Job opportunity: Family Law Lawyer, The Law Centre

The Law Centre

The Law Centre provides clinical legal education to students enrolled in the Faculty of Law, while also providing a range of legal services to low-income clients through a clinic located off campus at the Victoria Courthouse. Students enroll in the program as a full term, for credit, course fulfilling the role of articled students, directly interviewing, advising, and representing clients with legal matters, with the supervision, advice, and assistance of lawyers in the office.

Working at The Law Centre under the supervision of the Clinical Director, the Family Law Lawyer will enhance the family law services provided by The Law Centre, carrying a case load, and providing legal and procedural advice for The Law Centre clients.

The Family Law Lawyer will:

• Identify gaps in family law services for financially eligible
• Liaise with the Justice Access Centre, duty counsel, the Family Law Bar and other family law services operating in Victoria to ensure that the work done by the Family Law Lawyer will most effectively enhance the resources available for clients who need help to resolve their family law issues.
• Manage a family-law caseload, providing legal and procedural advice for The Law Centre clients who present with issues relating to guardianship and parenting time, child support, spousal support, divorce and separation agreements.
• Prepare Family Court, Supreme Court and other related legal
• Attend the Victoria and Western Community Courts on family days to provide unrepresented litigants with information about Family Court procedures, services available in the community to help them deal with their family law issues and (when appropriate) ensure that they are assisted by duty counsel.
• Attend to and work with various community groups, including attending the Victoria Native Friendship Centre as part of an ongoing outreach program.
• Support The Law Centre students by advising on family law files, ensuring client continuity during student orientation periods, and supervising student work on discrete portions of complex files.
• Contribute to student learning through orientation participation and training sessions on family law practice.

Qualifications

The appointee is expected to have a J.D. or LL.B. degree and have membership or eligibility for membership in the Law Society of British Columbia. They must have a minimum of three (3) years call to the bar in British Columbia or equivalent experience in another Canadian jurisdiction and recent family law experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of collaborative processes and the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s Collaborative Practice and Decision-Making Policy.
• Experience and interest in Public Legal.
• Demonstrated ability to develop resourceful solutions to legal problems of
• Experience providing legal advice to clients facing disadvantage, marginalization, and discrimination, with awareness of the social, economic, health, and systemic factors affecting legal problems and solutions.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills with the capacity to assess complex situations and recommend sound actions.
• Demonstrated mediation and negotiation skills, including experience representing clients with highly critical matters.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare clear documentation and deliver effective presentations to varied audiences.
• Demonstrated mentorship and supervisory capabilities, supporting the development, guidance, and performance of staff or trainees.
• Superior organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to balance substantial workloads, competing priorities, and shifting demands.
• High degree of diplomacy, cultural awareness, and tact in navigating sensitive, inter-cultural, and inter-societal communications.
• Experience with legal software systems, including proficiency in managing, maintaining, and utilizing technology tools relevant to legal operations.

The position is made possible through funding from the Law Foundation of BC. This is typically a full-time position, but one or more part-time appointments may be considered. Remuneration is anticipated to fall within the range of $95,000 to $117,000 annually based on a 1.0 FTE and will be commensurate with educational background and experience of the successful candidate. Benefits or payment in lieu of benefits may also be offered.

To Apply

Letters of application (maximum two pages), a curriculum vitae, and the names of (and contact information for) three references should be sent Chris Heslinga, Clinical Director of The Law Centre at director@thelawcentre.ca.

UVic is committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and human rights in our living, learning and work environments. In pursuit of our values, we seek members who are eager to actively participate in that shared responsibility. We actively encourage applications from members of historically and systemically marginalized groups.

Read our full equity statement.

We recognize that many of these identities intersect and that therefore, equity, diversity and inclusion can be complex. We value the contributions that each person brings and are committed to ensuring full and equal participation for all in our community.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. If you are neither a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, please indicate if you are authorized to work in Canada or willingness to apply for authorization, if offered a position contingent upon eligibility and approval from Canadian government authorities.

We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Xʷsepsəm/Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.