The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) is recruiting a Public Interest Articling Fellow for 2025-2026. An articling fellowship at LEAF will provide an opportunity to learn more about advancing substantive gender equality rights through litigation, law reform, and education.
ROLE OVERVIEW
The Public Interest Articling Fellow works with LEAF’s legal team to support the organization’s litigation, law reform, and public legal education efforts.
WHO WE ARE
LEAF is a national non-profit organization which uses law to advance the equality of women, girls, trans, and non-binary people in Canada. Our national office is based in Toronto, and we have volunteer branches in Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton, Windsor, Quebec, and Halifax.
We intervene in legal cases throughout Canada to advance gender equality – helping to prevent violence, eliminate discrimination in the workplace, provide better maternity and parental benefits, ensure a right to pay equity, and allow access to reproductive freedoms. We push for progressive law reform on issues central to gender equality, including sexual violence, online hate, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and basic income. We use education to amplify our legal victories and improve people’s understanding of their rights. Learn more about LEAF’s work at: www.leaf.ca.
WHO YOU ARE
You are entering your final year of law school or are a recent graduate, and you have a passion for gender equality. You bring an intersectional feminist lens to your work – including your analysis, collaborations, and communication style. You see law as a tool to achieve gender equality, and want to put your legal research and writing skills to work in support of this goal. You are a clear communicator with strong organizational skills and can balance tasks from multiple supervisors. You are excited to work with our team to advance gender justice in Canada.
PRIMARY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
- Conduct legal and academic research
- Monitor cases that may impact gender equality
- Complete legal memos
- Review intervention and law reform materials
- Attend legal interventions
- Draft advocacy letters and statements
- Help prepare public legal education materials, including fact sheets, infographics, and social media content on key litigation and law reform initiatives
- Attend meetings of LEAF’s different committees, which are composed of leading academics and practitioners in constitutional and equality law
- Assist with administrative legal tasks, including preparing meeting minutes
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Entering final year or recent graduate of an accredited Canadian law school, or graduate of an international or non-accredited Canadian law school participating in the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) process
- Strong legal research and writing skills
- Knowledge of constitutional and equality law
- Strong time-management and organizational skills
- Good interpersonal skills
- Self-motivated and able to work well with others
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Knowledge of LEAF’s mandate and legal activities
- Demonstrated commitment to feminism and/or social justice
- Proficiency in both English and French is an asset
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
This is a full-time, 10-month contract position. The Public Interest Articling Fellow will receive $62,000 in compensation and will be enrolled in LEAF’s benefits plan, which includes health and dental benefits. The fellowship covers the Fellow’s licensing process fees, and provides a stipend for continuing education during the articling term.
LOCATION:
This position will be based out of the LEAF National office, located in Toronto, Ontario, with the successful candidate being expected to work from the office at least 2 days per week.
HIRING PROCESS AND TIMELINE:
Please submit your cover letter, CV, official law school transcript, anticipated upper year course list, and a list of three references (contact name, phone number, and email address) as one attachment by June 28, 2024 at 5pm EDT via the viLawPortal. Cover letters can be addressed to Pam Hrick, Executive Director & General Counsel.
We will be following the Law Society of Ontario’s 2025-2026 Articling Recruitment Procedures. Interview dates and times will be communicated after 8am EDT on July 19, 2024. Interviews will be conducted between 8am EDT on August 12, 2024, and 3pm EDT on August 14, 2024. An offer will be made after 5pm EDT on August 14, 2024.
The interview process will occur remotely.
LEAF welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities for all available positions. Where possible, accommodations will be made available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
LEAF encourages applications from candidates who reflect the diversity of our communities. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and racialized people, as well as from newcomers, gender-diverse people, and members of other equity-deserving groups. If you are comfortable, please indicate in your cover letter if you identify as a member of an equity-deserving group.
We thank all applicants for their interest, but only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
This position has been made available through The Law Foundation of Ontario Public Interest Articling Fellowship Program.
