Senior Legal Counsel - Legal Services

Description

The Legal Services in the Office of General Counsel and People & Culture is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Senior Legal Counsel .

This is a senior, high-impact role suited to an experienced lawyer who brings strong litigation and advisory judgment, sophisticated dispute resolution skills, and the confidence to provide practical, procedurally sound advice in a complex institutional environment.

Reporting to the Associate General Counsel (Litigation, Student Appeals, and Policy), the Senior Legal Counsel advises executive and senior leadership on complex litigation, administrative law, human rights, student appeals, investigations, ethics, policy, and regulatory compliance matters. The role offers the opportunity to provide senior-level legal advice on sensitive, high-impact matters that require sound judgment, procedural fairness, and a strong understanding of the University's legal and regulatory environment.

The successful candidate will be expected to deliver clear, practical, and risk-informed advice, often on compressed timelines and in circumstances involving competing priorities, sensitive facts, and reputational considerations.

This role operates with a high degree of independence and accountability. It requires the ability to run a sophisticated legal practice within the organization, manage a diverse and evolving portfolio, and engage directly with senior leadership on sensitive matters.

The environment is complex and stakeholder-rich, requiring the ability to navigate nuanced and, at times, competing perspectives with sound judgment, discretion, and credibility.

At the same time, the role offers the opportunity to practice at a high level in a setting that values thoughtful, well-reasoned advice, sustainable work practices, and long-term impact over short-term urgency.

Summary of Key Responsibilities

• Act as senior legal counsel to executive and senior leadership, providing practical, risk-informed advice on complex disputes, administrative law, human rights, appeals, investigations, policy, ethics/conflict of interest, and regulatory compliance matters.
• Independently manage a high-complexity portfolio of litigation and advisory matters from assessment through strategy, resolution, or hearing.
• Represent or support the University in legal disputes and hearing contexts, including strategy, evidence assessment, submissions, witnesses, and procedural or reputational risk.
• Advise senior leaders on administrative law, procedural fairness, human rights, statutory interpretation, and regulatory requirements to support fair and defensible outcomes.
• Advise on student appeals, complaints, investigations, and decision-making processes involving sensitive facts, competing interests, institutional risk, or reputational considerations.
• Support the drafting, interpretation, application, and improvement of University policies, procedures, guidelines, and governance documents.
• Provide ethics and conflict of interest advice, including issue identification, mitigation strategies, and support.
• Deliver clear, concise advice that identifies legal risks, procedural requirements, options, and recommended approaches for executive and operational decision-making.
• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders and institutional partners, acting with discretion, credibility, and sound judgment.
• Collaborate across Legal Services to provide coordinated support on matters intersecting with privacy, research, and corporate/commercial portfolios.
• Contribute to the continued evolution of Legal Services processes to improve efficiency, service levels, and delivery of high-value legal work.

Qualifications / Requirements

• Law degree from a recognized university and membership in good standing with the Law Society of Alberta (or eligibility for admission).
• Minimum 8+ years of post-call experience, gained at a leading law firm and/or within a sophisticated in‑house legal environment.
• Demonstrated litigation and solicitor/advisory experience, including confidence representing parties in a variety of legal disputes and hearing contexts.
• Sound understanding of administrative law principles, procedural fairness, human rights law, and statutory interpretation.
• Employment lawyers are expected to be strong candidates for this position given the alignment between employment law practice and the role's emphasis on a combination of litigation and complex advisory experience, procedural fairness, human rights, dispute resolution, and policy development and interpretation; however, other relevant administrative law and litigation experience will also be considered.
• Strong dispute resolution skills, with the ability to assess risk, develop strategy, and resolve matters effectively and proportionately.
• Experience drafting, interpreting, and applying policies, procedures, and governance documents.
• Experience advising executive-level clients or institutional leaders on strategic and high-impact matters.
• Ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy, managing a full practice and delivering consistently at a senior level.
• Excellent judgment, with the ability to provide clear, concise, and pragmatic advice that enables effective decision-making.
• Strong interpersonal judgment and executive presence, with the ability to build trust, influence outcomes, and navigate complex stakeholder dynamics with discretion and credibility.
• Comfort operating in complex, matrixed environments, with the ability to provide candid, thoughtful advice on sensitive matters.
• Strong legal drafting, advocacy, negotiation, and analytical skills, with a focus on clarity, efficiency, and practical outcomes.
• Experience acting as legal counsel for post-secondary, health care provider, and/or public sector clients is considered an asset.

Application Deadline: August 31, 2026

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is classified in the Professional Career Band, Level P5L of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website .

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands‑on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups . Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca .

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy ii' taa'poh'to'p committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

The university's commitment to the Indigenous Strategy is evident through the oversight of 18 Elders serving on the Circle of Advisors and the many unit-based circles working towards implementation of the strategy including the Faculty Advisory Circle and teams such as the Office of Indigenous Engagement, the Writing Symbols Lodge, and the Indigenous Research Support Team. Many Indigenous-based events and processes are impacting curriculum, programming and polices at the University of Calgary.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to Office of Institutional Commitments (View email address on click.appcast.io) and requests for accommodations can be sent to People & Culture (View email address on click.appcast.io).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.