Legal Assistant, Labour + Employment

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 (2024); Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2024), and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers (2024).

This role is an opportunity for you to join the world’s largest law firm, a firm that offers opportunities to build your career while growing your skills and deepening your expertise.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Legal Assistant within our Employment | Labour Department requires a unique blend of skills and experience. You must demonstrate strong technical skills and knowledge to accurately and efficiently manage the production demands of the Employment | Labour practice and also possess proven abilities to proactively support the management of the practice, including client relationship management.The position will require a polished, confident and reliable assistant who is able to manage multiple priorities. You are highly organized, discreet and have a client first approach to work. You are professional and possess a high degree of business maturity.

Generally, the hours of work are from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; however due to the nature of this role, flexibility is required. Pre-authorized overtime may be required.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage communications and correspondence by phone, voicemail, email, and mail
• Provide administrative support, including routine filing, faxing, photocopying, mail sorting, drafting correspondence, transcribing dictation, documentation, and assisting other team members as required
• Review, proof read, and prepare client and other business materials, including client documents, reports, memos, briefings, presentations, forms, and other items ensuring accuracy and completeness
• Arrange for service and filing of documents and related instructions to process servers / agents, and for periodic acceptance of service of documents
• Prepare and maintain a system for routine file review (bring-forward), diarizing court dates, meetings, and appointments
• Process incoming and outgoing mail, including maintenance of email accounts
• Deal with and respond to client inquiries and conducting follow up, as required
• Manage files and records per the policy of the firm and maintaining precedent systems as may be required
• Manage calendars, schedule / arrange meetings, send invitations, and reminders
• Coordinate and arrange travel, including hotel, flight, and transportation reservations
• Submit business / travel expenses for reimbursement
• Draft and prepare correspondence, accounts, various court documents and forms
• Enter and maintain lawyers’ time entries and coordinate with Accounting Department as required
• Manage, maintain, and update contacts, client files and client / matter lists
• Arrange couriers and deliveries ensuring time-sensitive materials are received on time
• Actively support the Legal Support Team in accordance with the firm’s standards and best practices
• Other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS

• Post-secondary education in Legal Administration and / or Law Clerk Diploma preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years work experience in a legal environment with exposure to Litigation or Employment | Labour law
• Sound understanding of court procedures and the HRTO Rules
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and written)
• Passion for working in a team environment, willing to help others and comfortable with sharing work assignments
• Attention to detail, proofreading and accuracy are required; proven ability to produce a high quality and quantity of work under tight timelines
• Technical proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• Minimum 60 wpm typing speed
• Experience transcribing dictation
• Knowledge of accounting / time entry systems and document management systems (Elite and iManage)
• Excellent organizational and follow up skills; ability to exercise sound judgment in setting priorities
• A high-level of discretion, sensitivity, and confidentiality
• Professional client and telephone manner and a proven track record of working with confidential information
• Able to work independently in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
• Must have excellent problem solving skills, and the ability to work with little instruction
• Professionalism demonstrated with colleagues and clients, both in person and by phone
• Responsive and proactive

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 and equity (ID&E) are not just ancillary values, they are foundational to our business. We believe that ID&E 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 ID&E, we have been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employer’s for 12 consecutive years (2011-2022), as well as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2022) for the fifth 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 assigned at birth, 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.