Legal Counsel - Legal Services Department - Regular full-time 2024-8859

Location: Bayview Campus, hybrid role

Position

Sunnybrook Legal Services has an opening for a Legal Counsel (Research) to join its team in providing services to both Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Sunnybrook Research Institute (together “Sunnybrook”).  As a member of the Legal Services team at Sunnybrook, the Legal Counsel will report to Senior Legal Counsel (Research). This role will require the successful candidate to work independently and collaboratively within a very busy client environment The focus of this role is to provide legal support for multi-centered Health Canada regulated COVID-19 clinical trials that are part of the Network of COVID-19 Trials Network, as well as supporting other research endeavours including research operations at Sunnybrook.   

Summary of Duties

The Legal Counsel (Research) will focus on providing legal support to researchers, research administration and other research staff members.  Duties will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Network of COVID-19 Trials Network work:

• Provide legal guidance, oversight and expertise to leadership of the Network in implementing the project
• Facilitate and oversee the negotiation, finalization and execution of contracts and transfer agreements required for Network supported projects and activities
• Liaise with legal counsel, research finance and other research support personnel at Canadian institutions involved in Network supported projects and activities to provide guidance on contractual and other legal procedural trial matters
• Assist in the development and implementation of efficient processes to enable rapid start up of COVD-19 Network supported trials, including the development and roll out of template agreements for use by sites

Research Legal work:

• Drafting, reviewing, negotiating and providing advice to researchers and research administration personnel on a broad range of clinical and pre-clinical research agreements, including clinical trial agreements, sponsored research agreements, subsite agreements, material and/or data transfer agreements and research services agreement;
• Supporting the Sunnybrook Technology Transfer Office on the commercialization of intellectual property, including drafting and negotiation of technology licenses and other IP agreements;
• Liaising with the Research Finance office on a regular basis to support the timely development and review of  research budgets and to support applications for grants as needed;
• Liaising with the Research Ethics Board office on clinical trial applications as needed and to provide guidance on research related regulations and policies as required;
• Providing advice on strategic research initiatives and large research projects;
• Attending meetings as required or requested by Senior Legal Counsel or General Counsel;
• Suggesting and implementing process improvements for the review and finalization of research agreements with the aim of ensuring that research studies at Sunnybrook are initiated in an efficient manner; and
• Other duties as requested

Sunnybrook has established partnerships with several external hospitals to provide similar legal services for such hospitals.  The role of the Legal Counsel (Research) will include supporting the provision of such services.

Qualifications:

• Law degree from a Canadian law school or equivalent;
• Member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario;
• Three to five years of relevant experience gained in an in-house setting or leading law firm;
• Fully proficient with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.

Additional Qualifications:

• Excellent organizational and time management skills;
• Excellent drafting skills, particularly in dealing with a broad range of research contracts, legal documents, policies and procedures;
• Must be resourceful and able to manage multiple competing demands and prioritize tasks appropriately and effectively;
• Enthusiastic, energetic, results-oriented;
• Exceptional inter-personal and communication skills, with effective group presentation skills and stakeholder engagement abilities;
• Ability to work independently and as a team member;
• High level of composure with the ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion and tact, with the ability to work well under pressure and to maintain strict confidence;
• Excellent research skills with demonstrated strategic thinking, creative problem solving and planning combined with exceptional tactical implementation and project management skills, with good business acumen;
• Ability to identify legal issues, research and analyze complicated solutions and develop and recommend practical and informed solutions in an effective and efficient manner;
• Experience working in an academic hospital or research institute setting and/or the broader medical research industry will be considered an asset.