Legal Aid Navigator I

**Location**: Penticton, BC

**Status**:Full-time Six (6) Month Term Position

**Affiliation**:British Columbia General Employees’ Union (BCGEU)

**Salary range**: Job Class 9 ($53,634 to $61,177)

**Competition #**: B095-23

**Application Deadline**:March 28th, 2024

**TREDI STATEMENT**:
Our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is ambitious and foundational.  It informs everything we do, as we dismantle colonization, racism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia, and all discrimination.  These are our values, and they inform our hiring practices too.  Our business is aiding people in severe legal distress, and necessitates internal and external alignment of practicing these values.  Integrating Truth and Reconciliation and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion throughout every aspect of Legal Aid BC is critical to building that culture, and we prioritize ongoing resources to achieve that goal. 

We are seeking a **Legal Aid Navigator I **to join our team.

The Opportunity

As **Legal Aid Navigator I, **your primary function is to provide enhanced support and referrals for potential and approved Legal Aid Clients with complex, multidisciplinary or intersecting legal needs who are facing difficulty navigating their legal issues while facing social barriers. This position works to create connections with duty counsel, tariff lawyers, other justice system stakeholders and the Legal Aid Navigator Program to help people who require support with a range of issues such as disability, addiction, under-employment, family complications, housing instability, mental illness, trauma, marginalization or other significant challenges in navigating or accessing the courts or criminal justice system.

Key accountabilities include, but aren't limited to:

- Provide an empathetic, non-judgmental, open-minded and person-centred approach aimed at building trust with clients in order to identify legal problem(s) and urgency, meeting them where they are at;
- Help clients in navigating the court process;
- Assist with requests from duty counsel/lawyers to address related social issues such as addictions, mental health support, housing, income assistance, and other non-legal issues

Who We Are

Legal Aid BC (LABC) is a non-profit organization established by the Legal Services Society Act in 1979. Our mission is to provide legal information, advice, and representation services to BC's most vulnerable and marginalized citizens who lack the necessary resources to effectively access the justice system when their families, freedom, or safety are at risk. Our vision is to see BC’s legal system transformed, by the way LABC represents our clients, into one more equitable and inclusive with a mission to strengthen client-centred legal help for British Columbians experiencing barriers accessing the legal system.

At LABC, we know that our continued ability to help the people who need us is due to the hardworking individuals who make up our team, dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people in need. We foster a positive culture of open communication for our team to thrive within, underpinned by our values of client focus, advancing Truth & Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and change through leadership.

You have:

- Grade 12 education supplemented by post-secondary courses in Law, Communications, Education, Criminology, Sociology, or other related disciplines
- Minimum 2 years relevant experience as outlined in rated requirements
- Proficient in basic legal research and Internet research
- Minimum typing speed 35wpm
- Basic skill in Microsoft Office Suite
- Understanding of confidentiality and discretion
- Sound judgment and decision-making skills
- OR an equivalent combination of education and experience

**We Offer**

A competitive annual salary, as well as a comprehensive benefits package (based on your employment status and affiliation including:

- Four weeks paid vacation to start that grows the longer you are with LABC
- An excellent employee benefits package, where premiums are 100% paid by LABC
- A generous defined benefit pension plan
- Support for training and development
- An Employee and Family Assistance program
- The opportunity to participate in various Employee programs (Employee Wellness, etc.)
- Support for a healthy work/life balance
- Generous leave provisions (sick time, special leaves)
- 13 paid statutory holidays
- An opportunity for a flexible hybrid work arrangement for some positions (LABC reserves the right to change this policy at any time)
- Transit friendly employer for eligible staff to have their commute subsidized
- Dog-friendly offices
- Dedicated Cultural Leave provisions for Indigenous employees
- An Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council, and Indigenous employees Council and Accessibility Committee of employees from equity-seeking groups that advises on ongoing improvements and investments in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at our workpl