Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel – Markham

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Vice President, Legal Affairs and ESG, the Legal Counsel is responsible for the provision of expert legal services and policy guidelines to all Sofina Canada operations.   

Key Accountabilities:

• Review and evaluate contractual agreements with customers, vendors and suppliers (including leases and other commitments) to ensure that all commercial opportunities are maximized, objectives are met, and contractual agreements are reasonable and achievable;
• Administer the Concord contract management system, working with various corporate functions to ensure that all renewal or termination notifications are delivered, or contracts are re-negotiated in a timely manner;
• Implement standard contract templates and workflows to improve efficiencies and effectiveness in the contracting process;
• Lead corporate governance activities for Sofina Foods Inc. and its subsidiaries;
• Provide legal advice on marketing, promotional and trademark activities to effectively ensure compliance with laws;
• Advise the organization on changes in laws and regulations, evaluate their impact on the Company’s operations and develop, with the assistance of the General Counsel, the Company’s position on these changes.  Assist in the development of internal guidelines and policies on various legal and business issues including training and education to minimize exposure/risks to the organization including without limitation competition law;
• Support on major business transactions, including (without limitation) acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures;
• Assess the merits of cases filed by or against the company, working with management and legal team to conduct the litigation, develop a case strategy and approve settlements of disputes where appropriate;
• Assure that all legal services provided to the Company are performed in a manner that is consistent with, and supportive of the Company’s core values and culture, Code of Conduct and policies;
• Assure that to the extent that legal services are performed in conjunction with other corporate functions, that such legal services are performed in a cooperative and competent manner;
• Perform other duties as assigned if not in contradiction to this role profile.

Requirements:

• A law degree from an accredited law school and a valid license to practice law in Canada;
• A minimum of 5 years of related in-house/law firm legal experience in Canada preferably in the consumer goods industry;
• English/French bilingualism is an asset;
• Extensive legal experience, specifically (but not limited to): contract law, corporate/commercial law, trademark law, mergers and acquisitions, competition, and privacy;
• Broad knowledge of relevant laws and regulations, analytical ability, business savvy, and a balance of legal, compliance and operational experience;
• Financially literate, ability to understand financial statements and draw conclusions.

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