litigation: Assist in the management of litigation through collaboration with external counsel and business personnel

  IP Law: Non-disclosure agreements; licensing agreements; consultation on IP, IT, CASL

  Regulatory: Research new regulations affecting the business in all areas; conveying them to the business through development of compliance training.

• Collaborate with other members of the Legal Team to support the Canadian Business and the broader organization where appropriate.

• Assist with project work and strategic efforts, including the advancement of contract lifecycle management technology.

• Performs other duties as assigned

Does this sound like you?

• Minimum 4 years of post-call legal experience in a corporate legal environment or Top-tier law firm with some exposure to several of the substantive areas listed; preference for in-house lawyer (Fortune 500 or comparably sized food industry company is a plus).

• Legal and Business Acumen:

• A pragmatic, business-oriented approach to problem-solving with a demonstrated ability to balance legal risks with business objectives

• Proven ability to translate complex legal concepts into practical, actionable advice for a non-legal audience

• Presentation skills that can reach audiences of operational employees through senior executive level employees

• Excellent time and case management skills; exceptional responsiveness and the ability to shift quickly between substantive areas of law in a fast paced environment

• Self starting and independent work style, without need for frequent points of contact/supervision throughout the day

• Good judgment, triage capability, and ability to spot issues; strong workload management skills with the ability to work independently or collaborate, conduct research and assess risk, and escalate matters when appropriate

• Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing circumstances, strategies or when defending/conveying a point

• High level of integrity exercised internally and in representing GFS to outside parties

• English fluency required, additional French fluency strongly preferred.