Senior Counsel, Litigation

 Permanent Full Time

Role description

Reporting to the Assistant Vice-President & Trial Counsel, Litigation, you will be a key member of the Canadian Litigation group and support our Canadian business units by providing practical and timely legal representation and advice in legal disputes and on strategic and tactical legal issues. Your primary focus will be on life, health and disability-related litigation, with a focus on fraud-related matters, along with a variety of other interesting advice/litigation matters. Your work will be wide-ranging and will provide the opportunity to develop further expertise in dynamic practice areas, like fraud recovery and defence matters, within the litigation function. This is an exciting opportunity to work with a highly accomplished team of legal professionals.

 What you will do:

• Contributing as a senior member of the Canadian Legal group by bringing your experience, creative legal skills, and collaborative work ethic to deliver practical solutions to our business
• Providing legal opinions, advice, recommendations and representation to various business units, LOB and Corporate Counsel on any legal matter which affects or involves the Company, particularly related to fraud issues
• Drafting pleadings, briefs, settlement documentation and other legal proceedings, conducting discoveries, mediations, and settlement conferences
• Attending on court appearances, including motions, applications, trials and appeals
• Instructing and managing external counsel retained in connection with litigation
• Supporting a wide variety of business units in connection with legislative and regulatory matters, including advising on legal and regulatory developments with respect to litigation risk, and specifically fraud risk
• Co-ordinating and/or contributing to strategic projects that support the business units we serve and the development of the litigation function, efficiencies and capabilities
• Assisting the Assistant Vice-President & Senior Counsel, Litigation on select legal matters, litigation team development and leadership, and broader Legal group initiatives

What you will bring:

• Law Degree, Member of the Law Society of Ontario (required) and in another provincial bar (an asset)
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in civil litigation with a law firm or in-house
• Experience with fraud litigation and/or other complex litigation matters
• Knowledge of insurance products and/or financial service industry an asset
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to synthesize and present issues with clarity to key stakeholders and/or senior management in all business and functional areas
• Strong drafting, legal and communication skills with a practical solution-oriented approach and the ability to use clear, plain language
• Excellent judgment, with the ability to identify key issues and provide an independent view to management in a clear and practical manner
• Thorough understanding and up-to-date knowledge of court procedures and the governing regulatory environment
• Demonstrated interest in developing (further) subject matter expertise in various areas (including fraud matters) and sharing expertise with and/or mentoring other team members
• Self-motivated with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Superior negotiating skills
• Highly focused with attention to detail, ability to self-manage, prioritize, organize work, and meet deadlines
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills with experience simplifying and resolving complex problems
• Superior organizational and time management skills with experience addressing multiple projects
• Experience practising with virtual litigation tools and techniques and proficient in role-related technology

Please note that this position may require travel.

Career opportunities will be open a minimum of 5 business days from the date of posting, closing dates will vary depending on the search activity. All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Be your best at Great-West Lifeco and Canada Life - Apply today! 

Great-West Lifeco Inc is a Canadian headquarter, international financial services holding company with interests in life insurance, health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses. We operate in Canada, the United States, and Europe under the brands: Canada Life, Empower and Irish Life. 

At the end of 2023, our companies had over 33,500 employees, 232,000 advisor relationships, and thousands of distribution partners – serving approximately 42 million customer relationships.

Great-West Lifeco trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the ticker symbol GWO and is a member of the Power Corporation group of companies.

Being a part of our organization means you have a voice. This is a place where your unique background, perspectives and talents are valued, and shape our future success.  

You can be your best here. You are part of a diverse and inclusive workplace where your career and well-being are championed. You’ll have the opportunity to excel in your way, finding new and better ways to deliver exceptional customer and advisor experiences.

We are committed to providing an inclusive, accessible environment, where all employees and customers feel valued, respected and supported. We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live, and to creating an environment where every employee has the opportunity to reach their potential. 

It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process. All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Canada Life policies. To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact talentacquisitioncanada@canadalife.com.

We would like to thank all applicants, however only those who qualify for an interview will be contacted.

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