Legal Services

The Legal Services Department’s responsibility is to deliver professional, competent and effective legal services and advice to the City of Vancouver and its Council, boards, officials and staff (and occasionally to the Vancouver Police Department and Vancouver School Board).

The range of legal services includes:

• Advising on existing powers and responsibilities and; with regard to changing laws and social values, suggesting additions to - or alternatives to - the City's existing constitutions;
• Anticipating, monitoring and analyzing issues confronting the City, including the impact of senior government legislation and the impact of court decisions; and recommending courses of action to change policies and procedures to respond effectively and economically to the challenges presented by such issues, legislation and judicial decisions;
• Creating (through negotiation, legal opinion, documentation and reports) rights and obligations for the City and those who live in and do business in, the City; and,
• Advancing and defending the City's legal interests where they are challenged or impacted.

The above services are provided in a manner compatible with a lawyer's professional obligations.

In addition to providing assistance to the lawyers, support staff are responsible for collections, Land Title Office work, conveyancing, bankruptcies, secondary suites and film license agreements.

Structure

The Legal Services Department is located on the 4th Floor, 515 West 10th Avenue.  A secondary office, the By-law Prosecutor, is located at 270 – 900 Howe Street.  The staff consists of 47 persons comprised of a Director of Legal Services and City Solicitor, 5 Assistant Directors, 19 lawyers - half solicitors and half litigators - and 22 support staff members.

The Department comprises four Practice Groups: 

• Development and Real Estate;
• Construction, Procurement and Technology;
• Enforcement and Prosecutions; and
• General Litigation.

Frances J. Connell
Director of Legal Services and City Solicitor (Department Head)

Jeff Greenberg
Assistant Director of Legal Services (Administration) [Rotating Position]

Yvonne A. Liljefors
Assistant Director of Legal Services (Development and Real Estate)

Catherine Kinahan
Assistant Director of Legal Services (Enforcement and Prosecutions)

Kelly Oehlschlager
Assistant Director of Legal Services (Construction, Procurement and Technology)

Ben Parkin
Assistant Director of Legal Services (General Litigation)

Budget

Since the Law Department is exclusively a service department, it does not have a Capital Budget. The total net Operating Budget is just over $4.7 million. Salaries and fringe benefits constitute approximately 90 per cent of the total budget.

Refer to Law Department Organizational Chart