Legal Counsel

The International Air Transport Association; Montreal; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading organization in the aviation industry as a Legal Counsel. You will provide legal advice and support for advocacy activities, draft legal documents, and collaborate with internal clients. The role requires strong communication skills and a law degree, with a focus on aviation law. Enjoy a supportive work environment with flexible arrangements and travel benefits.

Benefits

Flexible work arrangements

Travel benefits

Family-friendly policies

Equal pay

Day off on your birthday

Qualifications

• Minimum five years post-qualification experience in an organization or law firm.
• Admission in a relevant jurisdiction, preferably the UK, EU, Canada, or US.

Responsibilities

• Provides independent legal advice on complex legal questions.
• Drafts legal opinions, agreements, and governance documents.
• Delivers training and guidance material on legal topics.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Organizational Skills

Project Management

Education

LLB, JD

Job description

At IATA, we speak for the airlines of the world, serving and supporting over 300 of them across all continents. We are passionate and knowledgeable about the aviation industry, and we strive to make it safer, smarter, more sustainable, and more inclusive. We celebrate diversity and inclusion in our workforce, and we respect and value the different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills of our employees. We also care about our employees’ wellbeing, and we provide flexible work arrangements, travel benefits, family-friendly policies, equal pay, and a day off on your birthday. We believe in giving back to the community and encourage our staff to participate in volunteering activities that support causes they care about. We encourage you to join our global community of aviation enthusiasts, and we will do our best to make you feel comfortable during the interview process. IATA is more than a trade association; it is a vision of a better future for air travel.

About the team you are joining

The Legal Advocacy Workstream is part of the Legal Services and Corporate Secretary Group (LSCS) and is made up of legal professionals qualified in various jurisdictions. LSCS provides legal support across IATA's operations, business, and advocacy activities and is divided into three workstreams reflecting IATA's core activities, namely Standards, Advocacy, and Commercial, Products, and Services.

The Legal Counsel (LC) is a qualified legal professional with demonstrated knowledge, skills, and experience in aviation law, international law, and regulatory law. The LC is responsible for providing legal advice, research, and support to advance the work of the Legal Advocacy Workstream and its internal clients. The LC reports to the Director of Legal Services, Legal Advocacy Workstream (DLS).

What your day would be like

The Legal Counsel, Legal Advocacy Workstream, provides independent legal advice on diverse substantive and procedural questions of considerable complexity, on matters relating to IATA's advocacy or policy activities. The LC:

• Prepares and provides to IATA’s business groups independent legal opinions, memoranda, and information papers on questions concerning the interpretation or application of law, legal instruments, or legal principles in relation to IATA’s advocacy or policy activities across multiple jurisdictions;
• Drafts appropriate responses to correspondence and communication raising legal issues or having legal implications;
• Drafts and advises on agreements, contracts, instruments, governance documents, and policies in the context of IATA's advocacy or policy activities;
• Responds to requests for legal assistance from internal clients and work assignments referred by other team members;
• Collaborates with other team members on legal issues across the LSCS Workstreams and keeps a professional record of work and advice using the LSCS matter management system;
• Develops and delivers training and guidance material for IATA staff on various legal topics;
• Drafts material on legal subjects for circulation to airline legal members, including case reviews, summaries of legal developments, etc.;
• Delivers presentations to airline members and other external stakeholders in various IATA governance and/or advisory council meetings, task forces, and working groups;
• Assists in the administration and management of governance and/or advisory council meetings, including drafting agenda material and minutes;
• Assists in the management of litigation to which IATA is a party on advocacy or policy grounds;
• Provides support and assistance to senior lawyers;
• Participates in and leads projects as required;
• Peer reviews work of other team members;
• Manages and instructs external counsel in accordance with LSCS processes.

We would love to hear from you if

You are an effective, confident communicator and a team player and have:

• A degree in law (LLB, JD) from an internationally recognized university (an LLM or other advanced degree in a relevant legal specialization is a plus);
• Admission in a relevant jurisdiction, preferably the UK, EU Member State, Canada, United States, Australia, or New Zealand;
• Minimum five years post-qualification experience in an organization, government department, or law firm, preferably in the aviation legal sector;
• Professional client relationship skills;
• Excellent command of English;
• Superior written and oral communication skills;
• Strong technical skills;

Good organizational and project management skills and experience.

Travel Required: Y: 0-5%

Learn more about IATA’s role in the industry, our benefits, and the team at [link]. We are looking forward to hearing from you!