Legal Counsel

The SickKids Legal Services team is looking to add a collaborative and proactive Legal Counsel with experience in Intellectual Property (IP) law and all aspects of technology transfer, including licensing. Reporting to the Legal Department and having accountability to the Industry Partnerships & Commercialization (IP&C) Team, this role will provide legal support on a variety of medical/scientific research-related matters, with an emphasis on matters involving IP development and commercialization.

Here's What You’ll Get To Do:

• Work closely with IP&C personnel in supporting a variety of IP commercialization matters, including the creation and support of start-up companies.
• Review/draft/negotiate IP-based contracts at an industry- and investor-friendly pace, including IP license agreements, industry sponsored research agreements, services agreements.
• Review/draft/negotiate/advise on other research contracts for a portfolio of medical/scientific researcher clients, including clinical trial agreements (CTAs), Registry/Bio-Bank Agreements, Consortium Agreements, material transfer agreements (MTAs).
• Identify, address and manage legal needs in support of the Hospital’s business and strategic objectives through effective fact-finding, research and the provision of high-quality legal advice and in a manner that reflects the organization’s risk tolerance.
• Support implementation of strategic and operational initiatives.
• Monitor changes to law relevant to the Hospital, and communicate developments/implications to management and staff, as appropriate.
• Identify potential areas of legal risk/opportunity and make recommendations on risk tolerance and mechanisms to manage risk/opportunity.
• Develop strong professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate ongoing communication throughout the organization, to anticipate and proactively manage legal needs and risks, and to keep current on best practices and emerging trends in legal practice within relevant sectors.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• You must possess a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctorate and be a lawyer in good standing with the LSO.
• The ideal candidate will have a minimum of five years’ post-call experience in private practice, in-house, in the life sciences industry, tech transfer office or a combination thereof, with a focus on life sciences licensing and other foundational IP arrangements.
• Experience working within a hospital or other healthcare sector organization is an asset.
• Strong preference will be given to lawyers who have expertise working with medical/scientific-related contracts, privacy law, IT law and/or artificial intelligence initiatives.
• We are seeking service-oriented lawyer with strong conceptual thinking and decision-making skills, who can manage a high volume of competing priorities.
• You are a team player with excellent diplomacy and interpersonal skills.

What’s Exciting About This Role:

• SickKids is a world-renowned pediatric, teaching and research hospital with an annual Research Institute R&D budget of $260M
• Join a growing team that is championing the commercialization of one of the richest academic health research portfolios in the country
• Help us to build on our research and commercial successes in cystic fibrosis, rare diseases and genetically inherited diseases
• Work with some amazing Principal Investigators, who are working on cutting edge projects, e.g. artificial intelligence in medicine, autism, gene therapies, medical devices for infants, and more