Bilingual Team Lead, Legal Administrative Services Group

At McCarthy Tétrault, we offer challenging and rewarding career opportunities and are delighted to have been selected for the eleventh consecutive year in 2023 as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. 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.

The employee in this position will be part of a national team in which they will work with lawyers and professionals in all of our offices across Canada, where English is the predominant language. An employee in this position will be expected to work on documents in English or French for clients, lawyers or professionals who understand and communicate only in English or French. This national document services team operates 24/7 and it is necessary for the proper functioning of the operations to have bilingual staff available at all times to respond to requests. Bilingualism (French and English) is therefore a requirement for this position.

This position can be based out of Montreal. McCarthy Tétrault employees benefit from a hybrid work environment.

As a Bilingual Team Lead, Legal Administrative Services Group, you will be:

Duties and Responsibilities - Team Lead

• Support the Supervisor with coordinating the Intake process for all LASG requests (assessing and prioritizing workload, assigning requests etc.).
• Work with Legal Administrative Assistants to ensure processes and guidelines are followed, reconciling client requests for accuracy as per Department processes and procedures. Identifying and submitting recommendations for changes to procedures to Supervisor, when necessary.
• Act as a liaison between LASG and its clients regarding workflow and to address and resolve escalated concerns and/or issues.
• Monitor process and procedures that impact metrics to ensure duties are performed efficiently.
• Delegate tasks and responsibilities to team members, ensuring a balanced workload distribution.
• Serve as a trainer and subject matter expert for the tasks and responsibilities assigned to the department.
• Develop training materials, manuals, and resources to facilitate the onboarding and continuous learning of team members.
• Conduct training sessions and workshops to educate team members on the department's processes, procedures, and best practices.
• Provide ongoing coaching and support to team members, addressing knowledge gaps and skill development needs.
• Stay updated with industry advancements and technological changes relevant to the department's tasks, and incorporate them into training programs.
• Identify training and development needs within the team and coordinate relevant learning opportunities.
• Foster teamwork, collaboration, and effective communication within the team.

Duties and Responsibilities - Legal Administrative Assistant

General

• Collaborate seamlessly with team members to provide comprehensive support in triaging and managing requests. Displaying swift responsiveness to inquiries, consistently meeting deadlines, and fostering harmonious cooperation across various departments and individuals within the Firm.
• Effectively manage workflow fluctuations with minimal supervision. Overseeing the Intake process, prioritizing and coordinating work for timely completion.
• Answer process related questions and helping troubleshoot timekeeper issues related to areas of expertise and responsibility.
• Liaise with and directing requests to other Firm support resources as necessary to ensure efficient and appropriate utilization of resources.
• Maintain accurate updates in the workflow system to track and monitor requests. Providing reliable backup support in the Resource Centre.
• Continuously enhance job knowledge and technical skills through active team participation. Proactively sharing knowledge, information, and mentorship with stakeholders and team members to foster a positive and collaborative environment.
• Perform quality control of own work, seeking clarification when necessary, and reviewing work of others.
• Other duties as assigned.

Operational + Clerical Support

• Collaborate with Resource Centre clients to process timekeeper expenses through creation of expense reports in accordance with guidelines set forth by the Firm.
• Submit and process vendor/third party cheques and invoices on behalf of timekeepers in the Firm’s system.
• Perform administrative support such as printing, scanning, faxing, photocopying, archiving, saving/renaming documents to the Firm’s Document Management System, creating binders, copying to CD/USB keys, data base entry and uploading/downloading from internet or data rooms.
• Work with Records Management to create, maintain and store client files in accordance with the Firm policies and guidelines.

Documents (Basic)

• Draft, edit, basic formatting, and revising correspondence, memoranda, large transaction documents, reports, forms, labels, etc..
• Proofread documents and checking for appropriate formatting, spelling, grammar and clarity.
• Prepare basic court documents.

Lawyer and Client Support

• Collaborate with Resource Centre clients to assist with organization of travel bookings and prepare travel itineraries in accordance with preferences, including reserving air, lodging, ground transportation, and meal reservations.
• Update contact names and addresses in the client database on a regular basis.
• Support various practice groups with legal documents in accordance with the requirements set by the practice group.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of legal terminology, court rules and procedures as well as medical terminology where applicable

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

• Post Secondary Diploma with specialization in legal/office or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 4 years of experience in a professional work environment with relevant administrative or legal experience an asset.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Knowledge of legal terminology, documents and procedures an asset.
• Leadership certifications or training an asset.
• Excellent communications skills in English and French (verbal and written) are required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and telephone manners with customer service oriented approach.
• Highly developed analytical, problem solving, decision making, conflict management and negotiation skills.
• Ability to communicate in a variety of ways in order to ensure understanding and influence the outcome of situations.
• Patience, flexibility and an ability to effectively manage difficult situations.
• Well organized with meticulous attention to detail and strong proof-reading skills.
• Confident in working independently, prioritizing and making day-to-day decisions, with the judgment to seek supervisory assistance when appropriate.
• Works effectively with other team members and demonstrates tact, respect, and professionalism in all interactions.
• Provides a high level of service to colleagues and clients

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.

How to Apply:

External candidates are encouraged to apply online. All Internal applicants must apply directly through our internal careers portal on Espresso.

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.