Legal Assistant (Litigation)

McCarthy Tétrault LLP; Calgary; On-site; CAD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Insurance premiums paid by Firm

Wellness & tech reimbursements

Overtime pay & generous time off (vol

Birthday day off

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

McCarthy Tétrault LLP is seeking a Legal Assistant (Litigation) to join our Calgary office in a hybrid work environment. The role supports lawyers with document handling, calendar management, and client services. A minimum of 3 years' litigation experience and strong confidentiality are required.

The ideal candidate has a Legal Assistant Diploma or equivalent, excellent proofreading and organizational abilities, and the capacity to manage multiple deadlines with discretion.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of experience as a litigation legal assistant.
• In-depth knowledge of legal terminology, court rules and procedures.
• Strong proofreading, spelling, and editing skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Excellent time management and organizational abilities.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, edit, format, and revise litigation documents and correspondence.
• Coordinate hearings, pleadings and filing requirements.
• Manage files, calendars and deadlines for assigned lawyers.
• Coordinate lawyer travel, meetings, and client communications.
• Handle mail, faxes and receptionist duties as required.
• Assist with time entry and client/matter openings with Finance.

Skills

Attention to detail

Time management

Organizational skills

Multitasking

Discretion & confidentiality

Education

Legal Assistant Diploma or equivalent

3 years of litigation legal assistant experience

Job description

Job Description

McCarthy Tétrault is a Canadian law firm that offers a full suite of legal and business solutions to clients in Canada and around the world. At McCarthy Tétrault, we offer challenging and rewarding career opportunities in our offices in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary and Vancouver. We are delighted to have been selected for the eleventh consecutive year in 2023 as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers and to have earned the distinction of one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for the thirteenth consecutive year in 2025. Our culture is built on professional excellence, collaboration, innovation, thought leadership and entrepreneurialism. We embrace inclusion in all its forms and we provide the tools and opportunities to help our people develop to their full potential.

We are recruiting for aLegal Assistant, Litigation to join our team in our (location) office. The successful candidate musthave a minimum 3 years' of relevant experience, and experience with conflicts checks and dealing with highly confidential matters. The candidate will be responsible for supporting lawyers with documents, calendar management, and client support. McCarthy Tétrault employees benefit from a hybrid work environment.

As a Legal Assistant (Litigation), you will be:

Documents

• Preparing, editing, formatting, printing, scanning and revising correspondence, memoranda, litigation documents, reports, forms, labels and other printed material through dictation, copy typing or other instructions, in accordance with the requirements set by the practice group.
• Coordinating and dispersing tasks to be performed by various resource groups such as the Document Specialists, Administrative Clerks, Billing Assistants, etc. where appropriate while ensuring tasks are completed in a timely manner.
• Proofreading documents and checking for appropriate formatting, spelling, grammar and clarity.

Litigation

• Assisting lawyers in the preparation and coordination of hearings and trials; recording and monitoring court appearance dates, pleadings and filing requirements.
• Preparing basic court pleadings or other courtroom visuals.
• Coordinating service and filing of proceedings with agencies and courts.
• Scheduling and coordinating discoveries, expert witnesses or other court-designated hearings. Monitoring evidence gathering.
• Maintaining an in-depth knowledge of legal terminology, court rules and procedures as well as medical terminology where applicable.

File and Time Management

• Managing files including: opening new files, maintaining large and complex files, developing, maintaining and utilizing an orderly filing and retrieval system to ensure ease of reference to historical paper or electronic records, organizing law and precedent files.
• Working with Records Management and Administrative Clerks to create, maintain and store client files as appropriate.
• Managing key dates including physical bring forward system and updating calendars for assigned lawyers, including their meetings, appointments, due dates and client-related activities.

Lawyer / Client Support

• Coordinating lawyer travel arrangements, including preparing itineraries and travel expense reports.
• Updating contact names and addresses in the client database on a regular basis.
• Coordinating client meetings, including scheduling rooms and arranging for needed 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 for specialized mail or messenger services as required.
• Receiving, handling, screening and/or directing incoming calls as directed by lawyers; responding to routine inquiries and requests from clients; and taking messages as required.

Financial and Administrative Functions

• Assisting with the preparation and finalization of time entry on a daily basis according to firm standards in preparation for Billing Assistant to process.
• Working with Finance to coordinate new Client and Matter openings (KYC);
• Coordinating activities with functional area staff (Office Services, Marketing, etc.), as needed.
• Providing consistent backup support when assistants are absent; providing support to assistants who may be managing multiple tasks and/or difficult deadlines; and working proactively as a positive and productive member of the team.

Other

• Maintaining and updating job knowledge and technical skills by identifying and participating in education opportunities.
• Other duties as assigned.

As our ideal candidate, you will distinguish yourself by the following profile:

• Legal Assistant Diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum 3 years of experience as a litigation legal assistant.
• In-depth knowledge of legal terminology, court rules and procedures.
• Strong attention to detail and superior word processing, spelling, proofreading and editing skills.
• Capacity to perform duties with speed and accuracy.
• Strong time management, organizational and multi-tasking skills and ability to work under pressure to meet important deadlines.
• Ability to follow-up on files and delays with minimal supervision.
• High level of discretion and confidentiality.
• Flexibility to occasionally work overtime.

As a member of the McCarthy team, you will have access to:

• Outstanding benefits from day one, including insurance premiums paid by the Firm and wellness and technology reimbursements.
• Competitive compensation, paid overtime and generous time off, including a day off to volunteer and a day off for your birthday.
• A commitment to professional development and growth opportunities for our people at all levels, supported by a culture that fully embraces and encourages two-way feedback.
• Strong community involvement and a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• A collaborative, cohesive culture that connects lawyers and business teams through collective purpose.

We thank all applicants for their interest in McCarthy Tétrault; however, only chosen applicants will be contacted. We regret that we are unable to respond to individual inquiries about application status. McCarthy Tétrault is an equal opportunity employer that fosters an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment. Please notify us if you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process.