Legal Assistant, Municipal

About McCarthy Tétrault

McCarthy Tétrault is a distinguished Canadian law firm providing a comprehensive range of legal and business solutions to clients across Canada and globally. With offices in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary, and Vancouver, the firm offers challenging and rewarding career opportunities. McCarthy Tétrault has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for thirteen consecutive years, reflecting a culture built on professional excellence, collaboration, innovation, thought leadership, and entrepreneurialism. The firm deeply embraces inclusion and provides extensive tools and opportunities for its people to develop their full potential.

McCarthy Tétrault supports a hybrid work environment, allowing employees flexibility. This position is for an existing vacancy.

The Opportunity: Legal Assistant, Municipal

We are seeking a Legal Assistant to join our Municipal team in the Toronto office. The successful candidate must possess a minimum of 3 years of legal experience, specifically in litigation.

Key Responsibilities

As a Legal Assistant, Municipal, your responsibilities will encompass:

• Documents
  • Preparing, editing, formatting, printing, scanning, and revising correspondence, memoranda, litigation documents, reports, forms, labels, and other printed materials. This includes working from dictation, copy typing, or other instructions, strictly adhering to practice group requirements.
  • Coordinating and distributing tasks to various resource groups, such as Document Specialists, Legal Administrative Assistants, and Billing Assistants, ensuring timely completion.
  • Thoroughly proofreading documents to ensure appropriate formatting, spelling, grammar, and clarity.
• Municipal Law Support
  • Assisting lawyers with the preparation and coordination of hearings and trials.
  • Recording and monitoring court/board appearance dates, pleadings, and filing requirements.
  • Preparing basic court/board pleadings or other courtroom visuals.
  • Coordinating the service and filing of proceedings with relevant agencies, courts, and boards.
  • Scheduling and coordinating discoveries, expert witnesses, or other court/board-designated hearings.
  • Monitoring the evidence gathering process.
  • Maintaining in-depth knowledge of legal terminology, court/board rules and procedures, as well as real estate and municipal planning terminology where applicable.
• File and Time Management
  • Managing client files, including opening new files, maintaining large and complex files.
  • Developing, maintaining, and utilizing an orderly filing and retrieval system to ensure easy reference to historical paper or electronic records.
  • Organizing law and precedent files.
  • Collaborating with Records Management and Administrative Clerks to create, maintain, and store client files appropriately.
  • Managing key dates, including physical bring-forward systems and updating calendars for assigned lawyers, covering meetings, appointments, due dates, and client-related activities.
• Lawyer / Client Support
  • Coordinating lawyer travel arrangements, including preparing itineraries and travel expense reports.
  • Regularly updating contact names and addresses in the client database.
  • Coordinating client meetings, which involves scheduling rooms and arranging necessary catering or audio-visual equipment.
• Mail, Fax, and Phone Reception Functions
  • Reviewing and routing incoming mail and fax communications.
  • Preparing and processing outgoing mail and faxes, and arranging specialized mail or messenger services as needed.
  • Receiving, handling, screening, and directing incoming calls as instructed by lawyers; responding to routine inquiries and requests from clients; and taking messages as required.
• Financial and Administrative Functions
  • Assisting with the daily preparation and finalization of time entries according to firm standards, in readiness for processing by the Billing Assistant.
  • Working with the Finance department to coordinate new Client and Matter openings (KYC).
  • Coordinating activities with functional area staff (e.g., Office Services, Marketing) as needed.
  • Providing consistent backup support during the absence of other assistants; supporting colleagues managing multiple tasks and/or tight deadlines; and proactively contributing as a positive and productive team member.
• Other
  • Continuously maintaining and updating job knowledge and technical skills by identifying and participating in educational opportunities.
  • Performing other duties as assigned.

Your Profile

Our ideal candidate will distinguish themselves with the following qualifications and attributes:

• Legal Assistant Diploma or an equivalent qualification.
• A minimum of 3 years of experience as a Real Estate and Litigation assistant.
• In-depth knowledge of legal terminology, court rules, and procedures.
• Exceptional attention to detail and superior word processing, spelling, proofreading, and editing skills.
• The capacity to perform duties with speed and accuracy.
• Strong time management, organizational, and multi-tasking skills, with the ability to work effectively under pressure to meet critical deadlines.
• Ability to follow up on files and delays with minimal supervision.
• A high level of discretion and confidentiality.
• Flexibility to occasionally work overtime.

Why Join McCarthy Tétrault?

As a valued member of the McCarthy Tétrault team, you will benefit from:

• Outstanding benefits from day one, including firm-paid insurance premiums and reimbursements for wellness and technology.
• Competitive compensation, paid overtime, and generous time off, including a dedicated day for volunteering and a day off for your birthday.
• A steadfast commitment to professional development and growth opportunities for all employees, supported by a culture that encourages two-way feedback.
• Strong community involvement and a deep commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• A collaborative, cohesive culture that unites lawyers and business teams through a shared purpose.

How to Apply

External candidates are encouraged to apply online, while internal applicants must apply directly through our internal careers portal on Espresso. We appreciate your interest and look forward to receiving your application.

McCarthy Tétrault leverages artificial intelligence (AI) technology in its application screening process to enhance recruitment efficiency and effectiveness, analyzing applications to identify candidates whose qualifications and experiences align with the position's requirements.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only selected candidates will be contacted. We are unable to respond to individual inquiries about application status. McCarthy Tétrault is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment. Please inform us if you require accommodation at any point during the recruitment process.

Key skills/competency

• Legal Administration
• Litigation Support
• Municipal Law
• Document Preparation
• File Management
• Court Procedures
• Time Entry
• Client Relations
• Proofreading
• Organizational Skills