Job Details

The Manager, Legal Support (Litigation) is responsible for the overall delivery of the litigation legal support services provided to principals in litigation with a focus on workload management and distribution, service quality and efficiency. This role also acts as key support for all assistants by removing barriers that impede productivity, helping balance workloads and quadrant arrangements, scheduling, identifying, and sharing best practices and ensuring the right tools, technology and training are available to perform accordingly.

Team Engagement

• Establish healthy and productive floor team relationships by being a role model for respect, open communication, and supportive, collegial behaviour.
• Engage the floor team through group meetings and other means of communication to create and maintain a cohesive and positive work environment.
• Address any individual or interpersonal issues with open communication and shared problem solving. Find opportunities to recognize individual and floor team successes.
• Work with the Director, Legal Support to recruit and make staffing decisions for the floor and take an active role to welcome and orient new hires.

Performance Management

• Work with the floor team to ensure a clear understanding of performance standards and job expectations.
• Interview principals to obtain formal (annual) and informal feedback about individual performance and work closely with the Legal Support Team to ensure performance ratings are delivered fairly and consistently.
• Together with principals, draft and deliver a balanced performance review, and be supportive to individuals by addressing any performance issues or learning goals with development and training plans.
• Work with Director of Legal Support and HR to determine year-end salary and bonus recommendations, in line with salary structure and incentive guidelines.

Quadrant Teams, Scheduling & Work Allocation

• Work with the Director, Legal Support to determine the best shared resource model (“the quadrant teams”) for the floor based on knowledge of individual capabilities, requirements of principals, and ongoing changes such as office moves and incoming/departing principals. Support the floor team to arrange primary and team support that provide optimum coverage for principals.
• Collaborate with the floor team and other Legal Support Managers to ensure equitable work distribution across the floor, and among floors. Manage the scheduling and approval of vacation requests, leaves and other absences, including daily sick calls, and personally provide overflow support to principals where needed.
• Take accountability for the key performance metrics for the floor including analyzing reports for overtime, utilization, headcount and ratio, and work with the Director, Legal Support to recommend any changes needed.

Liaison with Principals

• Be the key contact for principals on the assigned floor with respect to all issues pertaining to support, involving the Director, Legal Support for direction and coaching as required. In addition to the formal performance management process, proactively check in with principals to ensure service requirements are being met.
• Work with the floor team to determine appropriate arrangements for alternate coverage (for absences, vacations, and leaves) and to ensure the smooth delivery of service and minimized interruption to support.

Standards & Continuous Improvement

• Proactively obtain input from floor team members, principals, and others about the legal support model at Torys, and contribute to the development of performance standards, service offerings, and standard operating procedures.
• Partner with the Director, Legal Support and other Legal Support Managers to identify any current inefficiencies, best practices, and training solutions to support the development of technical and administrative capabilities of the team.
• Work closely with other departments to advocate for changes and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the day-to-day work productivity of legal support professionals.
• Participate in projects and initiatives as required.

Litigation

• Collaborate with Litigation & eDiscovery Services to ensure that:
• appropriate training on litigation-specific technology and workflows is provided during onboarding and on a continuous basis for legal support team members.
• communications about legislative and regulatory amendments, changes to the Rules of Civil Procedure and practice directions, and other critical information relating to court procedures and operations are delivered in a timely manner and understood.
• Work with legal teams on resource allocation to ensure that effective support is available for arbitrations, trials and other large hearings, including:
• Creating support strategy and timeline for legal support, including LPAs, support assistants, document services and other related teams as required.
• Communicating the delineation of support roles and assignment of tasks to stakeholders ensuring that proper support is available prior to, during and following hearings.
• Conducting debrief sessions with support teams to collect feedback for continuous improvement and to create action items for future hearings.

• Legal assistant diploma or law clerk equivalent from a recognized post-secondary institution would be an asset.
• 8-10 years’ experience as a legal assistant or law clerk, preferably within a law firm.
• Experience coordinating a team, overseeing a project, or coaching people is preferred.
• Proficient in MS Office product suite, as well as experience working in document management and time entry billing systems.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a proven ability to establish and build trust-based working relationships.
• Natural ability to establish, lead and be a role model for healthy team dynamics such as supportive collaboration, inclusive communication, joint problem solving, and conflict resolution.
• Track record of challenging the status quo to make things better, improving ways of working, and delivering service in a more efficient and effective way.
• Exceptional client service skills with a proven track record of ‘going above and beyond’ to service clients.
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral); ability to interact effectively with individuals at all levels within the organization with tact and diplomacy.
• Strong organizational, attention to detail, and time management skills to effectively prioritize and meet deadlines in a high-pressure environment.
• Sound judgment including the ability to deal with confidential information with utmost discretion.
• Ability to work overtime to meet client demands when required.