Legal Counsel - Labor and Employment Law

Belonging to Air Canada is akin to belonging to a Canadian symbol, recently voted best airline in North America. Take your career to new heights by joining our innovative and diverse team at the forefront of passenger air transportation.

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance – the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada's regular lines connect non-stop more than 180 airports in Canada, the United States and internationally on six continents. Air Canada, headquartered in Montreal, holds a four-star Skytrax rating. Air Canada's Aeroplan program, which has more than 10 million members worldwide, is Canada's premier travel loyalty program, offering its members the opportunity to accumulate or redeem points with the world's largest network of partner carriers – 45 in number – and with its retail, hotel and car rental partners. Through Vacations Air Canada, the Company offers more choices than any other Canadian tour operator for hundreds of destinations worldwide, with a wide selection of hotels, flights, cruises, excursions and car rentals. Air Canada Cargo, Air Canada's freight division, has the uplift capacity and connectivity to serve hundreds of destinations on six continents using Air Canada's passenger and all-cargo flights. Air Canada's climate ambition includes a long-term target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To learn more, consult Air Canada's IATA documentation.

We are looking for a person to fill a position as Legal Counsel - Labor and Employment Law within our team of professionals in Montreal. The successful candidate will assist the Assistant General Counsel - Labor and Employment Law on a variety of topics.

• Represent Air Canada before the courts and government authorities in grievances and other proceedings.
• Act as an advisor on the application of labor and employment law as well as collective agreements, undertake legal research, prepare legal arguments, and provide training on a wide range of labor and employment issues.

Responsibilities:

• Represent Air Canada in labor dispute arbitrations (traditional and expedited) and in litigation before the courts, the Canada Industrial Relations Board, and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal or their provincial counterparts.

• Prepare and review correspondence and hearing documents (briefs, witness statements, written arguments, motion records, settlement documents, etc.).
• Conduct legal research.
• Proactively identify legal issues related to labor and employment law when consulted by internal clients.
• Gather and review information necessary to respond to requests, complaints, and grievances.
• Act as an advisor on collective bargaining issues and assist negotiating teams in concluding advantageous agreements.
• Provide advice to internal clients on a variety of labor and employment law issues.
• Prepare training materials and provide training to internal clients on labor, employment, and human rights topics.
• Maintain and update tools and templates used by the Labor and Employment team.

Qualifications

• Law degree from a recognized law school.
• Member of the Bar of a Canadian province or territory.
• At least three to five years of experience related to the practice of labor and employment law within a law firm or a large corporate environment, and demonstrated skills in providing legal advice on a wide range of issues.
• Knowledge of Canadian labor law and related procedure.
• Strong business acumen, strong oral and written communication skills in English and French. Strong customer service skills.
• Strong negotiation and representation skills in grievance arbitration, industrial relations board proceedings, and employment litigation.
• Experience in arbitration, human rights tribunal procedure, and judicial procedure, an asset.
• Proficiency in Adobe, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Quicklaw, Westlaw, and other online legal research tools.
• High attention to detail and a rigorous approach to legal work. High organizational skills and ability to set priorities.
• Strong time management skills, including the ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously. Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships at all levels of the organization, with internal and external legal counsel.
• Manifest professionalism, integrity, and discretion.
• Ability to work under pressure and keep a cool head in difficult situations, while managing multiple priorities.
• Punctuality and proven reliability to foster the overall success of the team in a fast-paced environment.

Employment Conditions:

Candidates must be eligible to work in the country concerned at the time a job offer is made and are responsible for obtaining the necessary work permits, visas, or other authorizations. Proof of eligibility must be provided before the start date.

Language Requirements

All things being equal, preference will be given to bilingual candidates.

Diversity and Inclusion

Air Canada is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion and aims to create a healthy, accessible, and rewarding workplace that highlights the unique contribution of our employees to the success of our business.

As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage a diverse range of candidates so that we can have a workforce that is varied and representative of our customers and the communities where we live and offer our services.

Air Canada thanks all candidates for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.