Hiring Part-Time Legal Assistant in London, Ontario

About Us

Vallillee Family Lawyers is a small, boutique family law firm in downtown London, Ontario. We help separating couples, parents, grandparents, kin, and young people through parenting and custody matters, child and spousal support, property division, divorce, child protection (CAS) proceedings, and restraining orders. Our lawyers also act as Agent Counsel for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer.

We believe in excellent service and reasonable fees, and we take a practical, client-focused approach. Some cases call for firm advocacy, and others are better resolved through negotiation. Every family is different, and we tailor our work accordingly. We are a close-knit team that works collaboratively on every file, and our new part-time legal assistant will be a valued part of our team. Learn more about us at www.valaw.ca.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Part-Time Legal Assistant to join our team. This is a 24-hour-per-week position on an initial six-month contract, with the potential to become a long-term or permanent role, and possibly a full-time one, dependent on performance and office needs.

We are open to two kinds of candidates:

• Someone newer to the field, for example a recent graduate of a legal assistant, law clerk, or office administration program, or someone with strong administrative experience who wants to build a career in law. We will train you. For the right person, this role can grow into a full-time legal assistant position and, with on-the-job training and experience, potentially into a law clerk role.
• Someone experienced, for example, a seasoned legal assistant or law clerk who is semi-retired or looking for meaningful part-time work to supplement their income, and who can hit the ground running.

If you fall somewhere in between, we still want to hear from you.

What You Will Do

• Reception and front-desk duties: greeting clients, answering and directing calls, taking messages, and managing the general firm inbox.

Assist our law clerk in:

• Conducting conflict checks and opening, organizing, and closing client files;
• Scheduling client meetings, court dates, and case conferences, and maintaining lawyers’ calendars and tickler/limitation reminders;
• Preparing, formatting, and proofreading correspondence and family court documents (applications, answers, affidavits, financial statements, briefs, and motion materials);
• Filing and serving court documents, including through Ontario’s online court filing systems and via the Casecentre platform;
• Communicating with clients, opposing counsel, court staff, CAS, Legal Aid Ontario, and the Office of the Children’s Lawyer;
• Assisting with legal accounting including time and disbursement entry, client billing, Legal Aid Ontario and OCL accounts, trust and general account bookkeeping;
• Scanning, photocopying, mail handling, ordering supplies, and general office administration, and other duties as required from time-to-time.

What We Are Looking For

Required

• Professional, warm, and patient telephone and in-person manner. Our clients are often going through very difficult times.
• Strong written and spoken English, with careful attention to detail and proofreading;
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion;
• Familiarity and comfortable ability with standard Microsoft Office software (Word, Outlook, Excel) and learning new software quickly;
• Well-organized, reliable, and able to manage competing priorities in a small office;
• Legal assistant, law clerk, or office administration diploma or certificate, or relevant experience (candidates currently enrolled in such a program are welcome to apply).

Assets

• Experience in a law office, ideally in family law or child protection;
• Familiarity with Ontario family court procedure, the Family Law Rules, and conflict-check practices;
• Experience with LEAP legal practice management software;
• Experience with Legal Aid Ontario certificate billing and Office of the Children’s Lawyer billing practices;
• Experience with QuickBooks;
• Knowledge of law office trust accounting;
• Experience with Ontario’s online court filing portals;
• Fluency in French or another language spoken in our community.

What We Offer

• Rate of pay commensurate with experience. From $20.00 per hour to start for candidates with under two years of experience in a law office setting, up to $26.00 per hour if the candidate falls into the experienced category.
• 24 hours per week, with a schedule to be arranged within our office hours of Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This is an in-person role, but the specific days of work are flexible and can be tailored to your needs.
• An initial six-month contract, with the potential to become a long-term or permanent position.
• Health and dental benefits are not available to part-time employees, but will become available if the position becomes full-time after the initial six months.
• Hands-on training and mentorship from experienced family law lawyers, with a real path to grow into a full-time legal assistant or law clerk role.
• A collegial, respectful small office environment in downtown London, near public transit. Parking pass available if desired.

How to Apply

Please apply by email to eric.v@valaw.ca with a copy to inbox@valaw.ca Please use the subject line “Part-Time Legal Assistant Application” and include:

• Your CV or resume;
• Either a formal cover letter or, if you prefer, a short introductory message in the body of your email telling us who you are and why you are interested in this position;
• Transcripts for any post-secondary studies you have started or completed if you have less than five years’ office experience.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and the posting will remain open until the position is filled. We thank all applicants for their interest, and only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

You must already be authorized to work in Canada in order to apply.

A criminal records check will be required from the successful candidate. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify depending on the nature of the record, but you must disclose the information to us at the time that you apply given the nature of our work with minors and other vulnerable individuals.

Vallillee Family Lawyers is committed to a fair and inclusive hiring process. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in any part of the selection process.