Manager, 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.

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

The Legal Administrative Services Group (LASG) is a cornerstone department within our firm, providing comprehensive legal administrative services across all regional offices during local business hours. Specializing in the preparation, editing, and transmission of legal documents and correspondence, LASG plays a vital role in supporting the firm's Lawyers, Paraprofessionals, Students, and Legal Assistants, ensuring the delivery of consistently high-quality legal support.

As a Manager, Legal Administrative Services Group, you will be:

• Overseeing a national bilingual LASG team, ensuring high service standards and value through effective management and leadership.
• Building strategic partnerships with key internal stakeholders to increase their awareness and engagement with LASG, ensuring that the group's offerings are fully leveraged to optimize workflow efficiency.
• Providing leadership, direction and expertise for LASG functions, including employee relations, engagement and change management.
• Ensuring timely and high-quality services delivery to meet deadlines, adhere to legal-admin processes, and make procedural adjustments as necessary. Actively identifying opportunities for process improvement, recommend innovative changes, and lead the implementation of these improvements within the LASG, Resource Centre, and LSS at a national level.
• Collaborating with Supervisors on staff absences and vacation planning, managing overtime while maintaining operational and cost efficiencies throughout the firm.
• Monitoring workflows, key metrics and analyzing data in order to identify themes and trends and developing recommendations for change and improvement.
• Reviewing department metrics regularly to monitor and measuring service delivery and preparing monthly reports.
• Conducting individual and team meetings with Supervisors, Team Leads and Legal Administrative Assistants as may be needed for individual or team communication
• Coordinating regular training events for Supervisor and Legal Administrative Assistants to ensure the team has the most up to date knowledge required
• Managing the performance management process together with the Supervisor, including: setting performance objectives; providing and collecting ongoing feedback.
• Leading firm-wide projects to ensure consistent information sharing across shifts and prepare comprehensive change management and communication plans to facilitate optimal acceptance and seamless transitions within the Firm.
• Working with Supervisors to ensure LASG staffing levels are adequate, and leading talent acquisition and talent management processes.
• Collaborating closely with the Director in preparation of annual budget exercise and with the Manager, Document Services Group to ensure alignment with the Resource Centre objectives. This includes regular communication, joint planning sessions, and coordinated efforts to address any challenges and opportunities that arise.
• Coaching Supervisors to build and maintain effective working relationships with internal clients and other stakeholders to understand their daily business needs for legal-admin support.
• Provide mentorship to supervisors on developing effective working relationships with their staff and managing performance challenges.
• Attending off hour events, meetings with team and management team etc., as required.

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

• Required post secondary education in the fields of business or office administration. In addition to education, required work experience.
• Minimum 6-10 years of relevant experience including experience in a management role. Experience managing remote teams would be an asset.
• Experience as a business lead on projects is highly desirable, with a proven ability to drive project vision and align business objectives with project goals to ensure successful project outcomes and stakeholder alignment.
• Experience in Human Resources or equivalent is a valuable asset, with a strong understanding of employee relations, recruitment, talent development, and organizational processes.
• Exceptional analytical and communication skills, with the ability to leverage data and articulate complex ideas to various stakeholders, fostering informed decision-making and effective collaboration.
• Demonstrated resilience and adaptability in dynamic environments, adept at multitasking, prioritizing projects, and maintaining composure under tight deadlines to ensure continuous operational excellence.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building abilities, with a focus on emotional intelligence and creating a supportive, high-performance team culture that drives organizational success.
• Flexibility in work hours and willingness to step into leadership coverage roles for Supervisor as needed, ensuring management continuity and team support across all functions.
• Technological proficiency and a strategic approach to management, including an ongoing commitment to professional development, with an understanding of industry trends and best practices in leadership, change management, and organizational development.
• Be willing to travel up to 10% across Canada.

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 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.