Senior Legal Counsel - Mortgages & Collections

Scotiabank; Toronto; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution in Toronto is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel specialized in mortgages and collections. In this role, you will provide legal support, conduct complex research, and ensure compliance with regulations. The ideal candidate has 8-10 years of experience and a strong background in banking law. This position offers opportunities for significant legal analysis and professional growth. Competitive compensation and an inclusive workplace are also part of the offering.

Benefits

Inclusive work environment

Opportunity for complex legal assignments

Career development

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of significant practical in-house or private practice experience.
• High level of analytical and communication skills.
• Sophisticated drafting and writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal analysis and advice on mortgage lending and collections.
• Research complex legal issues and propose solutions.
• Supervise and direct external counsel.
• Ensure compliance with banking regulations.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Problem solving skills

Drafting skills

Education

Graduate of a recognized law school

Membership in a Law Society in Canada

Job description

Overview

Title: Senior Legal Counsel - Mortgages & Collections

The Senior Legal Counsel contributes to the overall success of the Legal Department in Canada ensuring specific individual goals, plans, initiatives are executed / delivered in support of the team’s business strategies and objectives. Ensures all activities conducted are in compliance with governing regulations, internal policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Champion a customer focused culture to deepen client relationships and leverage broader Bank relationships, systems and knowledge.
• Provide legal analysis, documentation, negotiation, preparation, review, research and advice and counsel to business line management on matters of above complexity in the development of new programs, products and services and related matters, focusing primarily on the Bank’s and Tangerine’s mortgage lending business and collections processes.
• Research legal issues of substantial complexity on a national or regional basis and research proposed federal and provincial legislation to evaluate impact on the Bank related to the Bank’s and Tangerine’s mortgage lending business and collections processes; may initiate the research of more junior counsel or articling students; informs management on developing legal trends and their impact on operations and recommends courses of action; creates and maintains systems and precedents within the Legal Department and for use by business line partners as appropriate.
• Provide legal support to Global Risk Management (GRM), Canada Collections and Tangerine Collections with respect to the management of third-party collection agencies or services providers in Canada and internationally.
• Engage with and provides support to all groups in Canada Collections and Tangerine Collections to review collections processes, tools or special projects to ensure compliance with Canadian laws and regulations and to ensure protection of the Bank’s reputation and customer relations.
• Provide legal support to GRM with respect to Canadian debt sales and assist in the development of a framework to guide the debt sales process and ensure the engagement of all relevant stakeholders through each stage of the bid, sale and post-closing process.
• Work closely with Compliance to handle regulatory compliance issues, analyze and interpret banking regulations, and review/revise reports that are being submitted to FCAC.
• Represent the Bank at meetings or on committees with government, public and private organizations, and/or select industry associations; researches and prepares submissions to government bodies on legislation and other issues affecting the organization.
• Participate in making recommendations on the course of action to be taken regarding litigation with advice and support from internal and/or external counsel.
• Direct the activity of external counsel. Supervises the work of outside counsel and supporting staff including appraising work performance and retaining outside counsel under Legal policies and reviewing invoices.
• Ensure timely action is taken to effectively manage and mitigate legal and regulatory risks, including prompt escalation of issues as per established processes to ensure the Bank objectives are met.
• Understand how the Bank’s risk appetite and risk culture should be considered in day-to-day activities and decisions, and provide legal advice with an awareness of the need to minimize reputational, legal and regulatory risk.
• Actively pursue effective and efficient operations of his/her/their respective areas in accordance with Scotiabank’s Values, its Code of Conduct and the Global Sales Principles, while ensuring the adequacy, adherence to and effectiveness of day-to-day business controls to meet obligations with respect to operational, compliance, AML/ATF/sanctions and conduct risk.
• Champion a high-performance environment and contributes to an inclusive work environment.

Qualifications

• Graduate of a recognized law school with 8-10 years of significant practical in-house or private practice experience.
• Membership in a Law Society in Canada.
• The position requires a high level of analytical, human relations and communications skills.
• Established problem solving skills.
• Sophisticated drafting and writing skills.

What’s in it for you?

• Provide complex, highly sophisticaated research, legal analysis, relying on strong experience, expertise and sound judgment
• The legal assignments cover a broad range of Bank related matters or specialized areas of law. The applicable laws and regulations are numerous, varied and highly complex.
• Under general direction of the Vice President & Associate General Counsel or the Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, the incumbent will research and analyse highly complex legal issues, with little or no precedent.
• The incumbent will be involved in handling a significant work load each year, inclusive of inquiries and assignments from various Bank and subsidiary departments. Most of the files involve substantial research or legal analysis and drafting. As well, numerous verbal questions must also be dealt with.

Location(s): Canada : Ontario : Toronto

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.

At Scotiabank, we value the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Bank, and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our Recruitment team know. If you require technical assistance, please click here . Candidates must apply directly online to be considered for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in a career at Scotiabank; however, only those candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.