Come work with us! Health Justice is seeking an Education Lawyer

Education Lawyer

Health Justice is hiring a staff member to support our public legal education and legal research work, including training curriculum development and delivery for a new provincial Independent Rights Advice Service. The role is for a one-year term, with a high degree of likelihood that it will continue beyond one year. 

About us and the role

Health Justice is a non-profit organization that uses research, education, and systemic advocacy to improve the laws and policies that govern coercive mental health and substance use care in BC. We take a human rights and equity-based approach to our work. Our current priority is to better support human rights and well-being in involuntary mental health and substance use treatment governed by laws like the Mental Health Act. 

BC is introducing a new service, Independent Rights Advice Service (IRAS), which will provide legal information to involuntary patients under the Mental Health Act. The service will be designed and delivered using a partnership model that brings together multiple organizations and stakeholders. 

The position will play a central role in co-developing and delivering written, virtual, and in-person education and training content about the Mental Health Act and the IRAS. 

More specifically, the role will: 

• Work in collaboration with Health Justice governance bodies, IRAS Governance Committee, and Health Justice staff to develop priorities for IRAS education.  

• Co-develop, deliver, and evaluate a training curriculum for IRAS Rights Advisor cohorts to ensure a high quality, trauma-informed and accessible service; 

• Co-develop, deliver, and evaluate training curricula for detaining facility staff to ensure they understand patient rights and the role of the IRAS; 

• Co-develop online training modules and website content on the Mental Health Act and IRAS for detaining facility staff, people experiencing involuntary treatment, family members/personal supporters of people experiencing involuntary treatment, and the public.  

• Assist in presenting and facilitating Health Justice human rights and lived experience-based training and education sessions with other staff; and 

• Conduct legal research on mental health laws, policies, services, and practices and collaborate with Health Justice staff on other tasks as needed. 

Qualifications and Attributes 

Note that it is possible we may hire two applicants depending on the applicant pool. As a result, we encourage applicants to apply if they bring some, but not all, of the attributes set out below. 

The following will be an asset in the role: 

• Experience developing and delivering public legal education content and/or training curricula; 

• Experience facilitating presentations, workshops, or other public speaking educational sessions with diverse audiences (familiarity with engaging with audiences both virtually and in-person is an asset);   

• Strong skills in legal research, legal analysis, and the ability to distill legal ideas into simple, concise, accurate written and oral communication; 

• Project management experience or the ability to manage multiple tasks and details; 

• Familiarity with law and policy related to state intervention and detention systems and the disproportionate impacts those systems may have on people who are marginalized on the basis of disability, substance use, Indigeneity, gender, poverty, race, age, etc.; 

• Compassionate, clear, non-judgmental verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to adjust style and tone for a variety of audiences; 

• Experience with education that centres trauma and violence-informed approaches, cultural safety, and other forms of safety and accessibility; 

• Comfort with bringing a critical lens to professionalism and power, including collaborating with partners/co-workers who bring multiple forms of expertise; 

• An awareness of the ethics and accountability related to hearing, carrying, and integrating lived experiences of oppression into education and training; 

• Comfort working remotely and largely independently, with independent self-direction to check in and collaborate with team members; 

• Lived experience with or a demonstrated understanding of BC’s mental health or substance use systems or systems of state intervention and detention; and 

• Lived experience related to or a demonstrated understanding of and commitment to decolonizing and combatting oppression on the basis of Indigeneity, race, place of origin, immigration status, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, family status, and socio-economic status. 

Health Justice values diversity, and particularly acknowledges the expertise applicants may bring related to their Indigeneity, race, place of origin, immigration status, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, and socio-economic status. We encourage applicants to explicitly self-identify any personal characteristics or experiences that will support our commitment to bringing diverse perspectives to the organization if you feel comfortable.

Salary, benefits, working conditions 

The annual salary range for this position will be between $65,000 and $77,000 annually based on a full-time 35-hour work week. It includes paid sick time, paid vacation, paid office closure periods, extended health and dental benefits, and a flexible and inclusive workplace.  

Health Justice operates remotely. The successful applicant can work from anywhere in BC with stable internet access. Health Justice will provide equipment and remote working infrastructure. Travel for work may be required. 

To apply 

Please send a resume and a one-page cover letter to jobs@healthjustice.ca (PDF format is preferred). The deadline for applying is May 22, 2023.