Human Rights & Healthcare Staff Lawyer

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Human Rights & Healthcare Staff Lawyer
Prisoners' Legal Services
Vancouver & Lower Mainland
Burnaby, BC

Closes in 19 days (Fri, 10 Jan 2025)
Full time • $94,927 for 5-year call (will vary depending on call date)

Prisoners’ Legal Services is located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and qiqéyt (Qayqayt) Nations.

Prisoners’ Legal Services (PLS) is looking for a passionate, strategic, empathetic and dedicated person to join our efforts to protect the rights and dignity of people in prison as a staff lawyer focusing on human rights and healthcare.

About us:

Prisoners’ Legal Services is a non-profit society providing legal assistance to people in federal and provincial prisons in British Columbia. We also engage in strategic litigation and advocacy on the prison justice issues brought forward by our clients to achieve systemic, anti-carceral change.

We are a team of lawyers and non-lawyers who believe that no one is disposable, and who work alongside and in solidarity with incarcerated people. We witness some of the harshest forms of state violence, and use the legal system’s tools to protect our clients from the abuses and degradations of prison.

About the position:

PLS operates a human rights and healthcare program focusing on issues including the mass incarceration of Indigenous people and the rights of incarcerated trans, Two-Spirit and gender-non-conforming people, of incarcerated people who use drugs, and of people with disabilities in prison, as well as on topics such as the ethical obligations of prison health providers.

This position is the lead lawyer for this area of our work, and involves identifying and pursuing legal tools to address systemic change and maintaining both systemic and individual case files. The position works closely with the human rights advocate, and provides legal supervision to legal advocates and students on human rights and healthcare matters. The successful candidate will be a creative and legally astute thinker, an excellent direct service lawyer, and a supportive and collaborative colleague.

Duties and responsibilities:

1. Represent clients in legal proceedings, particularly complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission and BC Human Rights Tribunal and judicial reviews;
2. In collaboration with PLS colleagues, identify areas for new litigation and develop PLS’ litigation strategy in the area of human rights.
3. Represent clients in complaints to administrative bodies such as regulatory colleges governing health providers, information and privacy commissioners, etc.;
4. Provide legal aid services to incarcerated clients, including interviewing clients, managing client files, conducting legal research and writing submissions;
5. Represent clients at prison administrative hearings, such as Structured Intervention Unit reviews and Parole Board of Canada hearings;
6. Provide legal supervision to legal advocates and students on prison law issues;

Qualifications & skills:

1. Called to the bar in BC, with a strong preference for someone with at least 5 years of experience as a lawyer and who meets the qualifications to supervise articling students;
2. Familiarity with human rights and administrative law;
3. Strong legal research, writing, negotiation and oral advocacy skills;
4. Ability to be a strong advocate for marginalized clients, including people with high mental health needs and people convicted of various crimes;
5. Commitment to social justice and anti-oppression work;
6. Ability to think strategically about legal strategy and to find creative solutions to legal problems;
7. A collaborative approach -- the ability to work as part of a team and to partner effectively and compassionately with clients;
8. Ability to exercise excellent judgment in matters of ethics and confidentiality;
9. Attention to detail, organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines;
10. Critical and anti-colonial approach to carceral systems;
11. Intellectual curiosity and creativity;
12. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work with people in prison, lawyers, and prison and parole officials;
13. Ability to care for yourself and colleagues amidst challenging work.

We are committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity and inclusion and we welcome and encourage applications from members of marginalized communities or communities that experience structural discrimination, including but not limited to Indigenous people, racialized people, people with (dis)abilities, and people of minority sexual orientations and gender identities.

This is an in-person position based at our office in Burnaby, BC. The position requires travel to prisons in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley and access to a vehicle. A CPIC clearance will be required to visit prisons.

Salary: $94,927 for 5-year call (will vary depending on call date), plus a comprehensive benefits package. Additional benefits include 20 paid vacation days, wellness days, law society fees and professional development opportunities.

Closing date: January 10, 2025 or until filled. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.

Interested applicants should submit a covering letter and résumé outlining how their qualifications meet the position requirements to:

Prisoners’ Legal Services/West Coast Prison Justice Society

Please note “human rights & healthcare staff lawyer” in the subject line.