Associate, Office of the General 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 (2024).
 
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
The Office of the General Counsel is seeking a lawyer to join the national team on a temporary position (7 month parental leave coverage from May – November, 2025).
Dentons’ Office of the General Counsel is an in-house team of trusted legal advisors to the Firm who provide legal advice to lawyers, management, the board and business services colleagues. The Office of the General Counsel advises on a variety of issues including: third party vendor contracts and service agreements, claims and litigation; legal ethics, professional and legal obligations; insurance coverage; law society complaints and reporting procedures; confidentiality and privacy; compliance with anti-money laundering, anti-corruption and fraud avoidance rules and regulations; compliance with regional and global policies and procedures; and training and educational programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Reporting to the Assistant General Counsel, the responsibilities of the Associate will include:

• Reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements with external suppliers, including, professional services and consulting agreements, software and service agreements with IT-based and other suppliers, non-disclosure agreements, sponsorship, event and publication contracts, and recruitment and agency contracts.
• Providing advice on professional and regulatory obligations, insurance, and a variety of issues relevant to the Firm’s business.
• Assisting with Firm governance matters, including Firm election processes, partnership documentation, and corporate records management for Firm entities.
• Supporting review of outside counsel guidelines.
• Working with the Firm’s business services personnel and leadership on special projects, including on the topics of AI, legal technology and new Firm initiatives.
• Creating guidance and precedent documents.
• Training Firm students, lawyers and personnel on risk best practices, policies and procedures.
• Identifying areas of risk within the Firm and making recommendations to the Chief Legal Officer.

REQUIREMENTS
Technical Skills

• A Canadian Law Degree with 4 or more years called to the Bar.
• Experience negotiating commercial agreements.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to interact effectively with all levels of the Firm’s personnel, including lawyers, staff and clients.
• Ability to maintain discretion when dealing with sensitive and confidential information.
• Detail oriented and well-organized.
• Project management skills with ability to prioritize, organize and execute on multiple deliverables.
• Excellent research, analytical, problem-solving and communication skills.
• Strong technology and client service orientation.
• Bi-lingual language skills in English and French 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 14 consecutive years (2011-2024), as well as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2024) for the seventh 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.