Talent Acquisition Specialist, Legal Support

McCarthy Tétrault; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Insurance premiums paid

Wellness reimbursements

Technology reimbursements

Volunteer day

Birthday leave

Job summary

McCarthy Tétrault is seeking a Talent Acquisition Specialist to lead full-cycle recruitment for Legal Support Services across the Firm, with emphasis on Legal Assistants, Legal Administrative Assistants and Document Specialists. The role is hybrid and supports Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver offices.

The ideal candidate has 6–8 years in strategic sourcing or full-cycle recruitment, preferably in professional services or a law firm, with strong sourcing, interviewing and onboarding skills.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education with an HR focus or equivalent experience.
• 6–8 years of proven success in strategic sourcing or full-cycle Talent Acquisition.
• Experience recruiting Legal Assistants, Legal Administrative Assistants, Document Specialists, or similar roles.
• High-volume recruitment experience and analytics knowledge.
• Experience in professional services or law firm environment preferred.
• Bilingualism in French and English is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end recruitment for Legal Support positions across the Firm.
• Conduct intake meetings with hiring managers to define business needs, timelines and competencies.
• Develop proactive sourcing strategies for specialized legal support talent markets.
• Manage job postings, candidate screening, interviews, offers and onboarding handoffs.
• Build and maintain talent pipelines for recurring and high-volume positions.
• Coordinate language assessments when required and provide candidate recommendations.
• Provide backup recruitment support for other client groups as needed.
• Track metrics and deliver recruitment analytics, reporting and forecasts.

Job description

Job Description

McCarthy Tétrault is a leading Canadian law firm offering a full suite of legal and business solutions to clients in Canada and around the world. With offices in Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, Calgary and Vancouver, we provide challenging and rewarding career opportunities across the country. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for eleven consecutive years and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for fourteen consecutive years, our culture is guided by The McCarthy Way—our shared approach to working with clients and with each other.

The McCarthy Way is built on four core elements: Excellence, through attracting and developing top talent committed to delivering on our Client Commitment; Collaboration, through seamless, integrated teamwork; Inclusion, through eliminating barriers to belonging and success; and Innovation, through delivering maximum value by embracing leading-edge technologies and approaches. Together, these principles shape how we work, lead, and grow—every day.

The Talent Acquisition Specialist is responsible for delivering full-cycle recruitment for Legal Support Services (LSS) positions across the Firm, including Legal Assistants, Legal Administrative Assistants (LAAs), and Document Specialists. Acting as the primary recruitment partner for LSS leaders and hiring managers, this role develops proactive talent pipelines, provides market intelligence, and delivers a consistent, high-quality candidate and hiring manager experience across Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

The salary range for this role is $85,000 to $100,000 annually. The final offer will be determined based on the candidate’s skills, experience, and job-relevant knowledge. Please note that this range is intended to provide guidance; actual compensation may vary within this range depending on the qualifications and expertise of the selected candidate.

This role is not an existing vacancy and is hybrid.

As a Talent Acquisition Specialist, you will:

Full-Cycle Legal Support Recruitment (70%)

• Lead end-to-end recruitment for Legal Assistant, Legal Administrative Assistant, Document Specialist, and other legal support positions across the Firm
• Conduct intake meetings with hiring managers to understand business needs, team dynamics, required competencies, and hiring timelines
• Develop and execute proactive sourcing strategies tailored to specialized legal support talent markets, leveraging strong sourcing skills to identify and engage high volumes of qualified candidates
• Manage job postings, candidate screening, interviews, assessments, references, offer negotiations, and onboarding handoffs
• Build and maintain talent pipelines for recurring and high-volume LSS positions
• Conduct behavioral and competency-based interviews and provide candidate recommendations to hiring leaders
• Coordinate technical, document formatting, and bilingual language assessments where required
• Partner with HR Business Partners and Compensation to support market-aligned hiring decisions
• Ensure compliance withemployment legislation, pay transparency requirements, internal policies, and equitable hiring practices

Recruitment Partnership, Candidate Experience and Market Positioning

• Act as a subject matter expert by coaching and supporting hiring managers in preparing for and conducting interviews, including structured interview guidance for legal support positions
• Build the Firm’s talent brand in the marketplace by providing an exceptional candidate experience, seeking feedback, and recommending improvements to candidate communications and recruitment channels
• Develop and maintain relationships with external recruitment agencies to ensure appropriate representation of the Firm externally and timely, cost-effective solutions when agency support is required
• Provide backup recruitment support for other client groups as needed, while maintaining primary accountability for Legal Support Services recruitment

Recruitment Analytics, Reporting and Continuous Improvement (30%)

• Track recruitment metrics including time-to-fill, source of hire, pipeline conversion rates, vacancy trends, and hiring volumes
• Develop quarterly reporting and hiring forecasts for Legal Support Services leadership and Talent Acquisition leadership
• Analyze recruitment trends, identify bottlenecks, and recommend process improvements
• Maintain current knowledge of recruitment trends, market practices, technology, and professional networks relevant to legal support recruitment
• Perform other duties as assigned

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

• Post-secondary education with an HR focus or equivalent experience
• Minimum 6 to 8 years of proven success in a strategic sourcing or full-cycle Talent Acquisition role
• Experience in a professional services environment is required; experience recruiting in a law firm or legal services environment is strongly preferred. Experience in both search firm/agency and corporate recruitment environments is an asset
• Experience recruiting Legal Assistants, Legal Administrative Assistants, Document Specialists, or comparable legal support roles is required
• Experience in high-volume; full-cycle recruitment is required
• Experience with talent acquisition analytics and reporting is an asset
• Strong knowledge and familiarity with recruitment technology and eRecruiting, including ATS platforms (Workday, iCIMS), LinkedIn Recruiter, and other sourcing or social media channels used for recruitment purposes
• Bilingualism in French and English is an asset

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

McCarthy Tétrault utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) technology as part of our application screening process to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our recruitment efforts by analyzing applications to identify candidates whose qualifications and experiences align with the requirements of the position.

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.