Legal Counsel, Employment (Remote, Americas) - Jobs in Toronto, ON

Job Description

Company DescriptionShopify is a leading global commerce company, providing trusted tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for reliability, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers everywhere. Shopify powers millions of businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Allbirds, Gymshark, PepsiCo, Staples, and many more.Shopify is now permanently remote, and we’re working towards a future that is digital by design. That location you see above Consider it merely an example of hundreds of potential locations across North America where Shopify is hiring. Learn more here: https://www.shopify.com/careers/work-anywhereJob DescriptionWith thousands of employees spread across the globe, we can guarantee that there will never be a dull moment as a Shopify employment lawyer. Shopify marches to the beat of its own drum, and you’ll be faced with issues you couldn’t dream up if you tried. Working with other members of our Legal team and providing support to our global Talent team, the successful candidate must be able to apply their knowledge and experience to novel scenarios to skillfully provide practical, business-oriented advice in an efficient, succinct, and easy-to-understand way. No legal memos or law school lectures here!From hiring, to employee relations, to exits - this work is varied and constantly evolving. Real talk: being a member of a fast-moving team that’s doing cutting edge legal work is not always easy. That said, practicing at the top of your game with an amazing team and coming up with creative solutions to complex problems is incredibly fulfilling!About youWe’re looking for a curious, passionate, and dedicated employment lawyer with at least a few years of post-qualification experience that includes dealing with litigation, employment standards, occupational health and safety, and human rights matters. You must be able to juggle competing priorities, be equally adept at playing a lead (or even solo) role on some projects and a supporting role on others, and be an effective and confident communicator who can provide user-friendly legal advice in an easy-to-understand way. You will also need to leverage a combination of your existing knowledge, great instincts, and strong research skills to extrapolate into new areas of law or new geographies.Success on the Shopify legal team requires intellect, humility and a sense of humour. You need to take the work seriously, but not take yourself too seriously. You also need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, able to work with many different types of personalities, really connect with people and earn their trust, and be ready to navigate uncharted waters. You will handle sensitive matters with empathy and professionalism, striking a balance between compliance with legal requirements and maintaining our amazing workplace.Projects you could work on:

• Responding to day-to-day inquiries from members of the Talent team, relating to issues like conflicts of interest and/or business side hustles, policy violations, workplace accommodations, employment standards and employee terminations, for example
• Supporting workplace investigations
• Assisting with employment litigation matters
• Reviewing and updating internal policies and practices to ensure compliance with applicable laws
• Drafting responses to demand letters, internal policies/communications, and key employment documents
• Conducting legal research and contributing to knowledge management within the Talent and Legal teams
• Providing employment support with entity set up in new international jurisdictions

Qualifications

• A J.D. or LL.B
• A license to practice law in any Canadian province or U.S. state
• Broad employment law experience, having honed your skills as a practicing employment lawyer at a law firm and, ideally, in-house
• Strong legal writing skills
• Experience drafting and negotiating employment agreements, separation packages and other key documents
• Experience interpreting and updating policies, conducting investigations and navigating employee accommodations and other human rights issues
• Experience dealing with employment issues in an M&A context
• Experience with employment litigation and negotiations with opposing counsel
• Experience leading projects and managing multiple priorities, stakeholders and deadlines
• The ability to build and maintain strong, high-trust relationships with a variety of people and personalities
• The ability to be a self-starter who thrives without regular oversight, as you (and your lead!) will be working remotely
• The knowledge and confidence to provide quick, pragmatic advice on a variety of employment law issues, and develop actionable solutions to complex problems while mitigating risk
• A strong desire to understand Shopify as a business and its workplace culture

Bonus Experience:

• Experience working at a global company
• Experience working in tech and/or start-up environments
• Experience managing external legal counsel, including in international jurisdictions
• Fluency in languages besides English (e.g. German, French, Spanish)

Additional InformationWe know that applying to a new role takes a lot of work and we truly value your time. Allison Di Cesare, Legal Counsel, is looking forward to reading your application.In your cover letter, without breaching confidentiality, please tell us about the most difficult employment issue you’ve encountered, and how you dealt with it (or how you would have dealt with it if your client didn’t end up taking your advice). Please limit your answer to a few paragraphs, at maximum.CLOSING DATE: Wednesday, Jan 19, 2022 at 11:59 pm EST. Successful candidates can expect to hear back from us by Feb 1, 2022.Our belief is that a strong commitment to diversity & inclusion enables us to truly make commerce better for everyone. We encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities, and/or people with intersectional identities. Please take a look at our Sustainability Reports to learn more about Shopify’s commitments to our communities, and our planet.At Shopify, we understand that experience comes in many forms. We’re dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team - so if your experience is this close to what we’re looking for, please consider applying.Quick Apply

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