Immigration Partner

JAM; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

JAM in Toronto, Ontario, seeks a leader to manage regional legal services, primarily focusing on immigration law. This role will ensure the delivery of first-class legal services while liaising between Canadian and US operations.

The ideal candidate has a distinguished legal practice and experience in leading legal teams. Key responsibilities include handling complex client relationships and compliance adherence across various locations.

Qualifications

• Significant years in complex legal practice with Canadian corporate clients.
• Experience in a leadership capacity preferred.
• Strong understanding of law firm financials and operational workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional legal authority for operations ensuring alignment with company standards.
• Oversee co-counsel networks and enforce compliance with SLAs.
• Serve as escalation point for high-level client issues.

Skills

Immigration law expertise

Client service management

Operational acumen

Team management

Technology utilization

Education

Active license to practice law in Canada

Tools

Legal technology and case management systems

Job description

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a blend of top-tier legal expertise in immigration, strategic partner management, and strong operational acumen. You will ensure the delivery of exceptional, unified legal services while serving as the primary bridge between Canada and US headquarters.

The Role

Regional Leadership

• Direct the Regional Hub: Serve as the primary legal authority for the regional hub, ensuring all legal services align with company standards and strategic goals.
• Manage regional Co-Counsel Networks: Oversee, evaluate, and control all 'spoke' locations within the region, fostering strong relationships with local co-counsel while maintaining rigorous quality control.
• Drive Communications: Team with Operations Lead to establish and lead a regular cadence of meetings and strategic communications with all locations to ensure alignment with HQ and other locations, troubleshoot local challenges, and provide continuous legal guidance.
• Enforce SLAs and Contracts: Team with Operations Lead to actively monitor active cases in spoke locations to ensure full compliance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and the terms outlined in their co-counsel contracts.
• Manage corporate immigration matters: Own and grow relationships with corporate clients, including HR leaders, talent teams, founders, and executives.
• Lead matters end-to-end across core corporate categories: Prepare, review, and file immigration petitions, applications, and supporting evidence with exceptional accuracy. Manage ongoing corporate accounts, ensuring a consistent, high-touch client experience. Advise business stakeholders on immigration strategy, risk, timelines, and best practices. Oversee a substantial caseload while maintaining precision and timeliness.
• Practice Growth & Collaboration: Help grow and retain a book of corporate business, including scaling existing accounts. Collaborate with a network of top-tier attorneys leveraging powerful internal technology, automations, and optimized workflows. Contribute to an innovative, efficiency-driven practice that values clarity, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
• Act as Client Escalation Point: Serve as the primary point of contact and senior escalation point for clients to swiftly and effectively resolve complex issues, service concerns, or localized challenges originating from specific countries within the hub.
• Drive Client Communications: Lead regional client communications, including drafting and disseminating legal alerts, regional news, and critical updates to ensure clients receive a unified, premium experience.
• Oversee Regional Billing: Manage and approve the client billing for cases processed for the hub and all subordinate locations, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and adherence to billing guidelines.
• Partner with HQ Leadership: Maintain a strict, regular cadence of communication with the US headquarters to report on regional performance, share strategic insights, and ensure global continuity of legal services.
• Collaborate with Hub Operations: Work seamlessly with the Hub Operations Lead to align regional legal strategy with logistical, administrative, and financial execution.

Technology & Compliance Adoption

• Champion Technology Utilization: Mandate and monitor the use of tech platforms. Ensure all spoke attorneys are accurately and promptly entering data, case details, and milestones into the system within expected timelines.
• Data-Driven Quality Control: Utilize reporting features to audit co-counsel performance, identify regional trends, and proactively address bottlenecks or compliance issues.

The Person

• Education & Licensure: Must hold an active, distinguished license to practice law in Canada.
• Experience: Significant years of complex legal practice handling Canadian corporate client work. Any additional global immigration experience would be desirable, including significant time in a leadership or managing attorney capacity.
• Partner Management: Proven track record of managing a team of immigration professionals, outside counsel, co-counsel, or a distributed network of legal vendors.
• Client Service: Demonstrated experience handling high-level client escalations and navigating complex, multi-jurisdictional client relationships.
• Operational Acumen: Strong understanding of law firm financials, billing processes, and operational workflows.
• Tech-Savviness: Highly proficient in legal technology and case management systems, with experience driving tech adoption among external partners.