Legal Clinical Secretary Jobs

Job Title

• Legal Clinical Secretary

Contract Duration

• Up to 4 months

Start Date

• ASAP

Job Summary

• To provide legal secretarial, administration, clerical and related research services for professional staff and managers in the property rights, personal rights and/or investigations sections as assigned. Experience with MS Office applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe, andcase management system to input, track and monitor case files in an internal database. Must be able to support lawyers, and provide back up to the front reception desk on a rotational basis.

Working Arrangement

• The position will be onsite work (no remote work) 5 days a week, regular working hours e.g., 9:00am-5:00pm (negotiable) in Downtown Toronto at 393 University Avenue, 14th floor, Toronto, ON M5G 1E6
• Successful candidates will have to undergo/pass police security clearance before starting to work.

Duties/Responsibilities

1. Performing legal secretarial functions such as taking dictation and using hand-written notes, electronic drafts, verbal instructions and own knowledge to compose, transcribe, draft and edit a wide variety of often confidential legal, court and related correspondence, reports, briefing and issues notes, and other materials (such as subpoenas, factums, minutes of settlement, notices, motions, pleadings, affidavits, Book of Authorities, case books, applications, follow-up letters, etc.); researching, fact-checking and proof-reading for accuracy, completeness and terminology (e.g., researching appropriate citation for inclusion in legal documents; proofreading legal descriptions in Orders and Deeds for Sale of Lands); identifying and providing attachments required; and making and distributing copies of materials upon approval, ensuring confidentiality
2. Reading and pre-screening all incoming correspondence and documents, to absorb content, prioritize and identify next steps required under the appropriate legislation; attaching relevant files and prioritizing for counsel; loffing, tracking and following-up to expedite and esnure timely responses; and answering and signing routine correspondence on own initiative or based on brief verbal instructions.
3. Coordinating and communicating with staff in other Ministry offices, members of the legal profession, officers of the courts, the public and stakeholders, to independently schedule, set-up and maintain calendars/records of meetings, hearings, interviews and appointments, serve and obtain documents, obtain and provide information, (e.g., on status of cases, research, etc.), and explain procedures.
4. Maintaining and procesing case files; researching (e.g., citations); collecting case information from solicitors and other parties; reviewing litigation documents to assess relevancy to legal issues involved, and preparing Affidavits; updating the database and bring forward system; tracking and following up on items to ensure regulatory compliance, timely and complete action (e.g., for personal rights cases, ensuring that all true copies of Orders and Judgements are received and in good order, and following up by writing letters of request and acknowledgement; searching records and following up on property rights litigation cases to ensure ordered costs are paid); reviewing briefs for completeness and updating with current information (e.g., change of address); receiving and/or compiling disclosure requests and related materials; accepting service of legal documents; retaining approved process servers and/or personally serving and filing court documents by hand or by fax; tracking whereabouts of case files; maintaining current equivalent copy of courts' continuing records on OCL files for reference; opening and closing files (e.g., wordprocessing closing memoranda, ensuring all documents are in files and in correct order, entering information from closing memoranda, etc., such as awarded costs owed and paid); and providing regular and ad hoc case status reports
5. Screening and referring telephone calls, messages, and visitors; providing information based on knowledge of work of the OCL and professional section(s), documents prepared and legal processes, and ensuring discretion in the release of information.
6. Performing related administrative and clerical services, including: independently maintaining office routines and taking action to progress legal and related matters on time (e.g., contacting counsel to determine disposition of complex matters); maintaining precedent files for use as templates/reference for future formats; scheduling, coordinating and arranging travel and meeting logistics; ordering transcripts; requisitioning receipts from Accounts, calculating Agents' portions and requisitiong payment; checking and coding invoices and travel expense statements; establishing and maintaining records and file systems within Ministry standards; ordering office supplies; recommending improvements to office procedures and practices to promote best practices; operating common office equipment (e.g., PC printer, photocopier, fax); serving court documents as a back-up; providing back-up reception and other clerical support services; and participating in special projects as assigned. Management has the right to assign other duties.

Knowledge

• Understanding of the role, mandate, priorities, projects and programs of the OCL and Ministry to prioritize work and know where to obtain information and refer callers
• Legal terminology, to transcribe from dictaphone or compose from oral instruction, understand and provide information correctly
• Relevant statutes, rules and regulations, legal office and court procedures, legal documents and formats, related policies, standards and best practices, to prepare varied legal documents, screening and disclosure materials; follow proper protocols; and answer telephone and counter inquiries by providing factual information and explanations of administrative policies and administrative and legal procedures
• Secretarial, administrative, and internal office procedures, to provide support services such as: establishing and updating files, scheduling meetings and appointments, coordinating and arranging travel arrangements, ordering translations and transcripts, arranging the use of contracted process servers, and ordering office supplies
• Data base applications, to enter, track, and update data, correspondence and case files. - Basic accounting practices, to calculate, check and process travel claims and invoices. - Customer service principles to perform duties collegially and provide reliable services, respond appropriately to calls/visits from external lawyers, beneficiaries' agents, etc.
• Dictaphone, office equipment, PC and related fully programmable software (e.g., for word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, presentation, scheduling and tracking), to manipulate text and data; design formats; produce letters, memoranda, reports and legal documents, according to established/standard procedures
• Legal secretarial roles and standards, and accepted rules and standards for formats, grammar, spelling, and punctuation, especially in legal documents

Skills

• Judgement and initiative in identifying and selecting appropriate administrative/legal standards, procedures and processes when typing legal documents and handling correspondence (e.g., selecting and adjusting correct template; using correct terminology; correcting spelling and grammar, ensuring adherence to a specific standardized correspondence format)
• Tact, discretion, interpersonal and oral communication skills, and ability to use appropriate legal terminology when providing and exchanging legal information (e.g., with the legal profession, stakeholders, LTCRP staff, court staff, and the general public)
• Work planning and organizational skills to prioritize own workload and assist professional team to ensure deadlines and time frames are met
• Written communication skills to use appropriate legal terminology in preparing legal documents from precedents or information provided by counsel (e.g., factums, appeals, indictments); in composing material from own knowledge; and in signing correspondence on behalf of professional staff (e.g., letters of acknowledgement, covering letters, reports and documents).
• Determining confidentiality of privileged information and its release conditions without at time referring to professional staff
• Customer service and teamwork skills to provide support for several assigned professional clients in the OCL; respond promptly to issues (e.g., inquiries involving explanation of legal terms or procedures, such as documentation required, time lines, etc.), and to redirect calls by selecting appropriate referrals
• Researching, analytical and problem-solving skills, to collect case information and review litigation documents to assess relevancy to legal issues involved; prioritize work; track and follow-up on missing or delayed items