Job Description

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Apply By: Friday, December 19, 2025 11:59 pm EST

Inquest Counsel

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Job ID:

237490

Posting status:

Open

Organization:

Ministry of the Attorney General

Division:

Office of the Chief Coroner - Criminal Law Division

City:

Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto

Position(s) language:

English

Job term:

5 Permanent

Job code:

OCAA - Crown Counsel

Salary:

Salary commensurate with legal experience

ELIGIBILITY FOR THIS COMPETITION IS RESTRICTED TO STEP 1 CANDIDATES INCLUDING OPS ALOC AND OCAA LAWYERS

living or working within 125 km of this location. Note: Eligible lawyers from outside the Area of Search may apply but will not be entitled to relocation or travel expenses for the transfer as set out below.

Step 1: All regular/fixed-term OCAA and ALOC lawyers on staff, current Redeployment List Members and current Articling Student Hireback Pool Members.

Step 2: In the absence of qualified applicants at Step 1 the competition may be reposted so that external applicants or non-members of the above-mentioned groups would then be eligible to apply.

Do you wish to make a difference by contributing to positive public safety change for Ontarians? Are you interested in a unique kind of litigation that does not seek to assign liability, guilt or blame, but rather identifies and potentially closes gaps in policy, protocol, law and operation?



This is an exciting opportunity for counsel wishing to join a dynamic and progressive organization and have an integral role in a recently modernized inquest system. Reporting to the Chief Counsel to the Chief Coroner for Ontario, you will have carriage of a caseload of complex inquests, working directly with a presiding inquest officer on each inquest, providing legal advice and conducting the inquest.




Although the main location for the office of the Chief Coroner is in Toronto, candidates may be able

to work out of one of the six (6) regional offices listed (Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa, Sudbury, Thunder Bay) with the occasional expectation of provincial travel for in-person inquests and periodic attendance in Toronto.

About the job

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Duties and responsibilities will include:



Preparing for and conducting inquests including: directing the investigation, identifying and meeting with interested parties, preparing potential witnesses, working with the presiding inquest officer to develop inquest scope and a strategy for the inquest, identifying and calling relevant evidence, addressing and responding to legal and administrative issues that arise during the inquest process and working collaboratively with parties to arrive at appropriate recommendations to present to the jury Providing advice to the presiding inquest officer and direction to the investigator and other members of the inquest team Identifying issues raising broader implications for the inquest system and reporting on them to Chief Counsel Providing legal opinions and advice on inquest-related matters, including judicial review applications Contributing to the strategic development and overall operations of the Inquest Unit, and the modernization of inquest practices and approaches Assisting in building and maintaining positive working relationships on inquest-related matters

with relevant stakeholders, such as government ministries and agencies, justice sector members, community organizations, public interest advocacy groups and the general public

Providing legal support to coroner death review committees, as assigned Participating in committees, training, student supervision and support and administrative duties as assigned

What you bring to the team

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Mandatory requirements

Membership in good standing as a lawyer with the Law Society of Ontario
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Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Knowledge of death investigations an asset Demonstrated litigation experience and expertise, with emphasis placed on experience with juries and / or as inquest counsel Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the role and function of a quasi-judicial decision maker and his or her counsel's function and obligations Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the unique role of inquest counsel and the duties and responsibilities expected when acting in the public interest Proven ability to identify and problem-solve contentious issues Awareness and respect for the many different cultures of people within Ontario with whom counsel will interact as colleagues, co-counsel, participants at inquests, stakeholders and members of the public Knowledge and understanding of Indigenous perspectives, history, traditions (including legal traditions), cultures and, particularly, how governmental systems impact Indigenous Peoples Knowledge of administrative law, criminal and/or regulatory law and procedure, rules of evidence and case law Knowledge of conflict of interest and bias principles Awareness of (and sensitivity to) the unique difficulties and emotionally charged circumstances associated with inquests Proven ability to handle a high-volume practice, manage deadlines and unexpected tasks and to remain calm and exercise restraint in high pressure situations Experience in providing training and education to clients and/or the legal profession
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Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Demonstrated judgment and analytical ability to determine appropriate legal approaches and solutions Demonstrated ability to anticipate and understand the long-term consequences of decisions and recommendations Demonstrated high-level interpersonal, presentation and communication skills and the ability to negotiate practical solutions among highly divergent perspectives Demonstrated ability to lead and work collaboratively with teams composed of different workgroups Expertise in approaching issues from a trauma-informed perspective
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Computer Skills and Other

Ability to use Adobe, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Zoom and Teams Technical skills to work effectively with computer technology and databases made available to professional staff Ability and willingness to travel throughout Ontario as required

How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

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We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.



Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.



Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:

diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives accessibility Anti-Racism Policy

What we offer

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Who we are

The Ministry of the Attorney General strives to create an innovative, sustainable, and responsive justice system that inspires public confidence and upholds the Rule of Law, a necessary precondition for a just society. The Criminal Law Division has a responsibility to ensure public safety, through the effective and efficient prosecution of crime.



The Criminal Law Division is a large geographically dispersed operation with approximately 2000 staff (1200 legal and 800 business professionals) who collectively work together to protect community and personal safety through the prosecution of offences across the province. The division's vision is to be the foremost prosecution service in Canada. Additional information can be found here.



Specifically, the division:



prosecutes all offences under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the most serious offences under the Provincial Offences Act (Part 3 only), in Ontario's 49 judicial districts represents the Crown in criminal appeals at all levels of Court (the Superior Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada), as well as provides specialized services in relation to applications for wiretap authorizations (as designated under Part 6 of the Criminal Code of Canada), extraditions and search warrants provides specialized legal advice in all areas of criminal law to the police, the Attorney General, and the Deputy Attorney General examines and establishes policy guidelines for the conduct of prosecutions within the Province of Ontario provides world-class education to its prosecutors and prosecutors from across Canada and the United States


This role comes with a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that includes:



a defined-benefit lifetime pension plan (guaranteed, ongoing inflation-protected income after retirement) group health, dental, life and disability benefits a range of vacation and leave options an Employee and Family Assistance Program, which provides confidential counseling services

Additional information:

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Apply by:

Friday, December 19, 2025 11:59 pm EST

Position details:

5 English Permanent, 119 King St W, Hamilton, West Region or 366 King St E, Kingston, East Region or 235 North Centre Rd, London, West Region or 75 Albert St, 7th Fl, Ottawa, East Region or 199 Larch St, Sudbury, North Region or 189 Red River Rd, Thunder Bay, North Region or 25 Morton Shulman Ave, Toronto, Toronto Region, Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check, Intelligence, Local Police Databases Search, PIP/NICHE/RMS

Compensation group:

Ontario Crown Attorneys' Association

Work hours:

Schedule 6

Category:

Legal Services

Posted on:

Friday, December 5, 2025

Note:

About security checks:

A criminal or other federal offence record

does not automatically disqualify you

from the position. We consider each situation based on the position's responsibilities.

If a check is needed and you've lived outside of Canada in the past 5 years for 6 or more months in a row, or if you are not a Canadian resident, you'll need to provide an out-of-country police clearance certificate from the country you lived in.

Employment screening checks are only reviewed and evaluated by the Transition and Security Office, which also maintains them and keeps them strictly confidential.
For issues with submitting applications, or questions, please contact CSMD.HR.LegalCompeti@ontario.ca

How to apply:

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You must apply online.

Your cover letter and resume combined should not exceed five (5) pages. For tips and tools on how to write a concise cover letter and resume, review the Writing a Cover Letter and Resume: Tips, Tools and Resources.

Customize your cover letter and resume to the qualifications listed on the job ad. Using concrete examples, you must show how you demonstrated the requirements for this job. We rely on the information you provide to us.

Read the job description to make sure you understand this job.

OPS employees are required to quote their WIN EMPLOYEE ID number when applying.

If you require a disability related accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process, please Contact Us to provide your contact information. Recruitment services team will contact you within 48 hours.

Language requirements and assessment:

All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

Exigences en matiere de langue et evaluation:

Toutes les offres d'emploi externes de la fonction publique de l'Ontario (FPO) sont affichees en francais et en anglais. Consultez la section Langue du ou des postes en haut de chaque offre d'emploi pour connaitre les exigences linguistiques. Pour tous les postes, les candidats sont evalues en anglais, la langue d'affaires de la FPO. Si le poste est bilingue (anglais/francais), vous devrez egalement passer un test de competences linguistiques en francais.

Strengthening Ontario, together