General Counsel Opportunity - Peel District School Board

Posted on:
September 22, 2021

This is an opportunity for an innovative, collaborative lawyer with demonstratedstrategic skills to contribute to the leadership of a large, complex school boardwhose work is guided by the values of equity, service excellence, and sustainability.If you are interested in supporting the continuous growth and development of anequitable and empowering education system at PDSB which is committed to inclusion and anti-oppression, read on!The Peel District School Board is dedicated to the achievement and well-being of each student. Everyday, staff members are privileged to serve approximately 157, 000 students in 250 schools throughoutPeel District School Board and their families in communities as richly diverse and inspiring as any in theworld. The new General Counsel, Legal Services will play a vital role in supporting Peel DSB's policiesand operations by ensuring that Senior Management and the Board have access to the legislative andlegal knowledge they need to make sound, informed decisions aligned with the Board's strategic goalsand commitment to human rights and equity. As General Counsel for the Director and Executive Team of the Board in all legal matters, you willdemonstrate your keen political acumen, strong analytical skills, capacity for strategic thinking andcreative problem-solving. While you will also interact with Trustees on many occasions, your role doesnot include providing legal advice to Trustees individually; rather, you will arrange for them to receivesuch advice through appropriate external legal counsel. You will also liaise with external legal counseland oversee their work for the Board. Reporting to the Director of Education, you will work with the Human Resources Department regardingcollective bargaining as needed, oversee access to external legal services, involvement in litigation,grievance and arbitration management, and liaise with legal departments at all levels of government.You will also provide a legal perspective on various matters supporting members of the Executive Team,regarding civil and criminal litigation, labour arbitrations, expulsions, due diligence actions, and humanrights and provide leadership on Board policies. Candidates will be expected to practise using an anti-oppressive perspective that recognizes human rights, anti-Black racism, Islamaphobia anti-Indigenousracism and anti-Semitism and other forms of hate and discrimination.You are an outstanding communicator with senior-level administrative experience in a large educationalor comparable unionized public-sector institution, or a similarly complex organization, able to motivateothers and implement difficult decisions in an ambiguous, politicized environment. Persuasive, confidentand engaging, you will liaise with federal, provincial and municipal authorities in all contractual and legalmatters, establish productive working relationships with all other Board departments, and facilitateGeneral Counsel, Legal Servicesprofessional development for the Executive Team and all management employees on current legislationand regulations.Peel DSB is seeking an innovative, collaborative lawyer with the demonstrated strategic skills to leadhigh-performance teams in a large, complex organization. The right candidate is someone who isaccustomed to working in an environment of high accountability and public visibility and has a strongtrack record of working successfully to support the decision-making roles of elected officials. TheGeneral Counsel must be prepared to support the Board’s focussed response to the mandate set out inthe Ministry of Education’s Report on the Peel District School Board released March 13, 2020 torebuild confidence in the community in the decisions made by the Board. The candidate must be ableto work with staff and the community in ways that demonstrate a commitment to equity andestablishing faith in the Board’s ability to address the needs of those students and staff who have beenthe most historically underserved. An active network in racialized and underserved communities andprovincial government contexts will ensure that you can be a strong advocate for the interests of thePDSB and the evolving communities it serves. As the successful candidate, you will have a Law degree with additional training/experience in equity,human rights, human resources, appropriate leadership experience, and a track record as a practisinglawyer in one or more of the following areas: Human Rights, Education Law; General and CorporateLaw; Labour Relations and Employment Law. You have demonstrated success in providing leadership in controversial and complex organizationalissues and possess detailed knowledge of dispute resolution processes. Above all, you must beextremely familiar with the Education Act and capable of interpreting it in a variety of circumstances,and be conversant with legislation relevant to a school board and its application in a large, complexunionized environment.To be considered for this position, please send a cover letter and resume by October 22, 2020 to:Frank Markel, JMG/LBCG Consulting for Impact fmmphd@gmail.comPlease specify “PDSB General Counsel Application” in the subject line of your email.

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