Prisoners’ Legal Services (PLS) is looking for a passionate, strategic, empathetic and dedicated person to join our efforts to protect the rights and dignity of people in prison as a staff lawyer focusing on human rights and healthcare.

About us:

Prisoners’ Legal Services is a non-profit society providing legal assistance to people in federal and provincial prisons in British Columbia. We serve approximately 1,000 clients per year and assist with issues such as solitary confinement, other deprivations of residual liberty and human rights matters. 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 operates a human rights and healthcare program focusing on issues including the mass incarceration of Indigenous people and the rights of incarcerated trans, Two-Spirit and gender-non-conforming people, of incarcerated people who use drugs, and of people with disabilities in prison, as well as on topics such as the ethical obligations of prison health providers. 

This position leads the organization’s strategic litigation on human rights and healthcare matters, and involves identifying and pursuing legal tools to address systemic change and maintaining both systemic and individual case files. The position works closely and collaboratively with the human rights advocate, and provides legal supervision to legal advocates and students. The successful candidate will be a creative and legally astute thinker, an excellent and compassionate direct service lawyer, and a supportive and collaborative colleague.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Represent clients in legal proceedings, particularly complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission and BC Human Rights Tribunal and judicial reviews;
• In collaboration with PLS colleagues, identify areas for new litigation and develop PLS’ litigation strategy in the area of human rights and healthcare;
• Represent clients in complaints to administrative bodies such as regulatory colleges governing health providers, information and privacy commissioners, etc.;
• Provide legal aid services to incarcerated clients, including interviewing clients, managing client files, conducting legal research and writing submissions;
• Represent clients at prison administrative hearings, such as Structured Intervention Unit reviews and Parole Board of Canada hearings;
• Provide legal supervision to legal advocates and students on prison law issues; and
• Collaborate with partners including people with lived experience of incarceration, partners in the prison law community, and other social justice and advocacy organizations, and make presentations at conferences and other forums.

Qualifications & skills:

• Called to the bar in BC (or ability to join the BC bar), with a strong preference for someone with at least 3 years of experience as a lawyer;
• Familiarity with human rights and administrative law;
• Strong legal research, writing, negotiation and oral advocacy skills;
• Commitment to high-quality, anti-carceral, collaborative and client-centered legal services;
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment in matters of ethics and confidentiality;
• Ability to be a strong and compassionate advocate for marginalized clients, including people with high mental health needs and people convicted of various crimes;
• Ability to think strategically about legal strategy and to find creative solutions to legal problems;
• A collaborative, humble and non-hierarchical approach to legal supervision and working with colleagues and partners;
• Attention to detail, organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines;
• Intellectual curiosity, creativity and flexibility;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work with people in prison, lawyers, and prison and parole officials; 
• Commitment to social justice and uplifting the expertise of people with lived experience of incarceration; a critical and anti-colonial approach to carceral and legal 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 lawyer 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 license and as-needed access to a vehicle strongly preferred. 

Salary: $72,350.57 - $122,777.21/year depending on year of call, plus a comprehensive benefits package; $83,758.80 for a 3-year call, $94,926.96/year for a 5-year call. Additional benefits include 20 paid vacation days, wellness days, law society fees 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 cover letter and résumé to:             

Nicole Kief, Executive Director

Prisoners’ Legal Services

Please note “human rights & healthcare staff lawyer” in the subject line. 

Closing date: September 15, 2025.