Description
About PortaLaw
Our business is workplace law.
PortaLaw serves businesses, nonprofits, law firms and individual employees. Our lawyers provide practical advice and experienced advocacy in all non-unionized employment and workplace-related legal matters. PortaLaw is not a full-service law firm and our lawyers are not generalists. We keep to our niche - employment law - and we do it well.
We believe that work should bring you joy. This mantra guides how we advise and service our clients. But it also guides how we operate our business and how we treat one another.
We strive to be a place where people want to show up for work and enjoy their workday. We started by becoming a benefit corporation and launching into B Corp certification. By putting social impact at the core of our structure, PortaLaw is constantly searching for opportunities to do good through our law practice and business.
The Role
Most of this Legal Assistant role revolves around these critical and technical legal support duties:
- Managing lawyers’ calendars and BF systems.
- Opening and closing matters.
- Drafting and sending Engagement Letters.
- Collecting retainers.
- Retrieving, reviewing and organizing documents.
- Formatting documents.
- Drafting letters and documents, including court documents like orders, requisitions, as well as “skeleton” pleadings and notices of application.
- Conducting corporate searches and property searches, and filing court and tribunal documents.
- Building and improving internal systems and processes.
- Assisting in managing client relationships.
- Conducting case planning and oversight, including:
- Ensuring compliance with regulatory/internal requirements (e.g. court deadlines).
- Monitoring case progress (e.g. financial oversight and identifying gaps).
- Collaborating with lawyers to ensure that cases are moving forward smoothly, prioritizing tasks based on urgency and client needs.
- Conducting client intake by phone and by email.
- Backfilling the duties of our operations coordinator including:
- Assisting with accounts receivable and accounts payable.
- Management of our physical office, including receiving mail and tidying common areas.
This is a hybrid role. You will work at our office in Mt. Pleasant a minimum of 3-4 days per week, with the option of working the other days at home as long as you have a secure and private home office.
If we reach out to you for an interview, we’ll also send you a document fully outlining your job duties and responsibilities.
Need-to-haves
The need-to-haves for this role are rooted in the core duties you would expect of a Legal Assistant. We are looking for someone who can perform these critical technical skills straight away with limited training beyond our specific systems and processes, and tech stack.
To succeed in this role, you will need to have:
- 1-3 years of experience in a law firm as a Legal Assistant or Legal Administrative Assistant, particularly in litigation.
- Knowledge of the BC Supreme Court Rules and civil procedure, allowing you to:
- Anticipate the next steps in a file; and
- Move files along with limited instructions.
- Expert level critical thinking skills allowing you to:
- Prioritize tasks without explicit instruction.
- Assess potential risks and problems.
- Expert level knowledge of Microsoft 365.
- Experience using BC Online, CSO, and myLTSA.
- Experience with administrative tribunal procedures.
- A keen eye for detail.
- The ability to receive feedback and implement it (and to give feedback as well).
- The ability to move between many tasks and priorities throughout the day.
- The ability to support at least two lawyers, perhaps with different practice and communication styles.
More need-to-haves
- You are a team player and are easy to work with.
- You have a growth mindset.
- You have pride in your role and the quality of your work.
- You are curious and have a desire to continuously learn.
- You are ready to take on the less glamourous parts of the job, and understand that they are just important as the technical ones to ensure the smooth functioning of the business.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience in employment and/or labour law.
- Experience working with Clio.
- Formal legal assistant, legal administrative assistant or paralegal education.
Remuneration
Annual salary between $50,000 and $60,000 depending on experience (or mix of experience and education).
- Discretionary annual bonuses depending on individual and company performance.
- Extended health and dental benefits, health care spending account and/or taxable wellness account, Life and AD&D, short-term and long-term disability.
- Three weeks of paid vacation (to start), pro-rated per calendar year.
- Work-from-home stipend.
Application Process
Please send your CV and a cover letter to [email protected] with the subject line: “2025 Legal Assistant Application”.
Interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis.
We thank everyone for applying and your interest in our firm. We’ll be reaching out to only those candidates who we invite for an interview.