Working at Battered Women’s Support Services means making real change in the lives of women!

It cannot be emphasized enough how important access to justice and our Legal Services and Advocacy Program (LSAP) are for women’s long term safety and freedom from violence. Through accessing LSAP women are able to leave their abusive relationship, receive more fair custody and access orders increasing the safety for the children, able to have a voice in mediation proceedings and very importantly having access to legal representation in their legal cases.

Join Our Legal Advocacy TeamThe LSAP team is comprised of the Manager of Legal Services and Advocacy, Harshada Deshpande, the Staff Lawyer, and legal interns who work together to provide one-on-one services to women by assessing and analyzing legal problems, assisting in resolving legal issues, supporting self-represented women to prepare for court, preparing documents and providing court accompaniments mainly in the area of family law, but also recognizing that legal issues routinely extend into other areas of the law including immigration, criminal, and child welfare.

 

We’re Hiring! Join Our Legal Advocacy Team

Working at Battered Women’s Support Services means making real change in the lives of women

Staff Lawyer 

Part time 32 hours per week $25.74 per hour with benefits

Monday to Wednesday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Alternating Wednesdays 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Thursdays 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Additional evenings and weekends may be required

 

Battered Women’s Support Services (“BWSS”) is seeking a visionary, exceptional and energetic part-time Staff Lawyer. The Staff Lawyer provides legal information, advocacy, advice and representation to women dealing with legal issues at the intersection of gender violence and family law recognizing that legal issues routinely extend into other areas of the law including immigration, criminal, and child welfare. The Staff Lawyer reports to the Manager of Legal Services and Advocacy.

Growing out of 37 years of leading on violence against women and the law, the BWSS Legal Services and Advocacy Program offers legal representation, training and advocacy from a decolonizing and intersectional feminist perspective where the law intersects with violence against women.

BWSS works to end violence against women through service delivery, training, systemic advocacy and social enterprise. Our dynamic team of skilled, determined and empathic staff and volunteers respond to over 10,000 requests for service and provide training to 1,200 professionals annually. Based at an unpublished location in Vancouver, BWSS operates a crisis line, offers legal advocacy and representation, support groups, counselling, employment programming, and specialized support for Indigenous, Refugee and Immigrant women. Together with our Board of Directors and donors, we work for women’s liberation bringing women and girls together around a shared vision of taking action to change oppressive conditions impacting women’s lives.

Key Responsibilities

  • Provide legal information, advice, advocacy and research support to women in building strategies for their legal case
  • Work from a decolonizing and intersectional feminist analysis of violence against women
  • Interview women, assess/analyze legal problems, assist women prepare for court, and prepare documents in consultation with the Manager of Legal Services and Advocacy and the supervising lawyer
  • Supervise the legal interns and/or the law co-op student
  • Deliver training workshops to staff members, volunteers, and external agencies
  • Provide consultation and support to BWSS volunteers and staff related to legal advocacy issues
  • Become familiar with and perform work consistent with the Outcome Measurement Framework
  • Assist with the administration of all record keeping and service delivery obligations of The Law Foundation of B.C. contract, in keeping with legal and contractual obligations undertaken by the Society. Such administrative duties will include preparing refunding proposals and regular program activity reports as required by BWSS and the funder
  • Maintain an excellent working knowledge of emergent legal-social issues related to violence against women and to seek solutions

Qualifications

The BWSS Staff Lawyer must:

  • Be a lawyer, called to the Bar in B.C.
  • Have a minimum 4 years’ experience working with legal issues related to women who experience violence in relationships, preferably within family law
  • Demonstrate analysis, knowledge and training in working with trauma survivors
  • Demonstrate excellent advocacy and problem-solving skills
  • Have a strong decolonizing and intersectional feminist analysis of violence against women
  • Demonstrate cultural competency including awareness of diverse marginalized communities in the Lower Mainland and ability to work with women from various cultural communities
  • The ability to speak language(s) other than English an asset
  • Be highly organized, able to motivate and provide strong leadership to staff, volunteers and colleagues
  • Have experience in women’s organizations and non-profit society environments
  • Have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Be personable, flexible and self-directed
  • Be member in good standing of the Law Society of BC

If you seek the opportunity to commit to an organization engaged in making a real difference in the lives of women in our community, please send your resume by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 20, 2018.

Respond via email:

Battered Women’s Support Services,

Email: endingviolence@bwss.org

This position requires union membership. No phone calls please