Law Clerk Program
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APPLICATION FOR CLERKSHIP — 2013-2014
Applications are invited for the position of Law Clerk to the Judges of the Tax Court of Canada. The Tax Court of Canada will staff twelve (12) Law Clerk positions.
A judicial clerkship allows the student to gain essential insight into the way the presiding judge handles and determines a particular case. For those interested in tax law, clerking with the Tax Court of Canada is a unique opportunity to work with judges in this domain. Discussion and interaction with the judges is encouraged, and the judges generally have an open door policy.
Although the focus of the Court is on tax law, cases that come before the Court may involve other areas of law such as corporate and commercial, family, constitutional, contracts, trusts and estates law, among others.
PLACE OF WORK
Tax Court of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT
One (1) year.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
Salary is currently $55,102 per annum. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package.
DUTIES
The majority of the workload consists of:
- preparing legal opinion of fact and law prior to the hearing of a case as well as following the hearing of a case;
- researching specific legal questions; and
- reviewing, editing, and commenting on draft reasons for judgment.
QUALIFICATIONS
(1) At the time of appointment candidates must have a law degree from a Canadian university. Alternately, the candidate must have a law degree from a university outside of Canada, together with a Certificate of Qualification issued by the National Committee on Accreditation;
(2) Good cumulative grade point average in courses pursued towards law degree;
(3) Interest in tax law and commercial transactions;
(4) Successful completion of an introductory course in tax law and at least one additional advanced course in tax law such as international taxation or corporate tax prior to graduation;
(5) Proficiency in English or French is required. Some positions are designated bilingual (CBB);
(6) Other qualifications will be assessed. For more details, please review the Statement of Merit Criteria.
WHO CAN APPLY
Persons residing in Canada and Canadian citizens residing abroad.
Preference will be given to Canadian citizens.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications must be submitted on or before Friday, December 30, 2011. Applications should include all of the following:
- a covering letter
- a résumé (specify citizenship)
- official transcripts of law school marks and copies of transcripts for all other post-secondary studies;
- a list of three (3) individuals who will send letters of reference:
i. a senior professor from the law faculty;
ii. a professor who has taught the applicant at least one course in tax law; and
iii. one other person.
Letters of reference must attest to the candidate’s qualifications regarding reliability, discretion, effective interpersonal skills and judgment. It should be noted that each letter of reference does not have to attest to all the qualifications provided that all the qualifications are addressed in one or more of the letters of reference.
It is recognized that transcripts and letters of reference that must be sent directly to the Court may follow. However, the applicant should indicate in the covering letter that these arrangements have been made, and the documents must arrive on or before January 20, 2012.
Candidates invited to a second interview will also be required to provide one (1) sample of legal writing which the candidates have written themselves.
Please note that the letters of reference and transcripts will not be returned.
Our preference is to communicate with candidates by e-mail.Therefore, you must include in your application a valid e-mail address that is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users.
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
All material should be sent via mail or e-mail to:
2013 – 2014 Clerkship Program
Ms. Cristina Damiani
Executive Legal Counsel
Chambers of the Chief Justice
Tax Court of Canada
200 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0M1
clerkships-TCC@cas-satj.gc.ca
INTERVIEWS
The first interview normally takes place in the city where the applicant is attending law school and is conducted by a judge of the Court. The first interview will be conducted between the end of January and mid February 2012.
A second interview, for those who are invited, will take place in Ottawa during the month of March 2012. This interview will be conducted by a panel of judges who are members of the Law Clerk Committee. Successful candidates will be contacted by telephone the week following the conclusion of second interviews.
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further inquiries regarding the Tax Court of Canada clerkship, to arrange a tour of the premises or to communicate with a current Law Clerk, please contact:
Ms. Cristina Damiani at (613) 995-4789 or by e-mail at clerkships-TCC@cas-satj.gc.ca
You are also welcome to visit the following Websites:
Tax Court of Canada:
www.tcc-cci.gc.ca
Courts Administration Service:
www.cas-satj.gc.ca
NOTE
Certain law societies recognize the service of the law clerks as fulfilling all or part of their articling requirements. Candidates should verify this with the law society of the jurisdiction in which they will seek admission to practice.
A pool of qualified candidates may be established as a result of this selection process.
The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages you to indicate voluntarily on your application if you are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.
The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing (including interview), you should advise us in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.
