Senior Legal Counsel

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 (2025). Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2025), and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers (2025).

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 OVERVIEW

Dentons’ Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is seeking a senior lawyer to join our established team of in-house professionals. As a trusted advisor to the Firm, you will play a key role in providing legal advice to lawyers, management, the board and business services colleagues across a broad range of matters. The successful candidate will have the flexibility to work in a hybrid capacity and can be based out of any of our six office locations.

RESPONSIBILITIES
 

• Ethical and Legal Advisory: Advise on professional obligations, law society requirements, insurance and other legal matters relevant to the Firm’s business.
• Legal and Regulatory Risk Management: Partner closely with the General Counsel and leadership team to identify, analyze, and resolve actual and potential legal and regulatory risks and compliance issues.
• Commercial Agreements: Oversee the drafting, review, negotiation, and interpretation of complex Firm agreements, including software and service agreements with IT-based and other suppliers, non-disclosure agreements, recruitment agency agreements, professional services and consulting agreements, and sponsorship and event contracts. Assist with the development and implementation of (1) vendor requirements in third-party commercial agreements, and (2) internal supplier agreement tracking.
• Claims and Litigation Management: Support reporting and managing individual claims and litigation matters. Partner with outside counsel and insurers with respect to claims and potential claims against the Firm, including advising on repair steps and claims strategy.
• New Business Intake: Provide legal advice and escalations support to the Firm’s New Business Intake teams, including in respect of conflicts of interest, anti-money laundering, client terms and related internal processes.
• Special Projects: Collaborate with OGC team members, business services personnel and Firm leadership on projects including on the topics of AI, legal technology and new Firm initiatives.
• Collaborative Legal Advice: Collaborate with colleagues across the Firm to provide legal advice in a practical, business-friendly, and timely way.
• Team Leadership: Lead, motivate, and develop team members in a positive and growth-oriented manner.
• Enterprise Risk Management: Regularly engage with stakeholders across the business regarding enterprise risk, including assessing risk tolerance and developing risk mitigation strategies.
  
  

REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications
 

• A Canadian law degree with 10 or more years called to the Bar in a Canadian province.
• Experience working in a law firm or in-house legal department.
• Hands-on experience and strong proficiency in drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements. Experience with technology and AI agreements is an asset.
  
  

Skills & Competencies
 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 
• Detail oriented and well organized.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to lead and motivate a team.
• Deep understanding of the legal and regulatory environment applicable to legal professionals and professional service providers in Canada.
• Ability to work independently, to collaborate cross-functionally and to foster working relationships with all levels of the Firm’s personnel, including lawyers, staff and clients.
• Project management skills with ability to prioritize, organize and execute on multiple priorities and work under pressure.
• Ability to maintain discretion and exercise judgement when dealing with sensitive and confidential information.
• Bilingual language skills in English and French is an asset.
  
  

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

At Dentons we are committed to offering equitable and competitive pay, we achieve this by aligning internal salary ranges for specific roles to similar positions in the external market. In the normal course, our practice is to hire, transfer and promote employees within the entry part of our range, adjusting as needed based on the prior experience, skills and competencies required for the role along with any market differentials.

Recognizing our exceptional talent means providing a comprehensive total rewards package beyond a competitive salary. We have curated our employee benefits portfolio to offer inclusive and comprehensive wellbeing and developmental programs for our people. With extended benefits and mental health plans, paid time off, savings plans, fitness subsidy, parental leave top up and more, our benefits are flexible, aligned to our core values and supports the various needs of our people. Additionally, our personal and professional development programs include people networks, mentorships, and leadership series programming to help people grow their career.

Note: Availability of the benefits and perks may be subject to your location and employment type and may have certain eligibility requirements. Dentons reserves the right to alter these programs and offerings in whole or in part at any time without advance 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 (2011-2025), as well as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2025) for the eighth 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.