Legal Counsel needed at Canadian Bar Association Guelph, Ontario, Canada-Apply now

An experienced lawyer who can provide legal services in a highly decentralized environment with numerous stakeholders, participating in collegial decision-making while understanding the unique academic environment of a university setting, will welcome this opportunity to join the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) at the University of Guelph.

OLC provides practical advice on a variety of legal matters, including, but not limited to: policies and procedures, business and commercial contracts (such as procurement, real estate, construction, sponsorship agreements, software, IT, academic contracts), intellectual property, human rights, municipal matters, real property and facilities issues, privacy issues, estates, charitable donations, administrative tribunal matters, governance, student housing, student issues, professional regulatory matters (i.e. veterinarians), as applicable, and general employment matters.

As Legal Counsel, you will demonstrate your excellent communication skills, sound judgement and ability to influence or shift opinions, to explain complicated legal issues to senior members and administrators at the University and assist decision-makers in reaching consensus on complex matters. In this role, you will participate on committees and working groups, as assigned, representing the Office of Legal Counsel in a professional manner that builds relationships, encourages inter-departmental collaboration and promotes the University's strategic goals. You will be expected to seek out and encourage decision-makers to engage with the OLC to encourage a more proactive approach to legal matters and legal risk, an approach that requires outreach to various units across campus and the ability to service clients from a “value added” perspective.

More specifically, as Legal Counsel, you will be expected to:

• provide legal advice to the University on a range of issues with specialization or emphasis in procurement, real estate, construction, IT, municipal matters and other matters, as assigned;
• provide advice and input in policy development and implementation;
• proactively identify legal issues, and risks and make strategic recommendations;
• prepare, review and negotiate contracts and a wide variety of legal agreements;
• handle a variety of complex assigned legal projects;
• provide input in matters of legal risk management or reputational risk;
• develop and present training workshops to internal clients;
• appear before external bodies on behalf of the University;
• assume the role of Acting General Counsel in the absence of the General Counsel.

Qualifications

To take on the role of Legal Counsel, you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the following attributes:

• Successful completion of a Bachelor of Law (LLB) program.
• Membership in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario.
• A minimum of 4 years’ experience practising law, including knowledge of, and experience with, best practices in university governance, ideally in an academic or broader public sector environment.
• High degree of ethics and integrity, and ability to inspire confidence, trust, and respect of key stakeholders.
• Exceptional research capabilities and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in providing sophisticated legal advice, with the ability to exercise sound judgement and tact in advising on sensitive and complex issues while mitigating risk.

The University of Guelph is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive comprehensive institutions, with a record of outstanding scholarship in the arts, humanities, social sciences, life sciences, physical and engineering sciences, agriculture and veterinary sciences. This is your chance to join us in our endeavour to improve life.

To view a detailed posting for the role of Legal Counsel, including application instructions, please go to our website . Applications, quoting Hiring #2023-0270, must be sent to: careers@uoguelph.ca .

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.