Regional Senior Legal Counsel

SGI CANADA Ontario Posting  

SGI Canada is a leading insurance company in the property and casualty market in Canada.

We are seeking an experienced litigation lawyer to join our Toronto office as its Regional Senior Counsel, reporting to the AGC, SGI Canada. This is a unique leadership opportunity to represent SGI Canada and Coachman Insurance as well as their insureds in the defence of a range of complex tort matters. Responsibilities for this role will include, but are not limited to: handling all aspects of litigation matters from initial referral to file closure, including examinations for discoveries, motions, mediations, pre-trials and trials; managing and developing direct reports within the ON Legal department; and reporting on Ontario strategic litigation assessments to the AGC, SGI Canada.

Key Accountabilities

Litigation

• Develops and coordinates litigation strategies and timelines on litigation files, and also assists junior lawyers in regard thereto.
• Assesses and adjusts internal reserves as necessary through until conclusion of litigation.
• Meets with and advises clients, witnesses and expert witnesses (both internal and external) in relation to procedural and substantive aspects of their testimony at discovery, at the Appeal Commission or at trial.
• Directs and conducts further investigations in order to obtain further evidence in support of the litigation.
• Prepares pleadings (claims and defenses as necessary).
• Obtains, organizes and vets documents for legal production.
• Attends court and conducts any necessary interim application required to facilitate orderly resolution of the litigation.
• Conducts discovery and other court procedures in advancing and defending the corporation’s or insured’slegal position.
• Conducts mediation, informal settlement negotiations and judicial settlement conferences and advises clients in relation to settlement issues.
• Conducts and prepares all necessary court documents for trials on claims files.
• Assists the legal team in coordinating and organizing legal precedents and provides a supervisory role with the paralegals in matters relating to recovery actions or Small Claims.
• Conducts more complex litigation and more detailed litigation across a broader range of issues than either the Counsel or Associate Counsel classification. (The file count typically exceeds 120 files.)
• Retains outside counsel for litigation as directed by the Associate General Counsel, and does so independently with only marginal oversight by the Associate General Counsel.
• Concludes litigation files with a settlement authority of up to $250,000.

People Leadership

• Builds a high performing workforce by actively leading human resource activities.
• Ensures development of divisional succession plans.
• Builds a culture of leadership and accountability to effectively deliver on strategic and corporate strategies, ensuring integration with employee performance development and career development plans.
• Drives performance through team members and is committed to leadership development across the company, supporting employees and workforce readiness through mentoring, training and developmental opportunities.

Research/Opinions

• Conducts in-depth legal research and prepares legal briefs on files and provides guidance and support in research methodology to junior lawyers.
• Conducts general research at the request of the General Counsel or Associate General Counsel on any matter tangential to the practice of law as it affects the business operations of the corporation.
• Provides ad hoc oral and written legal advice to internal customers on an as needed basis independent of direction and supervision of the Associate General Counsel.
• Coordinates and maintains both legal precedents and legal opinions prepared by the Legal department.
• Analyses and interprets legislation, contracts and insurance policy wording and business practices.

Training

• Develops and conducts internal training seminars and materials for internal clients.
• Participates in internal and external ongoing legal education and business courses to develop expertise in each of those areas.

Corporate Management

• Ensures programs and policies are in alignment with corporate, strategic and divisional strategies. 
• Manages risk in area of authority.
• Prepares, reviews, manages and/or approves departmental/divisional budgets.
• Prepares decision requests, decision and/or information items and/or SGI board items.
• Ensures that the Health, Safety and Emergency Management Policy is applied in area of responsibility, including development, implementation and managing of program components specific to departmental health and safety requirements. 
• Makes decisions for departmental operations that are efficient, effective and in alignment with strategic direction and priorities.
• Ensures department and program policies, procedures and guidelines are in compliance with applicable federal and provincial legislation and regulations; implements and evaluates changes to legislation and regulations in area of authority.
• Establishes and maintains an effective system of internal controls to support reliable financial reporting and compliance in accordance with applicable laws and regulations within the span of control, and communicates the importance of internal controls to staff.

Candidate Requirements

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of substantive and procedural laws.
• Knowledge of The Automobile Accident Insurance Act and its associated regulations (applicable in Saskatchewan positions only).
• Knowledge of the Insurance Act and related legislation and regulations in the applicable jurisdiction.
• Knowledge of all acts in the applicable jurisdiction that directly or indirectly impact on the corporation’s core business.
• Knowledge of insurance claims litigation.
• Knowledge of the rules and responsibilities surrounding legal ethics.
• Knowledge of insurance practices and, in particular, the legal aspect which impact on the corporation’s lines of business.
• Knowledge of the practices and procedures of all levels of courts in the applicable jurisdiction.
• Ability to critically analyze complex multi-dimensional litigation across a broad range of legal issues.
• Ability to coordinate, prepare and advocate complex matters or legal principles.
• Ability to distill complex concepts and present them in layman parlance.

Education & Experience

• A law degree.
• Called to the bar in the applicable jurisdiction.
• Ten years experience as a lawyer with seven years focus on insurance related legal practices.
• Ongoing legal education in each of those years with an emphasis and focus on the law of insurance.