The Trade Law Bureau (JLT) of Global Affairs Canada is hiring paid legal interns for the summer of 2027. Apply by October 16.
About the Trade Law Bureau (JLT)
The Trade Law Bureau (JLT) is a joint unit of Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), established in 1993 to ensure that the Government of Canada receives coherent, high-quality and timely advice on trade law matters. JLT is staffed with employees from the DOJ and GAC and is organised into three main legal divisions: the Market Access and Trade Controls Law Division (JLTA), the Investment and Services Law Division (JLTB) and the Trade Remedies Law Division (JLTC).
JLT provides the Government of Canada with legal representation and advice concerning international trade and investment law — advising on the consistency of laws, regulations and policies with international trade and investment obligations, representing Canada in international trade disputes and investment arbitrations before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other fora, and negotiating Canada’s international trade and investment agreements. Its divisions cover market access and trade controls, investment arbitration and services disputes, and trade remedies including subsidies, anti-dumping duties and safeguard measures.
About the Opportunity
JLT has announced a recruitment process for legal intern positions for the summer of 2027, with three positions anticipated. Legal interns will have the unique opportunity to work with JLT lawyers on high-profile international trade and investment disputes and negotiations, and will gain valuable practical experience in contributing to the provision of legal advice with respect to Canada’s international trade and investment obligations. It is a paid legal internship with the Government of Canada, and it is one of the legal internship opportunities for candidates seeking a legal internship for law students and graduates in the international trade field.
Legal interns will be responsible for, among other things, conducting research on Canada’s international legal obligations under various trade and investment treaties (in particular, the WTO Agreement and the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement), assisting JLT lawyers in dispute settlement proceedings, and assisting in the negotiation of free trade and investment protection agreements.
Term
The term of the legal intern positions will be approximately from May to August 2027, with some flexibility on the start and end date. Interns are expected to be able to work for approximately four months.
Salary
Legal interns will be paid under the EC-03 rate of pay, with an annual rate between $77,690 and $87,907 as of June 22, 2025, subject to change based on revisions to the collective agreement.
Eligibility Criteria
Only applicants who fulfil the following requirements will be considered:
- The applicant must be a Canadian citizen.
- The applicant must currently be enrolled in an undergraduate law program leading to the professional practice of law (such as LL.B., LLL, BCL or JD), or in a graduate law program (such as LLM, LLD, SJD or JSD) having already obtained an undergraduate law degree leading to the professional practice of law.
- The applicant must have completed at least one course in international law (preferably in international trade law, international investment law or international arbitration) by May 2027.
- The applicant must be fluent in English, French or both official languages.
Application Requirements
All applications must include a cover letter clearly demonstrating how the applicant meets the above requirements, a curriculum vitae, and all law school transcripts and other post-secondary studies transcripts. The cover letter must highlight, if applicable, the applicant’s specific academic or practical experience involving international trade and investment law and/or international arbitration (such as internships, international moot court competitions, academic papers or publications), indicate the basis for the applicant’s interest in international trade and investment law if such experience is absent, and indicate the applicant’s level of fluency in English and French.
Applicants selected for an interview may be asked to provide an academic or professional reference who can address the applicant’s ability in legal writing and analysis. As part of the Government of Canada, JLT is committed to hiring Indigenous employees, and Indigenous applicants and applicants belonging to other Employment Equity seeking groups are encouraged to self-declare in their application.
Location and Telework
JLT’s office is located at the Global Affairs Canada headquarters at 125 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, Ontario. Interested applicants must be willing to work in compliance with the Treasury Board of Canada Directive on Telework, which currently requires three days per week in the office at Global Affairs Canada. Requests for full-time telework agreements or reimbursement of relocation or transportation costs will not be accepted.
Successful applicants must comply with the security clearance procedures of Global Affairs Canada prior to the commencement of the internship. The process involves submitting a detailed application, a thorough background check and a possible security interview, and may take several weeks or months to complete. Employment cannot commence until the clearance is granted. Applicants who already possess an active Government of Canada security clearance should indicate the level of clearance and the name of the issuing department or agency in their application.
Information Sessions
Bilingual information sessions regarding the legal intern positions will be held virtually through Microsoft Teams on September 29, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST, and on October 1, 2026 at 11:00 AM EST. Interested individuals can join the sessions through the Microsoft Teams website using the meeting details provided in the announcement.
Contact
Email: HR-JLT@international.gc.ca
Address: Trade Law Bureau (JLT), Global Affairs Canada, 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa ON K1A 0G2
Application Procedure
The deadline to apply is October 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST. Applicants must send an electronic copy of their application, to the attention of the “JLT Hiring Committee”, to HR-JLT@international.gc.ca. JLT will confirm receipt of all applications, but only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted directly. Applications received after this date will not be considered.
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