The Toronto office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG), a leading, innovative and client-focused law firm in Canada, is seeking a Practice Assistant, Corporate Commercial Group.

Purpose of the Role

The Practice Assistant will be expected to act as workflow coordinator for other support services including delegating and reviewing the completion of document production, file management, copying/scanning work and other administrative work. The Practice Assistants will take an active interest in, and obtain a thorough understanding of, all aspects of client requirements to provide exceptional service levels to the lawyers and our clients.

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of this role are:

Administrative

• Manage calendars, ensuring they are up to date and reminding lawyers of meetings etc. on a daily basis
• Arrange meetings, book conference rooms, refreshments, check rooms prior to meetings etc. and liaise with other attendees, both internal and external
• Arrange for travel bookings and related details to be made through the support teams
• Arrange photocopying, printing, organizing couriers, sending out of letters, faxes etc.
• Arrange for files to be opened and closed, supervise general filing requirements and record keeping
• Coordinate/conduct conflict searches with the assistance of the Administrative Assistant
• Use effective systems to ensure that both short and long term tasks are completed within required timescales
• Support lawyers in marketing activities including involvement in preparation of pitches and presentations

Communication

• Take internal and external telephone queries, responding as appropriate and/or ensuring that all messages are passed on in a timely manner
• Monitor post and/or e-mails and dealing with as appropriate and ensure that all client related correspondence is passed on to an appropriate lawyer if the relevant person is out of the office
• Liaise with administrative support departments on behalf of lawyers as required
• Liaise with the department’s Team Leader over any planned absences, arranging cover as necessary and communicating this to the relevant lawyers.
• Client relationship management
• Become an active part in the care of clients and be wholly familiar with contacts/clients
• Enter, maintain and update client details and relevant information in the Firm’s CRM contacts system
• Deal with basic client queries and general administration
• Arrange client meetings

Document production

• Check correspondence, attachments, documents, reports, presentations, faxes etc. produced by the Document Production team before they are passed to the relevant lawyer and undertake basic/minor amendments where appropriate
• Type urgent/short/confidential correspondence and emails
• Produce and maintain Excel spreadsheets as required

Financial - Billing

• Assist lawyers and Practice Group Billing Coordinator in the billing and credit control process by liaising with the lawyer and accounts and to produce standard prebill financial/time reports through the system
• Send bills to clients, with appropriate covering documents
• Request cheques, bank transfers and paying in money received, as appropriate

Other duties and responsibilities

• In addition to providing support to the lawyer(s) to whom they report, a Practice Assistant will also provide assistance to their immediate colleagues in the department and, where practical, other departments
• Team duties will therefore include:
  • Assisting other members of the firm, both proactively and at the request of the Team Leader
  • Any other duties as requested by the Lawyers or Team Leader

Key Competencies

A Practice Assistant has responsibility to ensure that their skill set is up to date and they are familiar with the firm’s departments, key personnel, clients, internal systems and procedures. This will ensure that the Practice Assistant is able to carry out his or her role effectively and, where appropriate, discuss any training requirements with the Team Leader.

In addition to this, they should have/be:

• Legal Assistant Diploma or equivalent experience;
• Minimum 5 years legal experience, an asset;
• Understanding of Civil Litigation inclusive of court filing/service procedures.
• Proficiency in MS Office (excellent knowledge of advanced functions in Word);
• Ability to communicate in a professional manner with clients and lawyers;
• Ability to interact professionally with clients and all members of the firm;
• Strong organizational skills and time management skills;
• Detail-oriented individual with good proofreading skills;
• Excellent multi-tasking skills;
• Ability to follow instructions with minimal supervision and take initiative;
• Able to set priorities while maintaining flexibility;
• A team player with excellent interpersonal skills.

How to Apply

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

Effective June 27, 2022, BLG has suspended its current vaccine policy mandate, As the pandemic is not over, the safety of Firm members and the BLG community remains our top priority. Given the ever-evolving nature of the situation, we will continue to closely monitor health conditions and if necessary implement new measures to protect Firm members. While is it not a condition of employment, we would appreciate reviewing your most recent proof of vaccine if available.

Everyone at BLG is required to carry out the duties of their role while upholding the important principles of our respectful workplace policies, and treating everyone with respect, regardless of position. At BLG, valuing diversity and inclusion is key to a respectful workplace.

BLG is committed to building and fostering a workplace that is reflective of our communities, where all firm members feel included, valued, and heard. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates but acknowledge the systemic and structural barriers that have, historically, marginalized and barred certain groups from accessing employment opportunities. As part of our commitment to removing barriers to employment, we strongly encourage applications from members of these historically marginalized groups including, but not limited to, Indigenous peoples, racialized individuals, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities and women. Accommodations are available, upon request, in all aspects of the recruitment process.

* Please note that relatives of current BLG employees and partners are not eligible for consideration.