practice manager Ottawa
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Full Time
Ottawa
56000 - 42958 CAD ANNUAL Today
Job description
We are BLG: Canada’s Law Firm. Our culture is one of vigilance and curiosity, Firm-wide collaboration, unfailing mutual respect and dedication. We pride ourselves on having standout talent and delivering an exceptional client experience.
We are a future-minded Firm delivering high-value advice and known for our unwavering commitment to innovation, diversity and inclusion, community involvement and talent development. Learn more about us at
We are a future-minded Firm delivering high-value advice and known for our unwavering commitment to innovation, diversity and inclusion, community involvement and talent development. Learn more about us at
www.blg.com
.Purpose of the Role
The Practice Assistant will take an active interest in, and obtain a thorough understanding of, all aspects of client requirements to provide exceptional service levels to the lawyers and our clients. The Practice Assistant will act as workflow coordinator for other support services including delegating and reviewing the completion of document production, file management, copying/scanning work and other administrative work.
Key Responsibilities
The key responsibilities of this role are:
Administrative
- Manage calendars, ensuring they are up to date and reminding lawyers of meetings etc. on a daily basis
- Arrange meetings, book conference rooms, refreshments, check rooms prior to meetings etc. and liaise with other attendees, both internal and external
- Arrange for travel bookings and related details to be made through the support teams
- Arrange photocopying, printing, organizing couriers, sending out of letters, faxes etc.
- Arrange for files to be opened and closed, supervise general filing requirements and record keeping
- Use effective systems to ensure that both short and long term tasks are completed within required timescales
- Support lawyers in marketing activities including involvement in preparation of pitches and presentations
Communication
- Take internal and external telephone queries, responding as appropriate and/or ensuring that all messages are passed on in a timely manner
- Monitor post and/or e-mails and dealing with as appropriate and ensure that all client related correspondence is passed on to an appropriate lawyer if the relevant person is out of the office
- Liaise with administrative support departments on behalf of lawyers as required
- Liaise with the department’s Team Leader over any planned absences, arranging cover as necessary and communicating this to the relevant lawyers.
Client relationship management
- Become an active part in the care of clients and be wholly familiar with contacts/clients
- Enter, maintain and update client details and relevant information in the Firm’s CRM contacts system
- Deal with basic client queries and general administration
- Arrange client meetings
Document production
- Check correspondence, attachments, documents, reports, presentations, faxes etc. produced by the Document Production team before they are passed to the relevant lawyer and undertake basic/minor amendments where appropriate
- Type urgent/short/confidential correspondence and emails
- Produce and maintain Excel spreadsheets as required
Financial - Billing
- Assist lawyers and Practice Group Billing Coordinator in the billing and credit control process by liaising with the lawyer and accounts and to produce standard prebill financial/time reports through the system
- Request cheques, bank transfers and paying in money received, as appropriate
Other duties and responsibilities
- In addition to providing support to the lawyer(s) to whom they report, a Practice Assistant will also provide assistance to their immediate colleagues in the department and, where practical, other departments. Specifically, this role will provide back-up support to our Family Law group.
- Team duties will therefore include:
- Assisting other members of the firm, both proactively and at the request of the Team Leader
- Any other duties as requested by the Lawyers or Team Leader
Key Competencies
- Legal Assistant or Law Clerk Diploma or equivalent experience;
- Minimum 3 years experience as a Litigation Legal Assistant preferably in commercial litigation and/or construction.
- Proficiency in MS Office (excellent knowledge of advanced functions in Word);
- Ability to communicate in a professional manner with clients and lawyers;
- Ability to interact professionally with clients and all members of the firm;
- Strong organizational skills and time management skills;
- Self-starter who can work with minimal instruction/supervision;
- Detail-oriented individual with good proofreading skills;
- Excellent multi-tasking skills;
- Ability to follow instructions with minimal supervision and take initiative;
- Able to set priorities while maintaining flexibility;
- A team player with excellent interpersonal skills.
BLG is committed to building and fostering a workplace that is reflective of our communities, where all firm members feel included, valued, and heard. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates but acknowledge the systemic and structural barriers that have, historically, marginalized and barred certain groups from accessing employment opportunities. As part of our commitment to removing barriers to employment, we strongly encourage applications from members of these historically marginalized groups including, but not limited to, Indigenous peoples, racialized individuals, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities and women. Accommodations are available, upon request, in all aspects of the recruitment process.
About Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
CEO: John Murphy
Revenue: Unknown / Non-Applicable
Size: 1001 to 5000 Employees
Type: Private Practice / Firm
Website: www.blg.com
Year Founded: 1823
