Ranked a Best Employer in Canada for 24 years, Bennett Jones is one of Canada’s premier business law firms and home to 500 lawyers and business advisors. With deep experience in complex transactions and litigation matters, and offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and New York, the firm is well equipped to advise businesses and investors with Canadian ventures and connect Canadian businesses and investors with opportunities around the world. Serving clients since 1922, we are proud to be the firm that businesses trust with their most complex legal matters.
We are currently recruiting for the following role in our Montreal office:
Bilingual legal assistant, Corporate Law
The Role:
We are looking for an experienced bilingual legal assistant to join the Corporate group in our Montreal office. The candidate will assist our team of lawyers in managing their practice and carrying out mandates in corporate law, namely in mergers and acquisitions and private equity, at both the legal and administrative levels.
Essential Functions:
- Apply strong proofreading and editing skills to ensure accuracy, completeness, and proper formatting of all work products.
- Provide administrative support for lawyers’ practices, including opening and closing files, scheduling meetings and preparing expense reports.
- Enter time entries, transcribe dictations, voice memos and other recordings.
- Organize client meetings, book boardrooms and arrange for catering or audio-visual equipment as needed.
- Manage deadlines, plan meetings and appointments, including organizing lawyers’ business trips making necessary reservations, and update lawyers’ calendar.
- Organize and maintain up-to-date electronic (iManage) and paper client files.
- Support billing processes, expense tracking, and invoice payments in accordance with firm policies (Aderant).
- Assist lawyers with business development efforts and maintain the accuracy of the professional contacts database (Interaction).
- Exercise sound judgment and resourcefulness to independently resolve administrative issues.
- Offer backup support to other Legal Assistants as needed and collaborate with colleagues to schedule vacations, breaks, and absences, ensuring continuous support for lawyers.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Bilingual proficiency in French and English, both spoken and written. This role requires frequent interaction with third parties who communicate exclusively in English, as well as collaboration with colleagues across our Canadian offices, where English is the predominant language. Given that more than 50% of the responsibilities will be performed in English, a high level of proficiency in written, oral, and comprehension skills in English is essential. The candidate must also demonstrate excellent command of written and spoken French.
- Minimum of five years as a legal assistant, supporting multiple corporate law lawyers, preferably at a large national law firm.
- Diploma of legal assistant (A.E.C.) or diploma of collegial studies (D.E.C.) in office administration, or the equivalent.
- Experience with Aderant or similar billing technologies, with a strong understanding of the billing cycle, expense processing, and bill payment.
- Skilled in MS Office, Adobe Pro, digital dictation, and other legal-specific technologies.
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
- Sound judgment, autonomy, and ability to resolve administrative issues independently.
- Demonstrate professionalism, confidentiality and discretion, as well as customer-oriented attitude.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with colleagues, clients, and external stakeholders.
- Ability to work as a team and thrive in a dynamic environment.
Apply To:
Chanelle Desrosiers-Stewart, Director, Talent & Operations (Montreal)
E-mail: desrosiersstewartc@bennettjones.com
Bennett Jones Services Limited Partnership
1800 – 900 De Maisonneuve Blvd W
Montreal, Québec H3A 0A8
