Legal Aid Alberta is seeking to fill a full time, Senior Assessment Team Lead- Criminal position in our Edmonton office. This position will appeal to an individual that likes to take initiative, is client focused and is exceptionally strong in delivering high-quality results.
Who We Are
As a publicly funded, non-profit organization, Legal Aid Alberta provides affordable legal services in family law, domestic violence, child welfare, immigration, and youth and adult criminal defense. We are Alberta-wide, with 300 staff and 1,200 private practice lawyers helping people overcome their legal challenges in more than 75 communities across the province.
Who You Are
Working at Legal Aid Alberta means you care about people and empathize with their situation. You have excellent communication skills especially in tough situations. You’re computer-savvy and more organized than anyone you know. Fast-paced work environments give you a rush and you’re always up for a challenge. You love learning new things, solving problems, and can adapt to change quickly. You care deeply about the success of our team and our organization.
Job Description
Reporting to the Director, Certificate & Assessment Services, some of the key responsibilities include:
- Provide direct supervision, mentorship, coaching, and practice advice to Criminal Assessment Lawyers.
- Lead regular team meetings for direct reports and participate in broader Assessment Team and leadership meetings.
- Support performance management activities, including informal feedback, coaching conversations, and contributing to annual performance reviews in collaboration with the Assessment Manager and Director, Certificate & Assessment Services.
- Ensure consistent understanding and application of LAA policies, procedures, rules, and tariff within the criminal assessment function.
- Provide expert criminal law guidance related to eligibility, coverage, merit, and case management decisions.
- Review authorization requests and approve or reject requests on existing certificates within established financial parameters.
- Provide timely and well-reasoned merit opinions related to criminal law matters, including recommendations for approval or denial of coverage and determination of urgency and priority.
- Advise staff and roster lawyers on criminal assessment issues, tariffs, and certificate interpretation.
- Participate in roster lawyer education related to criminal assessment practices, policies, and expectations.
- Support the Director, Certificate & Assessment Services in the development and continuous improvement of the Criminal Assessment Team’s processes and workflows.
- Contribute to the development and maintenance of assessment tools, guidelines, and operational documentation related to criminal assessment.
- Record and review statistics related to criminal assessment work to support reporting and quality assurance.
- Develop and maintain productive relationships with internal stakeholders, roster lawyers, and justice system partners.
- Support the Director, Certificate & Assessment Services with data collection, analysis, and reporting related to criminal assessment work.
- Identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement in criminal assessment decisions and workflows.
Qualifications
Education and Experience:
- Law Degree from a recognized law school
- Member in good standing in the Law Society of Alberta
- Minimum of 5 years of practising law with an emphasis on criminal law.
- Experience in the Court of Appeal experience is required and
- Experience in the Supreme Court of Canada experience is considered an asset
Knowledge and Skills:
- Familiar with databases and various computer applications such as case management software.
- Excellent working knowledge of criminal, including:
- Legal processes and relevant legislation.
- Rules of Court and court proceedings.
- Youth Criminal Justice Act.
- Criminal Code and sentencing.
- Excellent understanding of court room and administrative processes.
- Legal analysis and application of law to relevant facts.
- Strong computer literacy, particularly MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel).
- Strong interpersonal & communication (written and oral) skills, including the ability to express ideas and recommendations clearly and concisely.
- Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with lawyers and non-lawyers in a fast paced, high stress environment.
- Have the technical skills required to provide competent legal services including:
- Investigate the facts, identify key issues, ascertain client objectives, and consider possible solutions.
- Apply appropriate skills including legal research, writing and drafting, legal analysis, application of the law to the relevant facts.
- Strong organizational skills including the ability to deal with conflicting urgent priorities.
- Ability to think strategically.
Annual Salary Range: $125,000- $180,000
What We Offer: Perks of working with us
- Competitive wage
- RRSP employer contribution
- Health and dental benefits
- Health and wellness accounts
- Employee assistance program
- Hybrid work opportunities
- Team environment
How to Apply
If you got excited at the prospect of being a part of our team when you reviewed this posting and you meet the minimum qualifications, please select ‘Apply Now’ to create your candidate profile. This competition will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Requirements
Successful candidate will be required to provide an acceptable criminal record check and social media screening.
