Legal Counsel

We are currently seeking a Legal Counsel to join our team.

The Legal Counsel will provide effective, timely, business-minded services to First West on a broad range of day-to-day and strategic legal issues. You will be a key member of a dynamic in-house legal team working directly with colleagues and business teams to ensure legal compliance and mitigating and managing risk. This role reports to the Vice President and General Counsel.

**Here’s what would be included as a part of your typical day**
- **Contracts**:Drafts, reviews, and negotiates various types of contracts, including service agreements and technology licensing agreements. Advises on existing contractual arrangements and questions of contract interpretation.
- **Legal Advice**:Serves as a legal point of contact for business units within First West, assisting internal business partners in identifying legal issues and risks to ensure the correct determination of actions to be taken, including providing advice to business to minimize legal risk and reputational impact.
- **Legal Compliance**:Assists in ensuring First West complies with relevant laws, policies, and regulations, including maintaining current knowledge of applicable legislation. Conducts legal research and prepares reports, including briefing business teams on legal matters and potential impacts on the business.
- **Legal Risk Management**:Applies effective legal risk management techniques and performs legal activities within the established standards of the legal profession to protect First West’s business interests and reputation. Assists Risk department with drafting and reviewing procedures and guidelines for business that ensure compliance with legal requirements, and meet the standards set out in Board policies.
- **Corporate Governance**:Assists the Corporate Governance team with corporate governance matters including advising on best practices, and also attending and coordinating Board and committee meetings when required and assisting with annual filings and corporate records.
- **Regulatory Environment**:Assists with reviewing and interpreting legislation, regulation, and policies applicable to financial institutions and assisting business units with meeting their respective obligations as set out by the appropriate regulatory authority. Deals with and assists business units with responding to inquiries from a regulatory authority.

**Required Skills, Experience & Qualifications**
- LLB or JD from an accredited university.
- Member in good standing of at least one law society in Canada.
- At least 3 years proven experience as legal counsel in a business environment or at a Canadian law firm required.
- Experience working with financial institutions regulated by OSFI or BCFSA and working with other regulatory authorities, and experience working as part of an in-house legal team would be considered assets.
- High degree of professional ethics and integrity.
- Sound judgement and ability to analyze situations and information.
- Effective interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate verbally, in writing and through presentations with a wide variety of stakeholder at various levels within the organization.
- Demonstrated ability to create legal defensive or proactive strategies.
- Displays an understanding of risk and risk ownership by being able to demonstrate adherence to policies and procedures.

**Why work for us?**

We offer a total rewards package that recognizes the meaningful work you do to support our members and our communities, which includes:

- A competitive base salary plus performance-based incentive compensation
- Annual merit pay increases
- Flexible benefits as well as support for retirement benefits
- Vacation time, a flexible “Day4U” and the option to purchase up to five additional vacation days
- Other financial perks such as our Employee Banking Advantages which includes waived or reduced financial service fees, reduced rates on personal loans, mortgages and no-interest loans on lifestyle-related items that promote health, wellness, learning and business aptitude

In addition, you can enjoy socially conscious perks, like three paid days off every year, to volunteer for causes you care about.

**Diversity & Inclusion**: