Legal Assistant - Intellectual Property Litigation

About Us

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is a leading national law firm focused on serving the transaction, advocacy and advisory needs of Canada’s most dynamic business sectors. We have one of the largest business law practices in the country, serving multinational, national and mid-market clients from our offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.

Our Culture

At Cassels, our mission is to attract, retain and promote individuals of exceptional ability and talent from as broad a range of backgrounds as possible. We offer meaningful career opportunities, invest in professional growth, and foster an inclusive environment. Our Firm’s success is built on the unique skills, perspectives, experiences and values of each individual. We encourage a corporate culture that respects and celebrates the dignity, value and diversity of all.

Role Overview

Our Toronto office is currently recruiting for a Legal Assistant – Intellectual Property Litigation in our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department. This role will assist in providing a variety of routine legal and administrative duties to lawyers within the Intellectual Property group, including preparation of legal documents and correspondence. The successful candidate for this role will possess strong initiative, excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as being able to independently and proactively manage the practices to provide the lawyers with exceptional support.

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Preparing intellectual property documents from written, oral and taped instructions and precedents.
• Preparing Affidavits and litigation documents and scheduling court attendances.
• Drafting routine correspondence on behalf of lawyers, applying proofreading and editing skills to documents and correspondence.
• Assisting with entering dockets and preparing accounts.
• Obtaining information and instructions from clients and forwarding to lawyer.
• Assisting in the management of lawyer’s practice, i.e., opening files, arranging meetings, scheduling hearing dates with government bodies and/or representatives, arranging travel and/or accommodations.
• Managing bring forward system and keeping lawyers apprised of ongoing and outstanding matters.
• Coordinating and monitoring administrative functions to ensure completion of work accurately and within established time frames.
• Assembling information and maintaining records of lawyers’ and/or firm’s involvement with conferences, organizations and client development initiatives.
• Providing support to other lawyers and members of the team as required and requested.

The successful candidate must have the following education, experience and/or demonstrated skills:

• College Diploma in Legal Administration.
• A minimum of 5 years legal assistant experience, with a strong focus in Intellectual Property, Trademarks and Litigation.
• Knowledge and familiarity of Federal court procedures.
• Knowledge and familiarly with Pattsy, Kofax/Adobe, ACL, iPro/Eclipse, Titan File and Case Center.
• Proficient in MS Office 365 with strong computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, as well as part of a collegial and outgoing team.
• Exceptional administrative and organizational skills.
• Be flexible, work under pressure and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Juggle multiple priorities, meet deadlines and exhibit sound judgment.
• Maintain accuracy with a high attention to detail.
• Exceptional communication skills (both verbal and written) when dealing with lawyers, firm personnel, clients, and third parties.
• Embrace innovation and process improvement, including early adoption of new technology.

Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time, (4-days per week in office)

Salary Range: $70,000 - $80,000 Annually

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation + Extended Health & Dental Care.
• RRSP Matching Program.
• Education/tuition allowance.
• Fitness Reimbursement Program.
• Diversity and Inclusion Centric Culture.
• A Culture of Wellness: Cassels recognizes the importance of wellness and provides a comprehensive program that addresses the mental and physical well-being of our employees by providing resources, services, training and support on an ongoing basis.
• A fully stocked kitchen with healthy snacks, plus coffee, tea, and drinks throughout the year.
• A business casual dress code (client/day specific).
• Employee referral bonus.

Cassels is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a workplace where people of all identities and lived experiences feel valued, respected, and supported. We are dedicated to removing barriers and ensuring equitable access to employment. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and individuals with intersectional identities. All qualified candidates are welcome to apply. Accommodations for disabilities, accessibility needs, or cultural practices are available throughout the recruitment process upon request. Please contact our recruiter with any questions or accommodation needs.

We wish to thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. We regret that we are unable to respond to individual inquiries about application status, unless required for accommodation purpose.