Legal Counsel - Canada Infrastructure

• Assist on high stakes Infrastructure Projects providing legal advice on interpretation of contractual and technical documents, drafting legal correspondence, such as claims letters, notices disputing delay/ breach of contract.
• Manage disputes pertaining to fees, changes and project related disagreements.
• Familiarity with project insurance structures such as professional indemnity, PSPL, and surety bonds, particularly as they relate to complex infrastructure projects and alternative delivery methods is required.
• Coordinate with Arcadis’ North America Claims Counsel to notify insurers of potential or actual claims.
• Handling professional negligence/ indemnity and construction claims arising from design, engineering, project management, and construction management services.
• Advise on and resolve insurance coverage disputes.
• Advise on dispute resolution strategies including negotiation, litigation, adjudication, arbitration and construction liens.
• Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies to minimize or avoid contractual disputes.
• Strategically coordinate the efforts of outside counsel and experts on a case-by-case basis as required, including challenging scope, negotiating alternative fee arrangements and transparent budget forecasting.
• Drive internal knowledge-sharing, lessons-learned sessions, and contract administration training to reduce future disputes.

• Provide comprehensive commercial legal support during pursuit, negotiation and delivery of contracts such as Design-Build-Finance, Progressive Design-Build, Target Cost Contracts, or Alliance Contracting.
• Provide proactive guidance on legal and contractual risks to project and bid teams.
• Support bidding processes by reviewing and negotiating client contracts and agreements from initiation to closure.
• Experience working in multi-party governance environments, including with joint venture partners, lenders, and public authorities.
• Partner with business leaders, including Partners, Business Directors, and Senior Managers, to deliver strategic business objectives while mitigating risks.

• Maximises early assessment of potential claims to determine merit, business impact, and resolution strategy before formal escalation reducing legal spend and project interruption.
• Improves in-house control over litigation strategy and reduce reliance on external spend where possible and in compliance with insurance protocols.
• Embeds dispute-related knowledge into project delivery and commercial practices.

• 5 to 10 years of experience in private practice at a leading Canadian law firm, or as in-house counsel, with experience in construction litigation and contract disputes.
• Licensed to practice in Ontario or another Canadian province.
• Experience supporting major infrastructure projects in a legal capacity, particularly involving transit, rail, or large public-private partnerships.
• Familiarity with PDB, Alliancing, and other alternative delivery contracting models, with an ability to advise on contract negotiation, implementation, and dispute matters.
• Experience in claims and risk management, assisting Project teams with disputes and claims prior to formal dispute resolution process.
• Familiarity with project insurance such as project specific professional liability (PSPL).
• Aptitude for identifying and managing risk for large infrastructure projects.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills to interact effectively across organizations, including with clients, contractors, and subcontractors.
• Solid knowledge of Canadian federal, provincial, and local public contracting laws.

Arcadis