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About Us

The Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service (PPS) was established in 1990 as the first statutorily based independent prosecution service in Canada. The Public Prosecution Service is responsible for all prosecutions and appeals within the jurisdiction of the Attorney General.

With the guiding mission of providing fair and equal treatment in the prosecution of offences, the PPS prosecutes charges laid under the Criminal Code and under Nova Scotia statutes such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The Head Office is in Halifax and there are regional offices located throughout the province.

The core functions of the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service are to:

• Represent the Crown in the conduct of criminal trials and quasi criminal appeals before all levels of courts.
• Participate in the development of criminal law and criminal prosecutions policy.
• Provide advice to police in respect of prosecutions generally or in respect of specific investigations

For more information on the Public Prosecution Service please visit https://novascotia.ca/pps/

About Our Opportunity

As the Legal Assistant, you will work in a team environment providing legal assistance, case management, file management and secretarial/administrative support for Crown Attorneys of the Public Prosecution Service. Your knowledge of legal terminology and specialized criminal law procedures will be put to the test as you use your understanding of the prosecution process and court proceedings to support the Public Prosecution Office.

Primary Accountabilities

In this role you will be creating, tracking and managing all Public Prosecution Service criminal and administrative files. In the trial/appeal process, you will prepare legal documents including affidavits, subpoenas and orders, briefs, factums and memoranda, while ensuring that the highest PPS and Court standards of accuracy and completeness are met in a highly confidential office setting.

You will respond to requests from all levels of government, private law firms and the public for information and assistance and acts as a referral source for victims of crime to Victim Services agencies.

Qualifications and Experience

To be successful in this role you will have a certificate or diploma from a Paralegal program or Legal Assistant program, plus three years experience working in a legal practice. An acceptable combination of education/training and experience may be considered.

Demonstrated experience in an automated environment using Microsoft Word, Outlook or similar transferrable programs is required. Your proficient and accurate transcription skills (handwritten or dicta methods), as well as strong typing skills.

As the ideal candidate you will have strong attention to detail, prioritization and organizational skills with the ability to combine speed and accuracy while under pressure to meet deadlines. You are able to deal effectively in a multifaceted and sometimes stressful environment (often in confrontational and sensitive situations) while ensuring confidentiality.

Fairness and impartiality must be displayed at all times with clients and other staff, police, and defense lawyers, and all duties and responsibilities are to be carried out with the highest degree of confidentiality.

Must have demonstrated excellent verbal and written skills, a high degree of initiative, problem solving, independent work habits, and readily accept responsibility.

The following are considered assets in this position:

• Exposure to the justice system and government services
• Experience with JEIN and PICS
• Working knowledge of the STAR/STOR central file management system or other filing systems
• Demonstrated understanding of the prosecutions process, experience working with legal documents and forms, understanding of court proceedings and legal terminology
• Legal research and retrieval of relevant case law using electronic tools (e.g., Quicklaw, Westlaw, CanLII and/or legal libraries)

All successful candidates must be able to pass appropriate background checks.

We will assess the above qualifications using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

Equivalency

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as Health, Dental, Life Insurance, Pension, General Illness (Short and Long Term), Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. Click here to learn more about our various benefits offerings and eligibility criteria.

Working Conditions

• Normal work week is 35 hours/week, 7 hours/day (8:30 AM to 4:30 PM)
• May be required to work overtime on occasion
• Mental Pressures Include: balancing multiple priorities, high demand for accuracy and attention to detail, tight deadlines
• Physical Pressures Include: sitting at a desk and keyboarding for extensive lengths of time, lift/move/carry heavy file boxes
• Nature of the work environment (prosecution of criminal offences) may bring staff into contact with individuals who are verbally abusive and physically threatening
• You will be exposed to graphic and disturbing material of a nature which would not be encountered in ordinary workplaces (e.g. photographic materials involving victims of violent crime)
• You will be working with highly distraught victims of crime which can create a stressful and emotionally draining work environment
• Public reaction to certain prosecution case results can produce stress in the general social (outside of the office) environment

Additional Information

This competition will be used to fill multiple vacancies in the Halifax and Dartmouth Offices:

• Permanent
• Temporary with anticipated end dates of September 5, 2023 and September 30, 2023

The appointment status (‘term’, ‘temporary’ or ‘casual’) is dependent on the start date of the successful candidate.

Candidates that have a certificate or diploma from a Paralegal program or Legal Assistant program (with less than 3 years of experience) are encouraged to apply and will be considered if these opportunities are not filled by candidates with a diploma and three years of experience. The bi-weekly salary for candidates that do not meet the 3 years of experience requirement is $1,675.62 (at the CL 18 level). Candidates appointed at the CL 18 level as Associate Legal Assistants will be term appointments with an end date on or before March 31, 2024.

What We Offer

• Career development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• Engaging workplace - our employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies.