Legal Assistant
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes), one of Canada’s largest and most successful law firms, is currently looking for an executive level Legal Assistant with a corporate background to join the Toronto office. Candidates with experience in practice areas such as corporate, securities, financial services and competition will be considered.
The Assistant is responsible for providing day-to-day administrative support while maintaining a high degree of confidentiality. Responsibilities include managing calendars, meetings, expenses, events, presentations, travel and correspondence, and providing support on other Firm initiatives as required. This Assistant is expected to build effective working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
Primary responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to:
- Extensively managing calendars, triaging requests, ensuring the lawyers are briefed before meetings and that their day is on track and running according to schedule
- Reviewing and prioritizing correspondence and emails, including drafting responses where suitable and/or redirecting to the appropriate individual for response
- Scheduling and making work-related travel arrangements and ensuring travel tickets, itineraries and all required meeting documents are prepared in advance
- Coordinating meetings and events, including developing and distributing agendas, reserving meeting rooms, and preparing, compiling and distributing supporting documents
- Drafting and preparing speaking engagements
- Maintaining paper and e-filing systems
- Managing a large volume of business expenses and performing expense reconciliation
- Opening and closing files
- Docketing and billing
- Working with various departments (i.e., finance and marketing), as needed
- Liaising with clients regarding invoices, collections and preparation of WIP/AR reports
Qualifications
Education/Experience:
- College diploma, undergraduate degree, Legal Assistant/Executive Assistant diploma or equivalent is required
- Five or more years of experience providing support to executive/C-suite professionals from a fast-paced, professional services environment is required
- Corporate, Securities, Competition or Financial Services experience is an asset
Skills/Abilities:
- Experience with multifaceted calendar management, booking meetings and events, and scheduling travel
- Strong ability to work well under pressure and on time sensitive deadlines in a high-performing environment
- Extremely motivated, adaptable, eager to learn and professional
- Exceptional working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and aptitude in learning new technologies are required
- Exceptional (written and verbal) communication and interpersonal skills
- Excellent organizational and time management skills
- Strong attention to detail with the ability to prioritize and multi-task
- Strong searching abilities (i.e., emails, archives and document management)
- Ability to work independently and take initiative
- Willing to work flexible hours, as required
How to Apply:
To apply for this position, please submit your application and include your cover letter and résumé directly to our application portal.
Blakes wishes to thank all applicants for their interest. However, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Who We Are
At Blakes, we care about our people. We are committed to providing exceptional experiences for not only our clients but also our employees. As a winner of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers and Greater Toronto’s Top Employers awards, we understand the importance of fostering an inclusive workplace environment that brings out the best in each person. Our success as a firm starts with hiring and retaining top talent and then helping them succeed/thrive.
Blakes welcomes applications from all qualified applicants. The Firm is committed to maintaining an inclusive work environment composed of people with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, identities and cultures.
The Firm provides accommodation for applicants with disabilities and in respect of other protected grounds during the recruitment process in accordance with applicable laws. Please contact us to request accommodation.