Assistant Crown Attorney

Environment, Conservation and Parks | Environnement, Protection de la nature et Parcs; Greater Napanee; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

Health, dental and life benefits

Vacation and leave options

Job summary

The Ministry of the Attorney General in Napanee, Ontario, seeks an Assistant Crown Attorney for a temporary six-month assignment with potential extension. The role focuses on prosecuting crimes in Ontario courts, managing cases, and supporting the justice system with collaboration across teams.

The successful candidate must be in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario, with strong advocacy, analytical, and communication skills, and willingness to travel within the region as needed.

Qualifications

• You must be a member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario.
• Strong knowledge of the Criminal Code of Canada and criminal procedure is essential.
• Excellent judgment, analytical, and advocacy abilities are required.

Responsibilities

• Prosecute offences in Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice on behalf of the Attorney General.
• Conduct jury trials and complex prosecutions.
• Manage case files and ensure timely, thorough responses to procedural requirements.
• Provide education and training to stakeholders and partners as assigned.
• Maintain awareness of provincial initiatives and best practices in criminal prosecution.

Skills

Advocacy skills

Judicial knowledge

Oral & written communication

Travel willingness

Education

Law degree / call to the Ontario Bar

Job description

Apply By: Friday, October 30, 2026 11:59 pm EDT

1 Temporary (up to 6 months secondment/contract with possibility of extension)

Job code: OCAA - Crown Counsel

Salary commensurate with legal experience

ELIGIBILITY FOR THIS COMPETITION IS RESTRICTED TO STEP 1 CANDIDATES INCLUDING OPS ALOC AND OCAA LAWYERS living or working within 125 km of this location. Note: Eligible lawyers from outside the Area of Search may apply but will not be entitled to relocation or travel expenses for the transfer as set out below .

Step 1: All regular/fixed-term OCAA and ALOC lawyers on staff, current Redeployment List Members and current Articling Student Hireback Pool Members. Step 2: In the absence of qualified applicants at Step 1 the competition may be reposted so that external applicants or non-members of the above-mentioned groups would then be eligible to apply.

Ensure public safety, through the effective and efficient prosecution of crime.

The Ministry of the Attorney General seeks an Assistant Crown Attorney.

About the job

The prosecution of crime is the core business of the Criminal Law Division and is a non-discretionary essential service required to provide public safety and security.

Duties of an Assistant Crown Attorney include:

• Conducting prosecutions, hearings, applications, motions, appeals and/or reviews on a regular basis on behalf of the Attorney General, in the Ontario Court of Justice [Criminal, Youth Court, Provincial Offences Court, Bail Court, including Weekend and Statutory Holiday (WASH) Court in Napanee] and the Superior Court of Justice
• Performing case management duties to support the efficient prosecution of criminal matters
• Developing and maintaining technical skills required to perform duties as assigned
• Ensuring timely and comprehensive responses are made to all substantive, procedural and policy requirements in the criminal litigation process
• Maintaining working knowledge of divisional initiatives and programs and participating on such projects as required
• Assisting other counsel with prosecutions and research
• Providing education and training to stakeholders and partners as assigned
• Keeping informed on office/regional/divisional/provincial initiatives, protocols and directives and implementing them to ensure consistent practices within the justice system, e.g. Justice Centres, Bail Best Practices Protocol, Criminal Modernization Committee, Case Management Protocol, Indigenous Peoples' Court, Domestic Violence Court Initiatives and the Direct Accountability Program

What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• You have membership in good standing as a lawyer with the Law Society of Ontario.

Legal Skills and Experience

• Conducting prosecutions, on behalf of the Attorney General, in the Ontario Court of Justice [Criminal, Youth Court, Provincial Offences Court, Bail Court, including Weekend and Statutory Holiday (WASH) Court] and the Superior Court of Justice
• Conducting jury trials and prosecutions of a serious and complex nature
• Knowledge of the Criminal Code of Canada, Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, criminal law procedures, rules of evidence and case law
• Case management duties to support the efficient prosecution of criminal matters
• Understanding of the role and function of a prosecutor in the criminal justice system in Ontario

Advanced Analytical and Communication Skills

• Demonstrate judgment and analytical ability to determine appropriate legal remedies
• Demonstrate interpersonal, relationship management, presentation and communication skills
• Demonstrate oral and written advocacy skills

Essential abilities and skills

• Travel to other court locations to support the prosecution team across the Region
• Work effectively with technology including the presentation of evidence in a courtroom setting

How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.

Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:

• diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
• accessibility
• Anti-Racism Policy

What we offer

Who We Are

The Ministry of the Attorney General is committed to a responsive, innovative justice system that upholds the Rule of Law. The Criminal Law Division, with approximately 2,200 staff (1,400 legal and 800 business professionals):

• Prosecutes offences under the Criminal Code, Youth Criminal Justice Act, and Provincial Offences Act.
• Conducts criminal appeals at all court levels.
• Provides specialized services (e.g., wiretaps, extraditions, search warrants).
• Advises police and government officials on criminal law.
• Sets prosecution policy across Ontario.
• Develops justice system efficiencies with stakeholders.
• Offers world-class education for prosecutors.

This role comes with a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that includes:

• a defined-benefit lifetime pension plan (guaranteed, ongoing inflation-protected income after retirement)
• group health, dental, life and disability benefits
• a range of vacation and leave options
• an Employee and Family Assistance Program, which provides confidential counseling services

Additional information

1 English Temporary, duration up to 6 months, 41 Dundas St W, Napanee, East Region, Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check, Intelligence, Local Police Databases Search, PIP/NICHE/RMS

• About security checks: A criminal or other federal offence record does not automatically disqualify you from the position. We consider each situation based on the position's responsibilities.
  If a check is needed and you've lived outside of Canada in the past 5 years for 6 or more months in a row, or if you are not a Canadian resident, you'll need to provide an out-of-country police clearance certificate from the country you lived in.
  Employment screening checks are only reviewed and evaluated by the Transition and Security Office, which also maintains them and keeps them strictly confidential.

Language requirements and assessment:

All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.