Job Description

JOB SUMMARY:

Reporting to Senior Legal Counsel, the Legal Counsel 3 possesses the strong leadership abilities required to provide strategic legal advice and litigation support to leaders and staff across all levels at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). The Legal Counsel 3 independently manages and advises on a broad range of litigation, dispute resolution, administrative law, regulatory, and risk management matters affecting the organization.

The Legal Counsel 3 anticipates and identifies legal risks and develops practical litigation and dispute resolution strategies to support organizational objectives. The position provides legal advice on matters before courts, tribunals, regulatory bodies, and administrative decision-makers, including judicial reviews, regulatory proceedings, professional practice matters, investigations, and other healthcare-related disputes.

The Legal Counsel 3 works closely with operational and clinical leaders, external counsel, and the General Counsel and Senior Legal Counsel as part of an in-house legal team to support VCH's strategic, operational, and patient care objectives.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Harleen Dastur-Randhawa, Manager, Executive Talent Acquisition at executivecareers@vch.ca.

As a Legal Counsel 3 with Vancouver Coastal Health you will:

• Provide strategic legal advice and opinions to VCH leadership, managers, staff, and members of the Legal Services team regarding litigation, administrative law, regulatory, and dispute resolution matters.
• Represent or support the representation of VCH in court proceedings, administrative tribunals, regulatory hearings, mediations, arbitrations, and other dispute resolution processes.
• Manage a portfolio of litigation matters, including coordinating litigation strategy, evidence gathering, witness preparation, and engagement of external counsel.
• Provide advice regarding administrative decision-making, procedural fairness, statutory interpretation, judicial review proceedings, and regulatory compliance.
• Advise on investigations, professional practice matters, privacy matters, complaints, and other issues with litigation or reputational risk implications.
• Work closely with operations, professional practice, risk management, human resources, medical staff, and executive leadership to identify and mitigate legal risks.
• Retain, instruct, and manage external counsel and monitors legal expenditures and litigation outcomes.
• Interpret legislation, regulations, and evolving case law affecting public healthcare organizations and advise on the implications for VCH programs, services, and operations.
• Participate in the development and review of organizational policies, procedures, and practices to ensure legal compliance and risk mitigation.
• Maintain professional growth and development through seminars, workshops, and professional affiliations to remain current on litigation, administrative law, healthcare law, and emerging legal developments.
• Perform other job-related duties

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education & Experience

• Law Degree from a recognized University supplemented by a minimum of six (6) years of recent, related experience practicing law, including experience in litigation, administrative law, or regulatory proceedings.
• Demonstrated experience appearing before courts, administrative tribunals, arbitrators, mediators, professional regulatory bodies, or other adjudicative decision-makers.
• Experience advising public sector organizations, health authorities, government agencies, regulatory bodies, or other complex organizations is an asset.
• Member in good standing with the Law Society of British Columbia (or eligible for membership within a specified period).

Role Specific Expertise

• Advanced expertise in litigation, administrative law, dispute resolution, and risk management.
• Demonstrated advocacy experience before courts, administrative tribunals, regulatory bodies, or other adjudicative forums.
• Strong understanding of procedural fairness, administrative decision-making, and statutory interpretation.
• Demonstrated understanding of the legal framework governing public sector organizations.
• Ability to independently manage litigation files and provide practical, strategic advice to internal stakeholders.
• Experience managing external counsel and coordinating litigation strategy.
• Ability to assess legal risk and develop effective mitigation and resolution strategies.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with executive leaders, clinicians, operational teams, regulators, courts, tribunals, and external counsel.
• Familiarity with healthcare legislation, healthcare operations, and the broader public healthcare system is an asset.
• Ability to foster and maintain positive relationships with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple competing priorities.
• Models personal integrity and accountability and is a committed team player.

Shared Values:

You care for everyone:

• You are compassionate, empathetic, and sensitive to the needs of others.
• You are respectful, treating people as equals, and valuing others’ perspectives and differences.
• You are appreciative of others’ efforts and give them praise when it’s due.

You are always learning:

• You are open minded, always receptive to different perspectives and ways of doing things.
• You are curious and ask questions to find a deeper understanding.
• You share your expertise and mentor others by sharing your knowledge and experience.

You strive for better results:

• You are accountable, and take responsibility for what you say, what you do, and who you engage in achieving better results.
• You are a solution finder, empowered to solve the challenges we face in healthcare.
• You take ownership for growth and development and personal development, always seek feedback and opportunities to improve how we do things.

Details

At Vancouver Coastal Health, our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices, diverse teams and inclusive environments, which are vital to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups, people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation.Vancouver Coastal Health is proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, BC’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers and Canada's Top Employers for Young People in 2026.Unless otherwise noted on the posting, internal job postings close at 8:00 AM Pacific Time on the listed Closing Date. Please submit your digital application via the Internal Career Portal prior to the Closing Date & Time.We regret that only short listed candidates will be acknowledged.This is an internal job posting for Vancouver Coastal Health employees only.