Legal Administrative Assistant - Wills & Estates

Gowling WLG • Full-time • Toronto, ON, CA • 2d ago

ABOUT GOWLING WLG

At Gowling WLG, our dedication to excellence and quality service begins with our people. As a global law firm with offices across Canada, the U.K., Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we pride ourselves on sourcing and retaining top talent who bring energy, passion and commitment to the delivery of outstanding client service.

When it comes to diversity, we not only accept it — we celebrate it, support it and thrive on it. To create an engaging and rewarding place to work, we seek to attract talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. Our aim is to help everyone reach their full potential and achieve their personal and professional goals.

Employee satisfaction is important to us. We work hard to ensure that our people are motivated, engaged and empowered. Our diverse group of legal professionals, law students, law clerks/paralegals, legal administrative assistants and business support staff work together as a team, and are respected and valued for their individual contributions.

PROFILE

We are currently recruiting for a Legal Administrative Assistant to join our fast paced team. As an integral member of the Legal Administrative Assistant team, the incumbent will provide support to professionals within our Business Law group, focusing on Private Clients (Wills & Estates).

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Preparation of Client Reporting Package in a timely manner:

Assist in the initial checking of the sets of documents before sending them out to clients; preparation of envelope labels, return address and delivery requests.
Assist in the scanning, delivery and pick-up of signed documents from the clients and witnesses.
Coordinate with Mailroom and Printcentre for scanning and delivery/pick-up of documents.
Check each sets of scanned documents from the Printcentre (check for missing pages, missing signature, and missing set of signed documents).
Check for signed or missing Affidavits of Execution for Wills.

Filing of Original Signed Estate Planning in the Wills Vault:

Prepare Wills Vault labels and filing of signed original Wills and POAs in the Wills Vault.
Update Emergent Estate Planning database, after filing or retrieval of documents from the Wills Vault.
Attend to clients’ requests for copies of Wills and POAs, retrieval of original Wills/POAs from the Wills Vault and sending them out to the clients as directed.

Preparation of Affidavit of Execution for Wills/Codicils.
Preparation of Notarial copies of original documents as per client’s request and mailing of same to clients.
Overflow for the LAAs on team.
Takes instructions, prioritizes incoming work, follows through on assignments and manages ongoing tasks.
Assists with collation and preparation of files.
Opening and closing files.
Possesses the ability to handle more than one professional and to undertake additional responsibilities as required within the share and team.

QUALIFICATIONS

At least 8 years of experience as a Legal Administrative Assistant, or Legal Assistant diploma or certificate.
Familiarity with Wills & Estates would be an asset.
Proactive and self-motivated with a “can do” attitude.
Ability to communicate in a professional, efficient manner with clients and external contacts as well as internally throughout the firm.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, including a strong knowledge of grammar and exceptional spelling and proofreading abilities.
Exceptional organizational skills, a team player with the ability to work under pressure and deal with changing priorities.
Strong technical skills, with proficiency with MS Word, Outlook, I Manage, PowerPoint, Excel, Interaction and Expert Time.

Gowling WLG employees benefit from a hybrid work environment.

Not sure if you meet all the requirements? If you are excited about this opportunity but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Gowling WLG is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please let us know.

While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.