Principal Legal Counsel & Assistant Commissioner (WIC), LSD

Legal officers in the Civil Department render legal advice to the Ministry’s divisions / departments, instruct on the amending of legislation, vet and advise on transactional matters, work on policy matters with a heavy legal content, adjudicate work injury compensation disputes and undertake debt recovery work. As a senior legal officer in the Civil Department, your primary functions are: • Adjudicate Work Injury Compensation (WIC) cases which includes presiding over hearings, preparing notes of evidence and detailed Grounds of Decisions for appeals to the High Court; • Guide and mentor junior officers; and • Develop training materials on contemporary legal topics for legal and non-legal officers in the Ministry. Your other functions and duties may include the following: • Rendering legal advice on issues under the Ministry’s purview (including employment law, trade unions, industrial relations, workplace safety and health, work injury compensation, foreign manpower and administrative law (including judicial review) and international law); • Reviewing, drafting and vetting legislation administered by the Ministry; • Collaborating with the Ministry’s policy divisions on legal policy projects; and • Drafting, vetting and rendering advice on contracts, data disclosure agreements and MOUs. An ideal candidate should possess the following: [Work Experience] • At least 10 years of experience in litigation or arbitration work • Experience handling work injury compensation matters, working as an arbitrator or in adjudicatory role would be an added advantage • Must be a "Qualified Person (QP)” as defined in the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules [Competencies] • Strong research and analytical skills • Strong writing ability • Strong communication and interpersonal skills • Strong case and time management skills, and able to work under time pressures • Able to work independently and in a team • Able to work well with internal and external stakeholders [Personal Traits] • Independent and self-motivated • Creative and innovative • Diligent • Strong sense of purpose • Strong sense of professional ethics