Legal Aid Worker (18 months)

Legal Aid Ontario; Hamilton; On-site; CAD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness program with insur

Paid time off

OPSEU Pension Plan

Job summary

Legal Aid Ontario is seeking a Legal Aid Worker to support the Hamilton Criminal Duty Counsel office with direct client service and administrative duties. This full-time, in-person role may involve remote work occasionally; primary location at Hamilton Criminal Courthouse.

You will triage clients, schedule duty counsel, input data in PeopleSoft, and liaise with court stakeholders while upholding LAO policies.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication, interpersonal and interview skills.
• Ability to work under pressure with clients, lawyers and judiciary.
• Knowledge of LAO guidelines, policies and procedures.
• Ability to learn and adapt to new policies and procedures.
• Understanding of criminal court processes and procedures.
• Microsoft Office and Zoom proficiency.
• Experience with PeopleSoft (Service Integration).
• Legal education background or related experience is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Carry out initial intake of clients and assess eligibility.
• Triage client needs to referrals to services and resources.
• Assist clients and lawyers by providing information on court procedures.
• Assist in scheduling duty counsel.
• Monitor Criminal Duty Counsel Email and organize requests.
• Input client data in PeopleSoft through Service Integration.
• Liaise with private bar lawyers and court stakeholders.
• Support roster management and specialty courts with admin tasks.

Skills

Communication skills

Judgment under pressure

Client triage

LAO policies

Policy adaptation

Criminal court knowledge

MS Office

Zoom proficiency

PeopleSoft SI

Legal background asset

Education

Legal education background (degree/diploma or professional designation)

Tools

PeopleSoft SI

Job description

Company Bio

Legal Aid Ontario employees are committed to making a difference in the lives of our clients.

As an integral partner in the Justice system, working at Legal Aid Ontario is more than just a job. It's an opportunity to help people who need it the most; to ensure each client receives the access to justice afforded to them under the law.

If you are looking for a new challenge in your already meaningful career with a team dedicated to justice, and innovation in a flexible and supportive work environment consider this opportunity below.

Primary function

This position is responsible for providing direct client service and for assisting the Hamilton Criminal duty counsel office. This position is designated as a full-time, in‑person role. However, employees may be required to work remotely on occasion, depending on operational requirements.

The responsibilities of this position will be to assist the criminal duty counsel office by providing direct client service and administrative support, including client and surety interviews; triaging client needs and referring clients to appropriate services and resources.

The legal aid worker would also be required to support Criminal Duty Counsel Services by triaging clients over phone, as this is regularly the first point of contact for clients entering Duty Counsel programs. The position would monitor messages, return calls, conduct DCFET assessments to determine the best course of action for the client.

With this, the Legal Aid Worker would be expected to understand all certificate management functions, to answer both clients and judicial stakeholders. This includes knowledge of roster management.

The position also requires strong knowledge of PeopleSoft functions, including Service Integration/Duty Counsel Worksheet systems.

Primary location: Hamilton Criminal Duty Counsel office at the Hamilton Criminal Courthouse

Secondary Location: N/A

Reporting to: Manager, District Operations

Key accountabilities

• Carry out initial intake of clients, including administering the financial and legal eligibility tests
• Assess or triage client needs in order to refer clients to the appropriate resource(s) and/or service(s).
• Assist clients and lawyers on the phone and/or in‑person by providing general information, including court procedures, the status of applications, appeals or referrals.
• Assist in scheduling duty counsel.
• Monitor Criminal Duty Counsel Email systems, and organize local disclosure requests
• Conduct client and surety interviews in criminal matters.
• Input client data in PeopleSoft through Service Integration.
• Liaise with private bar lawyers and other appropriate court stakeholders.
• Ensure printed materials, documents and office supplies are replenished and maintained at the office.
• Complete certificate management through district worklists such as amendments, authorizations, change of solicitors
• Prepare contribution agreements, certificates, forms and general correspondences
• Support roster management through enrolment and issues
• Support specialty courts such as the Mental Health and Drug Treatment Court, Indigenous Persons Court, and Single Judge‑Led Case Management Court Pilot through client intake, certificate status updates, and other administrative support as needed.
• Assist with commissioning of surety declarations
• Perform other duties as required.

Required Skills & Experience

• Excellent communication, interpersonal and interview skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment in interacting with clients, lawyers, judiciary and other agencies, especially in stressful situations.
• Ability to effectively identify the needs of the clients, in order to refer them to the appropriate services.
• Sound knowledge of LAO guidelines, policies and procedures.
• Ability and willingness to learn and adapt to new or modified policies and procedures.
• Good understanding of criminal court processes, rules and practice.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation would be an asset, such as the Criminal Code of Canada, Controlled Drug & Substance Act, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
• Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft programs (e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Intermediate knowledge of Zoom and or other video software programs
• Experience in the use of PeopleSoft (Service Integration) programs
• Legal education background, either degree, diploma, or professional designation such as Paralegal or Law Clerk or first hand court experience as a Lawyer agent would be considered an asset

What do we offer?

• We have a comprehensive health and wellness program that include dental, health and life insurance along with Basic Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance, Short-Term Disability (STD), and Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage.
• Employees at Legal Aid Ontario also enjoy generous paid time‑off policy including vacation days, illness days, discretionary days and statutory holidays.
• Employees are eligible to be enrolled to OPSEU Pension Plan, administered by OPSEU Pension Plan Trust Fund (OPTrust).

Equity Statement

Building a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve while promoting a safe culture and work environment that dismantles systemic barriers, welcomes fresh perspectives and embraces differences as a priority is a core value at LAO. LAO encourages applicants from equity‑seeking groups, including but not limited to individuals who are First Nations, Inuit or Métis, Black and racialized, as well as persons with disabilities, women and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

We recognize the value of equity, diversity and inclusion and are committed to addressing systemic barriers, and prioritizing, attracting and retaining diverse staff. All interested and eligible people will be considered, with due consideration to all protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Legal Aid Ontario values integrity, respect, responsiveness, excellence, independence, accountability, openness and consistency. Our recruitment process reflects our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process as well as during employment at LAO. Please direct any accommodation requests to our recruitment team.

Final candidates for this position will be required to undergo a criminal record check.

This position is represented by OPSEU and the employee will be governed by the provisions of the collective agreement and union dues will be deducted bi‑weekly from date of hire.

Please note that all applicants are encouraged to provide a valid email address for communication purposes.

Applicants may receive written correspondence regarding this job posting directly to the email address provided on their résumé or to the one used to set up their Candidate Profile if applying on Njoyn.

As an applicant, it is your responsibility to ensure that you check your email regularly.