Location: Smithers, BC
Status: Permanent, Full-Time
Affiliation: Professional Employees’ Association
Salary range: Based on year of call - $73,059.89 (Yr1) to $148,530.41 (Yr17) + 10% Staff Lawyer Benefit Plan
Competition #: P042-25
VALUES STATEMENT:
Our commitment to the principles of fundamental justice embedded in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and to Truth and Reconciliation, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is ambitious and foundational. It informs everything we do, as we defend liberty, equality, autonomy, and dignity; as we dismantle colonization, racism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia, and all discrimination. These are our values, and they inform our hiring practices too. Our business is aiding people in severe legal distress and necessitates internal and external alignment of practicing these values. Integrating Truth and Reconciliation, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion throughout every aspect of Legal Aid BC is critical to building that culture, and we prioritize ongoing resources to achieve that goal.
We are seeking a Managing Lawyer, Parents Legal Centre to join our team.
The Opportunity
The Parents Legal Centre (PLC) takes a holistic approach to family and child protection law. The PLC supports parents to resolve not only their legal matter but also the underlying non-legal issues, such as housing or addictions, which often contribute to protection concerns in the first place through a team that includes a managing lawyer, staff lawyer(s), advocate/paralegal(s) and administrative/intake legal assistant(s). Together, this team works to provide advice and representation to PLC clients on family and child protection matters and strive to reach early team-oriented resolutions when appropriate. We believe that better outcomes can be achieved when parents receive legal advice and support during the early stages of their family and child protection matters.
As a Managing Lawyer, PLC, your primary function is reporting to an Excluded Manager, the Managing Lawyer is responsible for managing an Office and providing legal counsel in one or more areas of law practiced in that office within the context of Legal Aid BC (LABC) policies and procedures. This role involves overseeing the delivery of professional legal services, supervising operations and resources, and liaising with the Vancouver Regional Centre on various initiatives.
Key accountabilities include, but aren't limited to:
- Provide summary legal advice, information, and individual case representation primarily in family and child protection law, with some involvement in poverty and criminal law services as needed.
- Develop solutions to legal problems, focusing on early resolution, and represent clients, including hearings and trials in Provincial and Supreme Court.
- Plan, direct, and manage the activities of the Office to ensure effective and efficient delivery of mandated and contracted services.
- Supervise a team of lawyers, paralegals, and intake staff, including performance planning, coaching, and feedback. Monitor and evaluate probation/trial periods, conduct staff lawyer file reviews, ensure compliance with timekeeping systems and caseload targets, and handle disciplinary matters in consultation with Human Resources.
- Provide leadership and direction for staff development, establishing individual performance goals and objectives.
- Mentor and coach junior and intermediate staff lawyers while maintaining an active senior-level practice caseload.
- Report to the Manager on Office operations, staff performance, training, and disciplinary matters.
- Manage expenses within approved budgets, including authorizing expenditures, approving overtime, vacation/sick leave, and travel expenses for all staff.
- Oversee office procedures and administrative systems, including intake procedures and case acceptance criteria, in accordance with LABC policy and standards.
- Develop a strategic annual service delivery plan in consultation with staff.
Who We Are
Legal Aid BC (LABC) is a non-profit organization established by the Legal Services Society Act in 1979. Our mission is to provide legal information, advice, and representation services to BC's most vulnerable and marginalized citizens who lack the necessary resources to effectively access the justice system when their families, freedom, or safety are at risk. Our vision is to see BC’s legal system transformed, by the way LABC represents our clients, into one more equitable and inclusive with a mission to strengthen client-centred legal help for British Columbians experiencing barriers accessing the legal system.
At LABC, we know that our continued ability to help the people who need us is due to the hardworking individuals who make up our team, dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people in need. We foster a positive culture of open communication for our team to thrive within, underpinned by our values of client focus, advancing Truth and Reconciliation, an
