Counsel (RFT 1.0 FTE)

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Legal Counsel at The Royal Ottawa Hospital offers expert legal services, specializing in providing consultation and evidence-based guidance on complex matters to help identify and mitigate risks while supporting corporate objectives and initiatives. They assist senior leadership in fulfilling The Royal's legal, regulatory, and risk management duties. Additionally, the Legal Counsel fosters and maintains strong relationships with both internal teams and external partners, including external legal counsel.

• Under supervision, responsible for reviewing, negotiating, and drafting agreements, letters, settlements, policies, responses to complaints and requests, appraising their legal complexity and potential impact.
• Supports the development of a centralized system for maintaining and organizing agreements, leveraging existing internal resources and systems, while also creating templates, procedures, and educational resources to ensure proactive, efficient, and cost-effective legal services in various areas.
• Develops plans, makes modifications and/or recommends changes to meet legislative and regulatory changes and best practices.
• Designs, develops, delivers, and evaluates plans, policies and presentations to all levels of the organization.
• Assumes a leadership role in projects and committees related to their area of responsibility, as well as hospital-wide initiatives.
• Supports senior leadership in developing strategies for handling legal and regulatory matters, including developing and maintaining a law student program.
• Works in a manner that complies with staff and patient/client safety practices, policies and procedures of the ROHCG.
• Ensures work environment that is conducive to the ROHCG Respectful Workplace Policy.
• Other duties as assigned.

• A Bachelor’s degree in Law, Business Administration, or a related field is required.
• A Master’s Degree or other related professional training is preferred.
• Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LLB) plus call to the Bar of Ontario, and registration with the Law Society of Ontario are required.
• 3+ years of work experience in healthcare law or related fields.
• Knowledge of healthcare laws, hospital regulations, insurance requirements, privacy law, mental health law, and dispute resolution processes.
• Strong research, drafting, negotiation, and risk management skills.
• Strong communication skills to interact with hospital leadership, medical and administrative staff, as well as regulatory and other external authorities.
• Ability to explain complex legal concepts clearly to non-legal professionals and facilitate cooperation between various hospital departments and external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to conduct comprehensive legal research on healthcare legislation and stay updated on changes in regulations.
• Ability to identify potential legal risks in contracts and draft to ensure terms comply with hospital policies and applicable laws.
• Effectively manage and navigate relationships with internal hospital stakeholders (e.g., management, physicians, and staff) and external entities (e.g., insurance companies, regulators).
• English level A- is mandatory in oral expression, oral comprehension, reading comprehension and written expression. Bilingual (French/English) is considered an asset.