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ARCHIVED - Announcement

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada Legal Services, Policy and Research Branch (LSPR Branch) seeking the assistance of qualified Legal Agents to complement in-house counsel. Closing date for submissions is November 30, 2011.

Ottawa – The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) is inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from interested lawyers or law firms with demonstrated competence and ability to comply with the criteria set out in the EOI and the related Schedule A. The complete “Expression of Interest for Legal Agents” is available on the OPC website.

To carry out the mandate of the LSPR Branch, the OPC relies on in-house counsel as well as private sector lawyers, both domestic and international, to deliver legal services where demand for services exceeds available internal resources and/or expertise. Generally, engagements in respect of the following types of activities are considered to be “legal services”:

  • provision of legal advice and opinions ;
  • conduct of litigation and related work;
  • dispute resolution work;
  • legislative and regulatory drafting;
  • negotiations; and
  • drafting of other legal documents such as contracts, agreements, etc.

Interested lawyers or law firms are invited to qualify themselves on the renewed eligibility list, even if they have already been qualified on previous eligibility lists. This current EOI process will not affect or terminate any current contracts with Legal Agents for legal services with respect to any active matter.

To acknowledge your interest in responding to this expression of interest, and to receive further consideration, your submission must be received by November 30, 2011. Only one submission per Respondent, whether a law firm or lawyer, is required. Respondents with multiple offices and multiple locations must coordinate their submission through one central contact. Correspondence should specify whether the interest being expressed is on behalf of a firm or an individual.

The LSPR Branch provides strategic legal and policy expertise to the OPC on emerging privacy issues in Canada and internationally. It represents the OPC in litigation before the courts and provides advice to the Commissioner on the interpretation and application of the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”). The LSPR Branch provides expert legal support to the operational branches of OPC, as well as general legal advice on a variety of corporate matters. The LSPR Branch is responsible for monitoring legislative and government program initiatives, analyzing them and advising the OPC on appropriate legal and policy positions to protect and advance privacy rights in Canada. The LSPR Branch is headed by Ms. Patricia Kosseim, General Counsel.

For more information, please contact:

Daniel Caron, Legal Counsel
Legal Services, Policy and Research Branch
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
112 Kent Street, 3rd Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1H3
daniel.caron@priv.gc.ca
Tel: (613) 947-4634