Legal Assistant Paralegal

Mercier & Associates Barristers and Solicitors; Winnipeg; On-site; CAD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

12 paid personal/sick days

Two weeks paid vacation

Employer-matched RRSP

Comprehensive group benefits

Parking assistance

Flexibility when life happens

Growth opportunities

Supportive team

Coffee culture

Job summary

Mercier & Associates Barristers and Solicitors in downtown Winnipeg seeks an experienced Legal Assistant to support a busy family law practice. You’ll work closely with our lawyers and support staff to manage files, deadlines and communications.

The ideal candidate has at least three years of legal assistant experience, strong organizational and tech skills (Word, Excel, Outlook), and a collaborative, respectful approach.

Qualifications

• At least three years of legal assistant experience, preferably in family law.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Proficient in Word, Excel and Outlook; able to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and draft correspondence, court documents and family law pleadings.
• Manage electronic and physical files from opening through closing.
• Maintain calendars, deadlines and lawyer schedules.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

MS Word

MS Excel

MS Outlook

Team collaboration

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

MS Outlook

Job description

ISO Experienced Family Law Legal Assistant

You already know how to be a great legal assistant. We want to give you a great place to do it.

If you have several years of family law experience, chances are you aren't simply looking for a job. You probably already have one.

So we're not going to spend this entire posting telling you what we expect from you. We'd rather tell you what you can expect from us.

Mercier & Associates is a family law firm in downtown Winnipeg, and we're looking for an experienced Legal Assistant to join our team.

We work hard and the work can be busy, it's family law, after all, but we believe busy shouldn't mean burned out, and being professional shouldn't mean being treated like anything less than a human being.

What matters to us

You're part of the team, not "just the assistant."

The best lawyer/assistant relationships are partnerships. We want someone who takes ownership of their work, asks questions, shares ideas and knows their lawyer will be there when an issue comes up.

That includes difficult client interactions. We don't believe being yelled at, sworn at or treated disrespectfully is simply "part of the job." Our staff deserve to be treated with respect, and our lawyers will support them when a boundary needs to be drawn.

Life happens. We understand that.

Appointments happen. Kids get sick. Family members need help. Sometimes you simply need a day.

We believe flexibility works best when there is trust on both sides. When something comes up, we want our staff to have reasonable options to manage their time and their responsibilities without feeling guilty for having a life outside the office.

Personal leave should actually be personal.

We provide 12 paid personal/sick days per year.

Use them when you're sick, when your child needs you, for a mental health day, an appointment, or when life simply requires your attention. We don't believe you should have to invent an illness to justify taking care of yourself.

Good work deserves to be noticed.

A thank-you shouldn't be reserved for one day.

Legal assistants are an enormous part of what keeps a law practice moving, and we want the people who work with us to know their contribution is noticed and appreciated.

What we're offering

Along with a workplace where kindness, communication and mutual respect genuinely matter, we offer:

• Competitive compensation that recognizes experience because we're looking for someone who already knows family law and the value they bring to a practice.
• 12 paid personal/sick days each year, available for illness, mental health, family responsibilities and the other things life occasionally throws at you.
• Two weeks of paid vacation.
• Employer-matched RRSP program to help you plan for the future.
• Comprehensive group benefits, including health, dental, disability, life insurance and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Parking assistance for our downtown Winnipeg location.
• Flexibility when life happens, including the ability to make up time in reasonable ways where the work and circumstances permit.
• Opportunities to learn and grow within a firm focused exclusively on family law.
• A genuinely supportive team environment where communication goes both ways.
• Staff events, spontaneous perks and the occasional "just because" thank-you.
• And yes, good coffee matters to us too.

About the role

You’ll work closely with our family lawyers and the rest of our legal support team, helping manage an active family law practice.

Because we're looking for someone experienced, you already know much of what that means:

• Preparing and drafting correspondence, court documents and family law pleadings;
• Managing electronic and physical files from opening through closing;
• Maintaining calendars, deadlines and lawyer schedules;
• Managing email and assisting with client communications;
• Preparing and filing documents with the Manitoba Court of King's Bench;
• Performing conflict checks and assisting with initial client calls;
• Reviewing documents for formatting, spelling and grammar;
• Working with dictation and document production;
• Keeping files organized, current and moving forward; and
• Being the organized person in the room when family law inevitably decides not to be organized.

Who we're hoping to find

We're looking for someone with at least three years of legal assistant experience, preferably with significant family law experience.

You’ll likely be a great fit if you’re organized, dependable and comfortable managing competing priorities. You communicate well, know your way around Word, Excel and Outlook, understand family law procedures and don’t need someone standing over your shoulder to get things done.

Most importantly, you’re looking for somewhere you can settle in, become part of the team and feel good about the people you work with.

One last thing...

We know changing firms is a big decision, particularly when you’re already somewhere comfortable.

We’re not looking for someone simply to fill a chair.

We’re looking for an experienced legal assistant who wants to be part of a firm where people work hard, help each other, communicate openly, laugh together and remember that everyone has a life outside the office.

If that sounds like the kind of place you’d like to work, we’d really like to hear from you.

Position: Full-time, Monday to Friday

Location: Downtown Winnipeg – Carlton Square

Practice Area: Family Law