Staff Lawyer, Special Projects

FIRST UNITED is a registered charity that has been serving Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside community for nearly 140 years. We offer responsive, low-barrier services to individuals who are low-income, underhoused or homeless. We provide essential services to meet the daily needs of community members and engage in systems change work to reduce homelessness and break cycles of poverty. If you’re looking for purpose-filled work and want to make a difference in the community, this might be the opportunity for you.

First United is seeking applications for the Term position of:

Staff Lawyer, Special Projects

What We Offer:

Salary: $88,390.62 per annum

• Annual salary progression for all staff
• Comprehensive health benefits that include an extended health and dental plan for regular staff, spouses and dependents.
• Life insurance, Long-term Disability, and AD&D benefits
• 20 days of paid Annual Vacation
• 13 Statutory paid days off every year and 12 days of paid sick leave

This position is for a three (3) year term and dependent on grant funding.

Each job within the First United Church Community Ministry Society should promote our accomplishment of our vision, mission, and values.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

We are seeking an innovative candidate to join us in this new and dynamic role that aims to provide leadership in law reform and systemic change to advance equity across British Columbia and Canada.

The staff lawyer will provide direct legal services, help to build capacity in our Advocacy program, and support law reform and community-based legal education initiatives within a framework of advancing respectful relations and systemic change.

SPECIFIC DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Development and Capacity Building - Advocacy Program

• In collaboration with the Advocacy program, identifying areas for expanded legal service in areas of critical need.
• Developing legal information tools and resources in expanded legal areas.
• Conducting legal research, including interjurisdictional research.
• Providing training and support for advocates working in these areas.
• In collaboration with Advocacy program staff, identify and report on cases and patterns that invite deeper engagement with systemic legal issues or require legal representation beyond core services.
• Maintain awareness of relevant case law and legislative developments and communicate with team as applicable.

Legal Representation

• Providing legal representation and summary advice to clients in various practice areas, including housing law, income security, human rights, and administrative law in expanded legal areas.
• Providing representation before courts and tribunals.
• Drafting memoranda, pleadings, submissions, and reports.
• Communicating and collaborating with outside counsel and community partners.
• Providing training and supervision to staff, as applicable.

Law Reform and Collaboration

• Maintaining awareness of legislative changes and case law in core and expanded legal areas.
• Maintaining relationships with partner organizations interested in law reform.
• Analyzing data and research (both internal and external) and making recommendations for law reform.
• Research and analysis on policy options, including interjurisdictional research.
• Undertaking and/or supervising communications and outreach in support of law reform projects.
• Coordinating with leadership and other departments as required with regard to external relations.

Community-Based Legal Education and Engagement

• Delivering legal education workshops and knowledge circles and/or supervising advocates or other staff providing public legal education.
• Attending community events as needed and speaking about First's legal and systems change work.
• Developing collaborative and respectful relationships with individuals, communities, networks, organizations, Indigenous groups and other constituencies.
• Facilitating community input and conducting interviews with community members.
• Other duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Understanding of TRC Calls to Action, MMWIG Calls for Justice, and principles of respectful relations.
• Proven analytical, research, and written advocacy skills.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Public speaking skills.
• Ability to support and supervise staff effectively.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities.
• Knowledge of the systemic barriers encountered by people living in the Downtown Eastside including personal and intergenerational trauma, and the criminalization and racialization of poverty.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Holds a law degree and licensed to practice as a lawyer in British Columbia.
• At least 3 years of experience as a lawyer, including experience with judicial review applications in British Columbia.
• Experience and interest in research and data-based approaches to law is an asset.

SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY

Supervisory Responsibility:
Supervision of staff and students.

Financial Responsibility:
Responsibility for management of the budget in assigned areas of responsibility.

Latitude:
The incumbent works fairly independently. If clarification is required, it is expected that the incumbent will request further direction from the Director of Systems Change and Legal.

We are committed to becoming a more just, equitable, inclusive, and diverse workplace, which extends to how we hire. We are continually learning new and unlearning old practices while examining systemic causes of inequity, including colonialism.

We aim to be representative of the communities that we serve. We welcome everyone to apply, and we strongly encourage applications from members of communities that have been marginalized based on Indigeneity, race, colour, religion, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. In order to achieve a representative team, preference may be given to people who are members of one or more of these groups.

If you have any questions, please reach out to hr@firstunited.ca.