Title: Legal Advocate – Racial Justice Program

Location: Primarily in-person at our office in Burnaby, with some remote work opportunities

Employment type: Full-time (approximately 35 hours/week)

Salary: $66,402/year

Application deadline: August 1, 2025 or until filled. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.

Start date: As soon as possible.

Prisoners’ Legal Services (PLS) is looking for a passionate, strategic, reliable and empathetic person to join our efforts to protect the rights and dignity of people in prison as a legal advocate focusing on racial justice. The Racial Justice Advocate position is an opportunity to help advance systemic change while also providing direct legal support to racialized incarcerated people.

About us:

Prisoners’ Legal Services is a non-profit society providing legal assistance to people in federal and provincial prisons in British Columbia. We also engage in strategic litigation and advocacy on the prison justice issues brought forward by our clients to achieve systemic, anti-carceral change.

We are a team of lawyers and non-lawyers who believe that no one is disposable, and who work alongside and in solidarity with incarcerated people. We witness some of the harshest forms of state violence, and use the legal system’s tools to protect our clients from the abuses and degradations of prison. More information about our work is available at https://prisonjustice.org/.

About the position:

PLS’ Racial Justice Program combines individual legal services with litigation and advocacy on issues of systemic racism, including the mass incarceration of Indigenous people, the over-classification of Black and Indigenous people to higher security prisons, barriers to community release for Black and Indigenous prisoners, race-based harassment and discrimination by prison authorities, investment in prisons over community-based and Indigenous-run alternatives, and more.

The Racial Justice Advocate assists incarcerated clients, primarily by phone, with prison legal matters, focusing on issues that engage anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. Advocacy may involve summary advice, informal advocacy with prison authorities and others, written submissions, complaints to oversight bodies, representation at administrative hearings (such as Parole Board hearings), and more. Legal advocates have conduct of client files and are responsible for determining what services will be provided to a client and ensuring tasks are completed, deadlines are met, commitments to clients are honoured, and accurate records are kept. Legal advocates work under the supervision of a lawyer.

The Racial Justice Advocate works closely with the Racial Justice Staff Lawyer to identify trends, develop and pursue systemic litigation and advocacy, and promote the integration of individual client representation with systemic change work.

Qualifications & skills:

• Post-secondary education in law, criminology, social work, or related discipline, or equivalent education and experience;
• Strong writing, research, interviewing and negotiation skills; 
• Ability to be a strong advocate for marginalized clients, including people with high mental health needs and people convicted of various crimes;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work with people in prison, lawyers, prison and parole officials, community partners, and others;
• Knowledge of colonialism and anti-Black and anti-Indigenous systems of oppression; strong commitment to social justice and anti-oppression work;
• Excellent judgment in matters of ethics and confidentiality;
• Interest in law and legal approaches;
• Intellectual curiosity and creativity, and an ability to think strategically;
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team and to partner effectively and compassionately with incarcerated clients;
• Familiarity with concepts of cultural safety and humility;
• Self-directed and attentive to detail, with the ability to set goals and meet deadlines;
• Critical and anti-colonial approach to carceral systems;
• Ability to care for yourself and colleagues amidst challenging work;
• Knowledge of French an asset.

Working Conditions:

This is a primarily in-person position based at our office in an elevator building in Burnaby, BC, with some opportunities for remote work. Office hours are approximately 8:30-4:30 Monday - Friday, with periodic work outside these hours. Each advocate has their own office within our communal office space. There is a gender-neutral accessible washroom. Staff are unionized.

The position requires extensive phone communication, in-person and virtual meetings and hearings, and travel to prisons in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. A driver’s licence and as-needed access to a vehicle strongly preferred. A CPIC clearance will be required to visit prisons.

This position is dependent on grant funding.

Salary: $66,402/year, plus a comprehensive benefits package. Additional benefits include 20 paid vacation days, wellness days and professional development opportunities.

How to apply:

We are committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice. We welcome and encourage applications from members of marginalized communities or communities that experience structural discrimination, including but not limited to Indigenous people, racialized people, people with (dis)abilities, and people of minority gender identities and sexual orientations. 

As an employer, we strive to create an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process; please contact to request accommodations.  

Interested applicants should submit a covering letter and résumé to:

Nicole Kief, Executive Director

Prisoners’ Legal Services/West Coast Prison Justice Society

Please note “Racial Justice Advocate” in the subject line.

Closing date: August 1, 2025 or until filled. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. 

Prisoners’ Legal Services is located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and qiqéyt (Qayqayt) Nations.