One (1) Year Contract

Apply by Friday, February 7, 2025 at 11:59 pm MT.

Are you interested in becoming a part of aspiring lawyers’ journey to becoming a successful lawyer in Canada? The Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED) is a non–profit organization that delivers pre-Bar call legal education and is seeking lawyers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia to be VLF Assessors and Capstone Evaluators for a one year contract.

The Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) bar admission program was developed to help future lawyers gain practical legal knowledge and competencies in lawyer skills, practice management, professional ethics, and the attributes needed to successfully practice law in Canada. CPLED is offering three intakes of PREP in 2025: two offerings of the 14-week/full-time Accelerated PREP (Summer and Fall 2025), and the 9-month PREP 2025/26 (June 2025 – February 2026), all of which are offered virtually.

What Will You Do as a VLF Assessor and Capstone Evaluator? 

• The VLF Assessor and Capstone Evaluator are one role.
  • During the final two phases of PREP, candidate assignments are reviewed by the VLF Assessors and Capstone Evaluators who are lawyers trained in applying the PREP Assessment Criteria.
  • In the VLF phase, Assessors assess candidate assignments for learning purposes and provide constructive feedback to identify where candidates have performed well, where there are opportunities for improvement, and how improvements can be made. These assessments help candidates develop skills and competencies, and prepare them for the Capstone Evaluation.
  • At the end of the PREP program, Capstone Evaluators review specific assignment types to determine whether candidates have demonstrated the competence required to enter the practice of law. Capstone Evaluators provides constructive feedback for those candidates that did not achieve the required competence level and need to repeat the evaluation.
• CPLED requires that VLF Assessors and Capstone Evaluators be assigned one or more assignment types for the VLF and Capstone phases for which they provide inline, rubric-specific, and overall feedback explaining the rationale for their assessment.
• Each VLF Assessor and Capstone Evaluator will be responsible for assessing one or more assignment types for:
  • Approximately 25 candidates for Accelerated PREP 2025 (Summer)
  • Approximately 40 candidates for PREP 2025-26
  • Estimated assessment time is 30 minutes for most written assignments and 45 minutes for oral assignments which require review of video recordings.
  • Assessment deadlines are 7 days during Accelerated PREP and 7 to 10 days in PREP 2025/26
  • To view a detailed schedule for assignment groups and time estimations, please see the document linked above the application form.
  • Compensation will be paid at the rate of $45 plus applicable tax per assessment.  

What is Your Commitment as a VLF Assessor and Capstone Evaluator?

• Complete mandatory online training courses and pass knowledge-checks (estimated time for completion: 5 to 6 hours, must be completed prior to June 2025).
• Attend a mandatory 2-hour virtual orientation session on program requirements, assessment criteria, rubric completion, and feedback expectations (sessions will be held in April – May 2025).
• Attend a mandatory 1.5-hour virtual session on unconscious bias and fairness (sessions will be held in April – May 2025).
• Prior to commencing assessments in the VLF, submit practice assessments for review by an Assessment Advisor or Lead Assessor, receive feedback, and complete any recommended training or development activities.
• At the beginning of each assessment period, attend 60 – 90-minute mandatory calibration/training sessions for each assignment. For this process, Assessors are expected to review assignments for purposes of benchmarking with other Assessors to ensure consistency.
• Complete all assigned assessments within the allocated time period and in accordance with the guidelines provided by CPLED.
• During each VLF and Capstone, receive audits and feedback (“Review Reports”) on your application of the assessment criteria and provision of feedback to candidates, complete any additional training or development requirements specified in Review Reports.    
• Complete the VLF Assessor and Capstone Evaluator survey at the end of the assigned program.
• Those applicants applying to this role MUST be able to commit to the above time requirements.

What Do You Need To Succeed? 

• LL.B., J.D. and/or Masters of Law.
• Successful candidates must be in good standing with their law society of jurisdiction, as defined by CPLED, and legally eligible to work in Canada. 
• A minimum of 5+ years of active legal practice experience in Canada.
• Experience in the areas of business law, criminal law, family law, and/or civil litigation is considered an asset.  
• Experience applying assessment criteria is considered an asset.
• Experience using D2L is considered an asset.
• Access to a computer with a reliable high-speed internet connection.
• Must be reliable and commit to completing assigned assessments during the designated assessment period.
• Strong critical thinking skills to interpret and critique assignments with a reasonable standard of discretion when following the assessment guides.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with strong skills in the delivery of positive and constructive feedback, both written and verbal, that addresses performance in relation to CPLED’s assessment criteria.     

CPLED is committed to diversity, equality, and inclusion and is an equal opportunity employer that proudly serves a multi-diverse employee and student base representing various ethnicities and backgrounds.

Application Instructions 

Please complete the application form below which includes a written assignment. We thank everyone who applies for their interest, but only those being considered for an interview will be contacted. Questions may be emailed to admin@cpled.ca. No phone calls, please.

Linked here you will find our upcoming Virtual Law Firm Assessor and Capstone Evaluator schedules. Please review these schedules prior to completing this application. Note that the Fall Accelerated PREP 2025 intake is not included in the linked schedule, as assessors will be recruited at a later date.

Please complete the form below to express interest in participating, and attach your completed assignment and resume within the form.

Once reviewed, select applicants will be contacted regarding an interview.