Careers | Innocence Canada

Join Us in the Fight Against Wrongful Convictions!

Innocence Canada is the only national non-profit organization dedicated to identifying, advocating for, and working to exonerate individuals who have been wrongfully convicted. Over the past 30 years, we have championed the exoneration of innocent individuals across the country who have been wrongfully convicted of serious offences, particularly homicides. We are also a national leader in public education and legal reform, regularly lending our expertise to academic institutions, the criminal justice system, government bodies, legal entities, media outlets, and everything in between.

Available Positions

Staff Lawyer

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Target Start Date: May 2024
Hours: Full time
Salary: Base $81,000 + plus benefits (negotiable depending on experience)
Employment Type: Full Time Position
Reports to: Legal Director
Application Deadline: April 19, 2024

Note: Innocence Canada encourages applications from across Canada, but successful candidates must take steps to ensure that they are eligible to practice in Ontario. This is a hybrid position (remote/in-office).

Background

Job Summary

The staff lawyer conducts thorough reviews of complex homicide cases in which an applicant is claiming innocence. They review voluminous case files and produce lengthy and detailed memoranda for senior counsel analyzing the merits of the claim. The staff lawyer also drafts s. 696.1 applications to the Minister of Justice in collaboration with the Legal Director and senior counsel. There is a possibility of involvement in matters before the courts.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the following portfolios:

Conduct detailed reviews of complex homicide files to identify new matters of significance and investigative steps to pursue fresh evidence on assigned active files. The staff lawyer will produce lengthy memoranda as noted above.
Oversee and manage assigned active cases and develop/implement case-specific work plans.
Recruit, hire and integrate evidence from private investigators, forensic experts, and other resources as required to advance cases.
Draft s. 696.1 applications for Ministerial Review, applications seeking bail pending the Minister’s decision or Appeal facta, alongside the Legal Director, other staff, or senior counsel.
Correspond with the Crown, trial lawyers, and appeal lawyers as required on cases.
Work closely and regularly with the Legal Director to identify caseload management priorities and to ensure movement of files through the case management process.
Undertake general case-related administrative tasks alongside the Legal Director (including, but not limited to, processing initial intake, applicant correspondence, and file/practice management).

Education & Qualifications

Member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario.
1-6 years post-call experience in criminal law.
Excellent legal and written skills and experience drafting legal memoranda, complex applications, or facta.
Experience and/or understanding of the Canadian wrongful conviction review process.
Strong legal research skills.
Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Adobe.
The ability to work in French is an asset.
Appellate experience is an asset.

Please address your application to the attention of Pamela Zbarsky, Legal Director at pzbarsky@innocencecanada.com. Your application package should include the following items in one PDF document.

Cover letter.
Curriculum Vitae.
Law school transcript.
Two reference letters.
10-page legal writing sample (sole authorship and written within the last two years).

We thank all interested candidates in advance.

Accommodation

Innocence Canada is committed to providing a barrier-free work environment in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code. As such, Innocence Canada will make accommodations available to applicants with disabilities upon request during the hiring process. If you require accommodation at any point throughout the application process, please reach out to Pamela Zbarsky via the email above.

Innocence Canada is an equal opportunity employer, and we strive to build a working environment within an anti-oppression framework where we are aware of and sensitive to structural oppression/privilege within our workplace and community. We are committed to diverse, inclusive hiring practices and encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply.

Anti-Oppression Statement

Innocence Canada applies an anti-oppression framework to its work and workplace. An anti-oppressive framework is the method and process in which we understand how systems of oppression such as colonialism, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism and ableism can result in individual discriminatory actions and structural/systemic inequalities for certain groups in society.

Innocence Canada is aware of and sensitive to structural oppression/privilege within our client and workplace relationships. We are committed to confronting, addressing and eliminating oppressive behaviors and practices to the best of our organization’s ability.

This is a living statement, meant to be reviewed and corrected according to the evolving process that reflects the social changes in understanding anti-oppression. We keep this statement open for discussion and invite feedback and comments from our team.

Accommodation

Innocence Canada is committed to providing a barrier-free work environment in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code. As such, Innocence Canada will make accommodations available to applicants with disabilities upon request during the hiring process.