Legal Counsel or Senior Legal Counsel, Legal Services

Description

Legal Services in the Office of General Counsel, People and Culture is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Legal Counsel or Senior Legal Counsel (title based on level of expertise and experience).

Reporting to the University's Associate General Counsel (Corporate/Commercial and Privacy), the successful candidate for the Senior Legal Counsel position will be primarily responsible for delivering effective advice and support to the University of Calgary in its corporate/commercial transactions (including in procurement, real estate, funding and services delivery transactions) and its information and privacy practices (including related to access to information requests, privacy policies and procedures, cybersecurity and information technology, and records management).

The ideal candidate will possess strong legal expertise, excellent drafting and communication skills, and experience advising senior leaders on important issues within a dynamic and fast-evolving environment. A strong background in either: i) real estate law and demonstrated history of advising on complex real estate transactions; OR ii) information and privacy law (particularly in the public sector) will be considered assets for this role.

The successful candidate will work in an environment of continuous change, organizational complexity, and competing priorities. University Legal Services provides a full range of legal services and strategic legal advice to senior University administration, faculties, schools, and administrative units. The successful candidate will be a member of the busy, multi-disciplinary corporate/commercial team, practising in a variety of areas and regularly advising on complex issues unique to the post-secondary education sector. Judgment, decision-making and implementation are critical and will have an impact on a University-wide basis, and may have reputational impact on the institution overall.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

• Provide timely and responsive client service and delivery of appropriate, business-oriented legal solutions to all faculties, schools, and administrative units within the institution.
• Use legal expertise and operations knowledge to properly advise University senior leadership on contract negotiation or operational decision making, while identifying and addressing a variety of corporate/commercial and privacy issues.
• Maintain a collaborative practice both within the organization and with external stakeholders.
• Make recommendations respecting allocation of risk in significant commercial contracts, resolution of disputes, and other legal matters.
• Draft clear and concise legal documents and correspondence.
• Collaborate with the broader legal services team, faculties and departments in ensuring that proper governance procedures are followed and that decision making involves key internal stakeholders and subject matter experts.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Minimum of an undergraduate degree and a law degree from a recognized university. Must be eligible to practice law in Alberta.
• At least 5 years of post-call experience in the general practice of corporate/commercial, real estate, or information and privacy law. Substantial corporate/commercial transaction and contract negotiation experience is required.
• Familiarity with public sector governance structures and/or experience working for a public-sector or post-secondary organization is considered an asset.
• Member in good standing of the Law Society of Alberta (as required by provincial legislation).
• Experience in diverse areas of corporate/commercial law, with demonstrated excellence as practicing lawyer, and excellent legal and analytical skills. Subject area expertise in real estate law is considered an asset.
• Familiarity with and understanding of information and privacy law and best practices.
• Proven ability to perform well on complex matters in a stressful environment, prioritize and deal with multiple assignments, all under significant time and other pressures.
• Demonstrated ability to work with senior management and commitment to client service.
• Strong drafting and negotiating skills, with demonstrated strength in risk and legal analysis.
• Excellent judgment and the ability to address legal issues by developing solutions that are practical and mitigate risk.
• Ability to navigate large or complex organizations.
• Cooperative, team player attitude and excellent interpersonal skills.

Application Deadline:  April 18, 2025

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is classified in the Professional Career Band, Level 4 of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework, with a salary range between $124,988 to $174,941 depending on experience.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website. 

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role. 

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.