Legal Assistant (Intermediate to Senior)

Dentons is designed to be different. Our Firm leads the way in a rapidly changing legal marketplace. We challenge the status quo and deliver consistent results as well as uncompromising quality and value to our clients. Our global presence is renowned as a Firm with over 21,000 individuals in more than 200 offices serving clients across 80+ countries.

Dentons Canada is committed to its people and communities. We are consistently recognized as an employer of choice having received numerous awards including being selected as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers (2026). Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2026), and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers (2026).

This role is an opportunity for you to join Canada’s Global Law Firm, a firm that offers opportunities to build your career while growing your skills and deepening your expertise.

POSITION SUMMARY

Dentons is seeking an experienced Legal Assistant (Intermediate to Senior) to join our Legal Support team as we continue to grow our Edmonton office. Depending on your experience and interests, the successful candidate may support one of several practice areas, including Litigation, Real Estate, or Financial Services. Experience in these practice groups is a strong asset, but we’re equally interested in candidates with transferable expertise in complex legal support who are eager to expand into new practice areas.

We are looking for experienced, proactive, and business-minded Legal Assistants to provide comprehensive legal administrative support with minimal supervision. As an intermediate to senior team member, you will manage complex workflows, oversee client matters, drive process improvements, and where appropriate, share your knowledge and mentor junior colleagues — all while maintaining the highest standards of compliance, confidentiality, and client service.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage new business intake and file opening, including gathering client information, conducting conflict searches, preparing engagement letters, and ensuring all required documentation is completed and processed per firm procedures.
• Independently produce, finalize, and distribute accurate documents and correspondence from precedents, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely completion throughout the document workflow.
• Provide advanced word processing support, including editing, formatting, and comparing documents (e.g., blacklines), to produce client-ready materials.
• Maintain accurate and organized records within firm document management systems. Oversee file and matter management, including the bring-forward system for tracking critical deadlines, and maintain current client, matter, and contact records in compliance with firm standards.
• Manage client information within the CRM system, ensuring records are accurate, complete, and maintained in accordance with firm best practices.
• Manage complex calendars for multiple lawyers and team members, proactively scheduling appointments, meetings, and deadlines; arrange travel, accommodations, boardroom bookings, and catering; and resolve scheduling conflicts with sound judgment and professionalism.
• Monitor upcoming tasks and deadlines to ensure legal matters remain on track and lawyers are fully prepared.
• Lead billing and financial practice management, including reviewing time entries, managing the full billing cycle, editing invoices, collaborating with billing coordinators and lawyers, and regularly reviewing WIP and AR in accordance with firm financial standards.
• Process expense reports and financial forms; maintain financial hygiene using firm reporting tools and systems.
• Serve as a central point of contact for lawyers, clients, opposing counsel, and internal teams, facilitating cross-team collaboration and communication.
• Support cross-region matters, matter credit management, compliance initiatives, audits, and best practice training.
• Oversee all administrative functions across the matter lifecycle, including file coordination, transfer, and closure in compliance with firm protocols.
• Foster internal collaboration, lead process improvement initiatives, and mentor and train junior team members.

Practice Area Experience

We welcome all interested applicants to apply regardless of practice area experience, however experience in any of the below areas would be considered an asset.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution / Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy / Personal Injury

• Court document preparation, filing, and service coordination
• Deadline management, bring-forward systems, and limitation tracking
• Hearing, trial, and discovery support, including assembly of court materials
• Familiarity with Rules of Court, relevant legislation (e.g., BIA, CCAA, PPSA), and online court filing systems
• Due diligence searches (corporate, land, insolvency, personal property, court)

Real Estate / Financial Services & Banking

• Transaction support from file opening through closing
• Document preparation from precedents, including security and registration documents
• Electronic registration and Land Title filings
• Closing logistics, accounting documents, and reporting packages
• Familiarity with conveyancing software, bank commitment letters, and commercial lending practices
• Due diligence searches (corporate, land, personal property, court)

REQUIREMENTS

• Completion of a recognized legal support program (Legal Assistant, Law Clerk, or Paralegal) preferred, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 10 years of law firm experience in a legal assistant or legal administrative role.
• Expert proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, secure file sharing platforms, and CRM systems.
• Deep knowledge of legal documents and procedures relevant to the area of practice.
• Expert-level proficiency with legal software, document management systems, and law firm financial systems.
• Independently manages deadline-driven workflows with strong organizational skills, accuracy, and attention to detail.
• Exceptional grammar, proofreading, and quality control skills; takes full ownership of the accuracy and professionalism of all work product.
• Highly effective verbal and written communicator with lawyers, clients, and colleagues.
• Demonstrates senior-level reliability, discretion, sound judgment under pressure, and strict adherence to confidentiality and professional standards.
• Self-driven, forward-thinking, and strategic in approach.

The target salary range for this position is $75,000 – $90,000, commensurate with the successful candidate’s skills, experience, and qualifications. Dentons is committed to equitable and competitive compensation. This target range falls within our internal salary ranges, which are based on comparable roles in the external market.  We strive to hire, promote, and transfer individuals at the entry point of the range, with consideration given to prior experience, relevant skills, and market conditions. 

We recognize that rewarding exceptional talent goes beyond salary. Our comprehensive total rewards package includes inclusive and flexible benefits that support the wellbeing and development of our people. This includes extended health and mental health benefits, paid time off, retirement savings plans, a fitness subsidy, parental leave top-up, and more. 

In addition, our learning and development programs—such as mentorship opportunities, employee networks, and leadership development initiatives—are designed to support personal and professional growth. 

At Dentons, all candidate screening, assessment, and hiring decisions are made by people. From time to time, we use AI-enabled tools to assist in enhancing our recruitment process and materials; however, these tools do not screen candidates or make hiring decisions. 

Note: Availability of benefits and programs may vary depending on your location and employment type and may be subject to eligibility criteria. Dentons reserves the right to modify or discontinue offerings, in whole or in part, at its discretion and without prior notice. 

Equal Opportunity Statement 

At Dentons Canada, inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) are not just ancillary values, they are foundational to our business. We believe that IDEA is essential to the shared success of our team and our clients. Our forward-thinking and inclusive culture supports the professional development of all our people, enhances the leading services we offer to our clients, and informs our commitment to make a positive impact in the communities where we live and work. As a testament to our commitment to IDEA, we have been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employer’s for 15 consecutive years (2011-2026), as well as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2026) for the ninth time. 

Dentons Canada is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome your application. All employment decisions, including hiring, will be made without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, colour, creed, disability, ethnic origin, family status, gender identity, marital status, place of origin, race, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable human rights legislation. 

We are committed to providing you with an inclusive, barrier-free, and accessible workplace to support your success. Should you require accommodation during the recruitment process, for example as a result of a disability, please contact us at careers.canada@dentons.com.