Legal Assistant

JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION: LEGAL ASSISTANT

Woodward & Co. Lawyers LLP is a national law firm whose mission is to provide innovative, excellent legal services guided by the laws, values, languages, and voices of the Indigenous peoples we serve. We provide legal services to Indigenous communities, governments and businesses, and advancing transformative change in an era of reconciliation and decolonization.

We have a strong commitment to our workplace culture that prioritizes our meaningful work and values of collaboration, excellence, respect, accountability, trust, and ethics.

Woodward is seeking an experienced Legal Assistant to fill an existing vacancy and join a talented and dedicated team in our Toronto, ON, office location, supporting lawyers engaged in complex Aboriginal law litigation. This role offers meaningful work that leverages your extensive litigation experience to a focused area of specialization and an opportunity to evolve in a dynamic and collaborative work environment.

We have a strong national presence with deep roots in Aboriginal law, and now, we’re growing our Ontario Practice Group in the Toronto office. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping that next chapter.

QUALIFICATIONS:

This ideal candidate for this position meets the following requirements:

• Education as a Legal Assistant.
• Strong problem-solving skills and resourcefulness using good decision making or judgement.
• High level of initiative, (knowing when to seek appropriate advice).
• Excellent organizational skills and keen attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Technical competencies:
• Advanced use and knowledge of MS Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) and Microsoft 365 application (Teams, OneNote, and OneDrive).
• Reliability, flexibility, and dependability are essential for this position.
• Experience working with Indigenous nations, communities, businesses, or organizations would be considered an asset.
• Strong knowledge of rules of civil procedure in Ontario (including the ability to determine rules and procedures of tribunals or courts in other jurisdictions), for the Divisional Court, Federal Court and the Supreme Court.
• Familiarity with Case Centre, Ontario Courts Public Portal , LRO searches, litigation software, and document management systems.
• Familiarity with e-discovery databases, electronic document management, electronic court registries, e-filing and e-hearing platforms.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Beyond specific role requirements for the file(s) assigned and/or outlined within the offer of employment, please review the following job description:

General:

• Prepares documents including (drafting, formatting, editing) correspondence, memos, agreements, legislation, codes, by-laws, and reports.
• Proofreads drafted documents and letters before asking lawyer(s) to sign.
• Prints emails and correspondence for filing.
• Sends outgoing correspondence (i.e., fax, scan and email, regular mail, courier).
• Assists lawyer(s) in locating files, resources, references.
• Scans documents for electronic file.
• Scans incoming/outgoing correspondence, taking note of proposed meeting dates and teleconference times to follow-up with appropriate arrangements.
• Follows-up with lawyer(s) if response from opposing counsel is not received in a timely manner (as applicable).
• Assists lawyer(s) in obtaining file-specific information from various government websites and government offices.
• Knows basic status of files to be able to assist clients with general information.
• Maintains specific file indexing and organization and management system, in both electronic and paper form, including daily use of internal document management system (Worldox).
• Takes phone messages as required and communicates such messages clearly to the lawyer(s) involved.
• Knows assigned lawyer(s) schedule/whereabouts and if the lawyer(s) called out of town unexpectedly, is prepared to re-schedule any upcoming meetings/teleconferences.
• Maintains calendars of all meetings/teleconferences and send reminders to assigned lawyer(s).
• Arranges client meetings.
• Assists experts and external professionals retained by the firm as required.

Why Woodward?

Woodward is where meaningful work, strong relationships, and a great culture comes together. We offer a salary range of $60,000 to $75,000 per year (with consideration for education and experience), plus a comprehensive benefits package which includes health, dental, vacation and RRSP contributions, wellness, and professional development.

This full-time in-office role due to workflow and valued team collaboration.

How to Apply

To apply, send your cover letter and resume to: employment@woodwardandcompany.com.

Woodward is committed to equity, inclusion and belonging, and human rights. We know that our diversity strengthens our values and shared responsibility in creating a respectful, and collaborative workplace.

Indigenous ancestry is regarded as directly relevant to the skills and knowledge preferred and Indigenous applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

While only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, we thank all candidates for their time and interest in Woodward & Co. Lawyers LLP.