Review Counsel - Queens University

The Faculty of Law seeks a dynamic lawyer with experience in corporate/commercial law who is committed to serving clients within the Kingston community. The incumbent will have a passion for mentoring and positively contributing to the learning environment for students.

Reporting to the Director of Queen’s Business Law Clinic, the Review Counsel is responsible for the delivery of clinical legal education to Queen’s Law students and the provision of professional services to clients, including participating in community education and development.

Queen’s Business Law Clinic (QBLC) is part of the Queen’s Law Clinics (QLC), which are year-round legal clinics providing legal services and clinical education programming. Law students at the QBLC provide legal services and information without charge to an exciting and rewarding range of diverse local start-ups, small businesses and not-for-profit clients, under the supervision of Review Counsel and the Director. As a clinical education program, the QBLC as part of the QLC provides experiential learning opportunities to student caseworkers registered in LAW 438A/B, a year-long course from September to April (the academic year). During the summer, the QBLC hires three to five full-time summer students who manage client files from May to August.

The Review Counsel will be responsible for assisting the Director with guiding student caseworkers in the development of their legal skills, providing advice and guidance on legal matters to student caseworkers enrolled in LAW 438 during the academic year. Review Counsel will also assist the Director with supervising summer students, promoting an environment that supports equity, diversity and inclusion.

Review Counsel is governed by the Law Society of Ontario, the regulatory body for all Ontario-based lawyers, and must personally practice in compliance with the Law Society Act, the Legal Aid Services Act, 2020 and the Solicitors Act, as well as the provincial Rules of Professional Conduct. In coordination with the Director, QLA, Review Counsel has responsibility for clinic compliance with these same statutes and rules.

Complete job description can be viewed on the Careers webpage.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist the Director with supervising, teaching and assessing students in an experiential legal education environment in accordance with professional standards. This includes supervising the drafting of legal opinions, government filings, and contracts dealing with a full range of corporate/commercial legal matters. Review Counsel will help prepare students for their duties, review file work, provide performance appraisals, develop client management skills and provide other support as needed.
• Review student clinic services rendered to clients, including their client interactions, legal research, draft opinions, contracts and other legal documents, correspondence, file management and adherence to the Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Assume complete professional responsibility for all aspects of clients’ legal files in all matters.
• Maintain expertise in corporate/commercial law and be willing to assist students in their exploration of potentially less familiar areas, like employment and intellectual property law.
• Counsel students personally and professionally to ensure the quality of clinic services, including teaching, guiding legal research, scrutinizing legal writing, drafting legal opinions, and professional correspondence, monitoring client and file management techniques and ensuring adherence to deadlines.
• Participate in continuing legal education programs and personal professional development to develop and maintain both knowledge of relevant law as well as skills in pedagogy relating to clinical legal education.
• Secure client work for QBLC, promote QBLC to students and future clients through participation in QBLC outreach activities, including:

1. Community legal education: Producing materials for community education in the form of pamphlets, articles, manuals, self-help kits and digital resources;
2. Participate in the development and organization of outreach programs for specific groups;
3. Act as a resource person in various community organizations;
4. Prepare a program of educational seminars designed for the client community, giving speeches, workshops and other educational activities;
5. Business development; and
6. Fostering relationships with diverse partner organizations and referral sources.

• Maintain direct carriage of QBLC files, where necessary.
• In coordination with the Director, QBLC oversee clinic operational and administrative matters, including compliance with guidelines, policies and procedures, analyzing data and deciding the scope and nature of QBLC activities.
• Develop curriculum and required materials, teach courses, and engage law students in classroom discussions.
• Provide input and support to the Director, QBLC on course program delivery and activities as required.
• Make recommendations to the Director, QBLC regarding the selection of credit students and volunteers as well as the employment of summer student caseworkers, including hiring and dismissal decisions.
• Provide work direction, and technical/functional guidance to staff and student caseworkers. Coordinate and monitor workflow.
• Review assignments and provide feedback on work to employees and student caseworkers.
• Provide input on student work performance to the Director, QBLC.
• Escalate unresolved performance and/or disciplinary matters to the Director, QBLC.
• Contribute to evaluations and performance appraisals of student caseworkers enrolled in LAW 498: Queen’s Business Law Clinic and LAW 593: Queen’s Law Clinics – Student Leadership and of QBLC staff.
• Undertake other duties as assigned by the Director, QBLC in support of QBLC or the QLC.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• J.D. or LL.B.
• Called to the Bar and a member of good standing in the Law Society of Ontario.
• Three to five years of legal experience with demonstrable knowledge of fundamental corporate/commercial legal skills. Corporate/Commercial law practice experience in a reputable law firm is an asset.
• Familiarity with community resources available to QBLC clients.
• Teaching experience and knowledge of clinical/experiential learning techniques are assets.
• Supervisory experience and knowledge of clinical/experiential learning techniques are assets.
• Post-secondary teaching experience is considered an asset.
• Administrative experience, including personnel and office management is considered an asset.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and presentation skills.
• Exceptional professional judgment, common sense and flexibility.
• Awareness of ethical and professional standards required for proper delivery of legal services.
• Superior capacity to work on complex tasks and meet deadlines despite many interruptions.
• Exceptional supervisory skills.
• High sensitivity to the needs and demands of consumers and providers of professional legal services, especially where the latter are students.
• Cultural proficiency to work well with, respond effectively to and be supportive in cross-cultural settings, demonstrating sensitivity and awareness.
• Excellent attention to detail, coupled with capacity to conceptualize, think creatively and strategically.
• Ability to analyze quickly and to respond in crisis situations.
• Analytical and interpretive skills, the ability to synthesize information from a wide variety of sources and devise plans and workable solutions for dealing with a wide range of problems.
• Demonstrated capacity for diplomacy, tact and discretion, along with ability to maintain confidentiality.

DECISION MAKING:

• Provide consideration of operational decisions, policies and procedures for QBLC, on both a day-to-day and a longer-term planning basis.
• Select appropriate clients for QBLC (assisting in establishing broad guidelines and deciding upon applications from individual applicants).
• Decide appropriate referral information, when applicants are rejected as QBLC clients.
• Determine legal services required by clients and decide whether it is appropriate for the requested services to be provided by a student caseworker.
• Provide initial direction to student caseworkers followed by close supervision of all research, correspondence and representation.
• Identify and respond to needs for emergency legal services, either personally or through delegation to student caseworkers.
• Decide on content and instructional strategy of training programs for student caseworkers.
• Determine if student caseworkers may require specific counselling or guidance and decide how to offer this discreetly and effectively.
• Determine content of responses to complaints from clients, student caseworkers or others.
• Manage multiple, complex, simultaneous tasks; juggle priorities to meet changing, often competing deadlines.
• Allocate a continuous, stable and challenging workload for student caseworkers.
• Assess the suitability of job candidates and recommend the most appropriate person for hire.
• Determine priorities and make decisions about the assignment of work to staff and student caseworkers to achieve optimum efficiencies and productivity.
• Monitor and assess output and the quality of employees’ work and recommend need for formal training or development plans to management and identify possible staff performance and/or disciplinary issues.

Please apply online at:
https://clients.njoyn.com/CL4/xweb/xweb.asp?clid=74827&page=jobdetails&jobid=J0326-0952&BRID=EX444439&SBDID=21474&LANG=1.