Location: Toronto, ON
Type: Permanent Full-time
Group/Grade: Bargaining Unit/Coordinator Grade
Rate: $127,824.27 (start)
Date: June 17, 2026
Position: 1 (one position in Region 3)
The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) is Canada’s largest nurses’ union. We are powered by our members — 68,000 nurses and health-care professionals, and 18,000 nursing student affiliates — who provide care in hospitals, long-term care, public health, the community, clinics and industry.
Our mission is to defend the rights of and advocate for nurses and health-care professionals who care for the health of Ontarians. We empower members and fight against unfair and unsafe treatment, negotiate and enforce our contracts, offer benefits and insurance, provide tailored education and development opportunities and much more. We confront governments, administrations and other policymakers head on to fight for high-quality public health care.
ONA is seeking to hire a Legal Coordinator for Region 3 on our Litigation Team to join the Toronto office. This posting is for an existing vacancy. As a member of the Litigation Team and working within the boundaries of ONA’s governing and administrative policies, the vision, and strategic outcomes, this position provides litigation services, mentorship, advice, and support to meet the service delivery needs of ONA and its membership. The incumbent will be a leader on the Litigation Team and is accountable for providing mentorship remotely and in person, and advice to lawyers on the team and maintaining an active litigation practice under the direction and supervision of the Manager of Litigation.
This is what else you can expect from this dynamic role:
- The Legal Coordinator acts as a coordinator and leader on the Litigation Team and will be assigned lawyers to whom they are responsible for providing advice, guidance, and mentorship in coordination with the Manager of Litigation remotely and in person.
- The Legal Coordinator will be required to provide mentorship and advice on all aspects of the work performed by ONA’s litigation team, including grievance arbitrations, Labour Board files (PSLRTA/sale of business/related employer, ULPs, DFRs, Jurisdictional Disputes, OHSA appeals) human rights files at the HRTO and other areas.
- The Legal Coordinator will be required to provide advice on litigation strategies, skills, and approaches to other litigators in a range of legal fora and assist in the development of litigation skills of the team.
- The Legal Coordinator acts as a key resource to litigators, labour relations officers and bargaining unit leadership providing legal and strategic advice including for challenging or complex files.
- The Legal Coordinator will be responsible, in consultation with the Manager of Litigation, for onboarding and training new lawyers to the team remotely and in person.
- The Legal Coordinator provides strategic and competent representation to ONA and its members at rights arbitrations and other legal proceedings such as before the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Privacy Commissioner, and the Courts.
- The Legal Coordinator researches, prepares, and litigates complex cases, including complex cases and cases that have provincial ramifications including significant central rights cases.
- The Legal Coordinator will be required to attend the Toronto and Port Hope offices.
ACCOUNTABILITIES:
- Accountable for researching, preparing, and litigating legal cases, including complex cases and cases that have provincial ramifications including significant central rights cases, reducing the need to rely on outside counsel.
- Accountable for providing advice, mentorship, and guidance to lawyers on the team and for providing authorized instruction on files, in collaboration with the Manager of Litigation. This includes providing summary advice on arbitration cases, Labour Board, HRTO and Court files.
- Accountable for meeting the Litigation Team Mandate, which involves contract administration, achieving and maintaining the collective and individual rights of members, providing strategic advice, and representation of ONA and its members at rights arbitrations and in other forums (OLRB, HRTO etc.)
- Accountable for providing advice in relation to other related areas of practice including human rights/return to work/accommodation, occupational health & safety, and proceedings before the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) under the Labour Relations Act, Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act and/or other legislation, as required.
- Accountable for drafting pleadings, researching legal issues, drafting opinion letters and briefs.
- Accountable for identifying risks and opportunities related to ONA achieving its goals/mandate including litigation strategies and provincial strategies.
- Demonstrated skills in coordinating and leading on the litigation team including initiating alternative adjudication models.
- Accountable to demonstrate solid client relations and communication skills, and sound professional judgment.
- Accountable for understanding ONA’s strategic outcomes, the litigation team’s objectives, and how one’s individual role relates to ONA’s broader outcomes.
- Accountable for identifying skill, knowledge and resource gaps as required to perform tasks.
- Accountable for actively participating as a team member to ensure that organizational accountabilities of the litigation team are met.
- Accountable for making observable contributions to the success of other team members and to the overall performance of the team.
- Accountable to act as a leader and mentor, demonstrating a commitment to both the professional and personal growth of the litigation team.
- Accountable for participation in the development of educational opportunities within the organization including presentations to staff and the development of other litigation support resources.
Skills & Abilities:
- Ability to take initiative and work Position requires incumbent to work independently, consulting as needed with ONA’s leadership team.
- Ability to mentor, coordinate, and provide support to other team
- Ability to lead and conduct complex litigation on behalf of
- Ability to identify and analyze the essential facts, relevant issues, evidence, applicable contractual language, and relevant arbitral or other case law with minimal
- Ability to provide legal opinions on complex legal
- Excellent legal research and analytic
- Adept in identifying practical advice and
- Demonstrated persuasive oral and written advocacy
- Advanced litigation and mediation/negotiation
- Excellent client relations, interpersonal and communication skills
What we are looking for:
The successful candidate will possess –
- A B/Juris Doctor (J.D.) is required.
- Called to the Bar of Ontario/Member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario
- Education or training in alternative dispute resolution/mediation and/or oral advocacy is an asset.
- Registered Nurse is an
- A minimum of 5 to 10 years of experience practicing advanced union-side labour law at rights arbitration and other legal forums.
- Demonstrated experience in mentorship of other lawyers and advisory work including providing general advice, reviewing cases, identifying solutions to challenges, assisting with responses to complaints, attending and supporting other lawyers at arbitration, supporting direction on provincial cases, and assisting with litigation and negotiation strategies.
- Identifying areas for skill development for litigation team and working with the Senior Legal Advisor to coordinate appropriate education.
- Attending Legal Coordinator meeting with the other Coordinators and Manager of Litigation to discuss legal issues/cases and to support team direction and strategies.
- Demonstrated experience in teaching, advising, and mentoring junior lawyers or acting as principal to articling students.
- Demonstrated ability to draft pleadings and write legal opinions, submissions, and
- Demonstrated advocacy, litigation, and presentation
- Demonstrated skills in coordinating and leading on the litigation team including initiating alternative adjudication models.
- Extensive experience in the following types of litigation proceedings:
- Complex arbitrations, including extensive experience with LTD and human rights matters including accommodation files.
- Arbitrations with provincial ramifications/central cases
- Ontario Labour Relations Board proceedings, including under the Labour Relations Act, Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act.
- Court, including Divisional Court and appellate courts (e.g. judicial reviews, injunctions, and other proceedings) and Civil Actions would be an asset.
- HRTO
- Demonstrated experience obtaining expert reports and in conducting direct and cross-examination of medical experts.
The successful candidate must be able to travel, possess a valid driver’s license and have access to an automobile for business use.
All interested candidates may apply via MyONA by 4:30 pm on July 1, 2026.
The Ontario Nurses’ Association is committed to employment equity within its staff. Applications are encouraged from equity-deserving groups including individuals of Indigenous descent, Racialized individuals, individuals with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI persons. We also provide accessible employment practices that are in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (‘AODA’). If you require accommodation for a disability during any stage of the recruitment process, please notify Human Resources at [email protected] (mailto:
[email protected])
.
Thank you for your interest in joining us. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
