Corporate Legal Counsel - Research

Job Description

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health.

CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addictions.

As Canada’s leading mental illness research facility, CAMH’s Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute (CFMHRI) is home to scientists, staff and research trainees conducting leading research to improve the understanding of the brain and the causes, the biomarkers and cures for mental illness as well as research to advance the prevention and treatment for mental illness and addictions across the lifespan.

With a collaborative inter-disciplinary environment that spans clinical, biological, social and epidemiological research, CAMH supports a workplace that embraces diversity, encourages teamwork and complies with all applicable regulatory and legislative requirements.

CAMH is currently seeking a full-time, permanent corporate legal counsel. In this role, you will be a part of a dynamic legal team providing legal advice to the leadership and staff of CAMH with a focus on supporting CAMH’s research enterprise.

You will report to CAMH’s VP, Legal Services and Chief, Legal and Risk Officer and work closely with the research legal team to provide practical and exceptional legal services in areas including, but not limited to : commercial contracts, regulatory law matters, corporate policies, research initiatives and strategies, general research-related governance matters and representation on committees and working groups requiring a research legal member.

The Legal Counsel will assist CAMH’s VP, Legal Services and Chief, Legal and Risk Officer in identifying and implementing structures and processes to support activities of the research legal team.

Other duties may be assigned as required at the discretion of the VP, Legal Services and Chief, Legal and Risk Officer. As a solutions-oriented lawyer, you will focus on proactively identifying risk and advancing CAMH’s research strategies.

You will be responsible for developing and maintaining strong working relationships with CAMH’s internal stakeholders (including members of the Research Operations, Services & Support (ROSS) Office, principal investigators and research staff within CAMH’s research program), external peer hospital legal counsel, and external legal counsel.

The corporate legal counsel will support a healthy workplace that embraces diversity, encourages teamwork, and complies with all applicable and regulatory requirements.

Minimum Requirements

• Law degree (LLB or JD) required and you must be a lawyer in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO);
• 3-5 years of post-call experience in private practice, in-house, or a combination thereof;
• Experience in general corporate / commercial, intellectual property and privacy law and contract negotiation;
• Strong preference will be given to lawyers who have experience working in the hospital / healthcare or clinical research setting;
• Experience with research-related agreements, including clinical trial agreements (CTAs), collaboration agreements, licensing agreements, services agreements, funding agreements, material transfer agreements (MTAs) and confidentiality agreements (CDAs) and knowledge of clinical trials policies, guidelines and regulations is an asset;
• Experience with handling research-related legal issues in the areas of clinical research, medical devices and drug regulation, biotechnology and health information is an asset;
• Service-oriented lawyer with strong conceptual thinking and decision-making skills, who is capable of managing a high volume of competing priorities in a fast paced environment;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and attention to detail;
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation and problem solving skills;
• Excellent judgment, tact and diplomacy are essential to this role; and
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively in a dynamic research legal team environment.

Vaccines (COVID-19 and others) are a requirement of the job unless you have an exemption on a medical ground pursuant to the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Salary Range : Competitive salary and benefits package.