Information for Lawyers
Lawyer Workforce Strategy
Overview of the Lawyer Workforce Strategy
The Lawyer Workforce Strategy (LWS) is a talent management initiative designed to provide rewarding and challenging careers for lawyers at Legal Aid Ontario (LAO). LWS improves client service by creating a dynamic, responsive, and flexible legal team.
More than just a job
The LWS offers staff lawyers a career path that promotes exposure to a variety of substantive areas of law. Lawyers gain experience in a variety of LAO’s practice areas and corporate departments through a system of rotating placements. This structure offers a varied and rewarding career path, and enables LAO to better serve clients by creating a team of expert staff lawyers. Continuing legal education and skills development programs provide opportunity for continual improvement.
How it works
Individual job opportunities are not posted, instead, a general call for applications is issued periodically, and subsequent positions are filled from that applicant pool.
Initial rotations typically last from one to three years. The subsequent rotation will be determined in accordance with the applicant’s interests, career path, and the needs of the organization. Once lawyers have a foundation in LAO’s core areas of law and services, they can apply for specialist or management positions that do not usually involve rotations.
Rotation opportunities
Available opportunities will vary. Examples of rotation types include:
Duty counsel: Advice and representation for unrepresented parties in family and criminal court.
LAO LAW: Provide case-specific research for certificate lawyers, maintain databases of legal memoranda, and write topical newsletters in family and criminal law.
Clinic Resource Office: Deliver research and litigation support to community legal clinics.
Policy: Work with this LAO department to assist the organization in its strategic planning.
Family Law Office and Family Law Service Centres: Provide a variety of services to LAO’s family law clients, including full representation.
Criminal Law Office: Provide full representation to LAO’s criminal law clients.
Refugee Law Office: Full representation for LAO’s immigration and refugee clients is available at this Toronto office.
General Counsel Office: Work with LAO’s in-house legal department to provide counsel and representation to LAO as an organization.
Summary Legal Advice: Deliver summary legal advice, primarily over the telephone, to clients across the province.
Special projects: Recent examples include a duty counsel training initiative, and a panel management initiative.
Tips for applicants for staff lawyer positions at Legal Aid Ontario
LAO is seeking candidates who are interested in social justice and/or public interest work, and who want to work in a variety of law areas. Candidates who are open to relocating within the province are especially encouraged to apply. Other assets include:
- French, and other language skills;
- knowledge of Aboriginal issues;
- strong academic achievement.
Applicants should highlight these assets in their applications.
Interviews for staff lawyer positions at LAO typically consist of a small hiring panel asking a series of standard questions to assess candidates:
- interests and skills;
- knowledge of what LAO does and how legal aid work fits into the justice system as a whole.
The panel will typically include staff from various departments.
Calls for applications for staff lawyer positions are posted at Careers@LAO. Applications may be addressed to Human Resources and sent to genlws@lao.on.ca.
