Department: Legal Services & Indigenous Relations
Employee Group: Exempt
Location: 4515 Central Boulevard, Burnaby
Salary Range/ Wage Rate: Professional / Technical, Level P5B ($161,794.85 - $190,355.78 annually)

Our Legal Services Department is seeking a Legal Counsel who will join our team of nine lawyers and three administrative staff.

You are called to the Bar in British Columbia and have 5+ years of experience in one or more of the following practice areas: Aboriginal, local government, environmental, regulatory, and contract law.

The Legal Counsel reports to the Lead Legal Counsel and falls within our Professional / Technical P5B job family.

This role:

• Provides legal and strategic advice regarding negotiation of agreements with First Nations, First Nations engagement on projects, and other significant initiatives with First Nations, while collaborating with Metro Vancouver’s Indigenous Relations, Project Development and other internal teams to build, strengthen, maintain and improve effective working relationships with First Nations within the region and with other internal and external contacts of Metro Vancouver.
• Provides drafting and negotiation support on a wide variety of agreements with First Nations (including, for example, engagement agreements, relationship agreements, project referrals agreements, collaboration agreements, MOUs, hunting agreements, and access agreements), and on agreements with other governments and public sector bodies.
• Assists decision making by providing comprehensive risk assessment and liability advice. Reviews appropriate risk assessment and policies to address compliance with laws and regulations. Provides drafting advice for strategic plans, attends internal workshops in the early stages of a project to offer legal perspective.
• Works to ensure Metro Vancouver satisfies its legislative obligations, reduces its exposure to risk and negative organizational impacts, and enters into contractual terms that optimize Metro Vancouver’s objectives.
• Conducts research on a variety of relevant topics and stays current on changes in laws, especially rapidly developing common law decisions respecting the constitutional rights / title of Indigenous peoples, the application of UNDRIP, and Indigenous laws. Acts as a corporate resource and provides consistent and reliable advice on federal and provincial legislation applicable to solid waste, sewerage and drainage, water, and other regulatory services, including the Local Government Act, Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District Act, Greater Vancouver Water District Act, Community Charter, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, B.C. Human Rights Code, Residential Tenancy Act, Environmental Management Act, Water Sustainability Act, and Fisheries Act. Also acts as a resource and provides advice on Metro Vancouver’s own regulatory bylaws, including compliance and enforcement, and permitting, licensing and administration in jurisdictional spheres including solid waste management, liquid waste disposal, air quality, watershed management, parks, and electoral area governance.
• Makes recommendations in consideration of all relevant information including facts, legal principles, risks, relationships and the clients’ objectives. Advises clients of risks and provides options and alternatives that are clear and responsive to client departments’ needs.
• Performs other related duties as required.

To be successful, you have:

• Bachelor of laws degree or equivalent degree. 5+ years of recent and relevant experience as a practicing lawyer.
• Good standing as a practicing member of the Law Society of British Columbia.
• Sound experience with Aboriginal, local government, contract and regulatory law. In-house legal counsel experience, particularly in the local government context, is an asset. Experience with real estate, such as leases and statutory rights of way, is an advantage.
• Superior oral and written communication skills, including the ability to effectively listen, persuade others, and resolve complex problems using a high degree of independent judgment.
• Significant experience drafting and revising sensitive and complex legal documents.
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • provide objective opinions and explain options and alternatives that are clear and responsive to clients’ issues and needs;
  • interpret legislation and provide reliable and consistent advice. Experience with rapidly evolving Aboriginal law decisions, UNDRIP and Indigenous laws, and with federal and provincial legislation applicable to local government, solid waste, sewerage and drainage, water, and other regulatory services, including the Local Government Act, Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage Act, Greater Vancouver Water District Act, Community Charter, Environmental Management Act, Water Sustainability Act, Fisheries Act and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act is an asset;
  • work under broad direction without formal guidelines or precedent and use significant independent judgment to provide advice to clients on issues of major consequence for the organization;
  • meet challenging timelines and objectives, adept at managing dynamic situations, and demonstrated persistence in overcoming obstacles;
  • be highly organized and detail-oriented, and able to keep meticulous records;
  • build and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external contacts under circumstances that may be highly politicized and sensitive;
  • navigate disagreements, provide effective guidance and propose relevant and practical solutions in adversarial situations;
  • identify areas of risk or opportunity and propose solutions to resolve issues in the best interests of the organization;
  • understand and evaluate the long-term impact of decisions; and
  • analyze and interpret complex issues where considerable variation in interpretation is possible.
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Valid BC Class 5 Driver’s Licence.