Manager, Professional Resources & Legal Support

Our valued client is seeking a Manager, Professional Resources & Legal Support to join their Calgary office on a 15-month contract.

The successful candidate will manage the full law student lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, development, evaluations, programming, events and law school relationships. The role also oversees the delivery of Legal Support services to principals, with a focus on workload management, service quality, operational efficiency and the ongoing development and effectiveness of the Legal Support team.

Position Accountabilities

Student Recruitment and Programs

Student Recruitment

• Lead execution of the 1L and 2L student recruitment
• Act as the central hub for processes and information regarding candidates, scheduling, interviewers and communications with law schools;
• Act as the primary liaison with the Law Society staying apprised of rule changes, providing guidance on recruitment best practices, ensuring compliance, and responding to lawyer and student inquiries regarding Law Society matters;
• Conduct first level review of all applications for the 1L recruit;
• Conduct first level review of applications for the 2L recruit;
• Manage the process for on-campus and in-firm interviews, including preparing materials;
• Maintain and synthesize candidate data and interviewer feedback;
• Work with the events team to plan and execute all student events;
• Draft student offer letters; and
• Analyze recruitment data, prepare post-recruit report and recommendations for the next recruiting cycle.
• Year Round Student Recruitment Strategy and External Representation
• Manage year‑round law student recruitment efforts, including:
• Act as a key external representative and firm ambassador, including attending career fairs and on-campus events;
• Act as a primary liaison with law school representatives and staff (e.g. Career Development Offices, law student associations)
• Act as a key contact for law students interested in joining the firm, answering questions, hosting coffee meetings and otherwise serving as a resource for prospective candidates;
• Collaborate with Marketing, Business Development, Diversity & Inclusion, Human Resources, and others to maintain the Student Program website and create promotional content; and
• Manage advertising, law school sponsorships and awards, including tracking historical contributions.

Student Development and Initiatives

• Act as primary contact for summer and articling students and their mentors.
• Manage student onboarding, integration, engagement, development, and departure, including systems changes.
• In collaboration with the Learning team, design and execute law student orientation and ongoing training for students.
• Manage student external secondments, including identifying opportunities, preparing agreements, and collecting client feedback.
• Oversee the student mentoring program.
• Manage the performance review process for summer and articling students, including managing timelines, consolidating feedback, and preparing review summaries for the Director.
• Manage the hire back process, including scheduling meetings and preparing supporting materials.

Legal Professionals

• Assist the Director with the collection and drafting of feedback for law clerk and lawyer mid-year and annual reviews.
• Act as a second point of contact to support the law clerk team and Corporate Services department.
• Manage associate employment changes including arrivals, departures, secondments, leaves of absence and reintegration. Ensure related system updates and communications are completed in a timely manner. This includes:
• responding directly to associate inquiries, addressing action items and carrying matters forward as needed;
• managing the offboarding process, including preparing departure memos and exit interview summaries, and coordinating the return of firm property; and
• supporting pregnancy and parental leaves, including drafting leave memos, assigning mentors, diarizing check-ins, connecting associates with parental coaching and other available support, and supporting their ramp-up and reintegration.
• Liaise with legal professionals and respond to internal requests for assistance, directing inquiries as appropriate.
• Assist the Director with associate recruitment, including:
• coordinating with external recruiters and internal stakeholders to arrange candidate meetings and interviews;
• assisting with the preparation of associate offer letters; and coordinating associate orientation.

Legal Support

Scheduling and Work Allocation

• Act as the key contact for principals with respect to all issues pertaining to legal 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.
• Ensure equitable work distribution by regularly reviewing workload allocation, balancing complexity and volume of assignments, and adjusting as priorities or capacity change.
• Take accountability for the key performance metrics for legal support including analyzing reports for overtime, utilization, headcount and ratio, and working with the Director, Legal Support to recommend any changes needed.

Team Engagement

• Establish healthy and productive relationships with employees by being a role model for respect, open communication, and supportive collegial behaviour.
• Act as the key support for legal support by removing barriers that impede productivity. Address any individual or interpersonal issues with open communication and shared problem solving. Find opportunities to recognize individual and team successes.
• Performance Management
• Manage and execute the performance review process for legal support. Interview lawyers to gather formal (annual) and informal feedback on individual performance and work closely with the Director, Legal Support to ensure performance assessments and reviews are delivered fairly and consistently. Draft and deliver balanced performance reviews and support individuals in addressing performance issues or learning goals through appropriate development and training plans.
• Work with Director, PR & Admin, Director, Legal Support and HR team to determine year-end salary and bonus recommendations for legal support, in line with salary structure and incentive guidelines.

Recruitment and Onboarding

• Work with the Director, PR & Admin, Director, Legal Support and HR to manage recruitment for legal support positions in Calgary, including drafting job descriptions, reviewing candidates against search criteria, conducting and coordinating interviews, and managing candidate communications and internal coordination.
• Manage the onboarding and integration process, including initial correspondence and orientation schedules. Take the lead in welcoming and introducing new hires to the office and firm.

Standards and Continuous Improvement

• Work with the Director, Legal Support to identify any current inefficiencies, best practices, and training solutions to support the development of technical and administrative capabilities of the team.
• Proactively obtain input from legal assistants and principals about their support and training requirements, and contribute to the development of performance standards, service offerings, and standard operating procedures.
• Participate in projects and initiatives as required.

Budget

• Work with management to establish expense and revenue (recoveries) budgets and monitor actuals against budgets, raising any issues as required. Provide forecasts and updates as changes occur.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in Business or Human Resources Management, or comparable educational qualifications (complete or in progress).
• 5+ years of relevant experience, preferably within a law firm or professional services firm.
• 2+ years of people management or coaching experience is preferred.
• Proficient in MS Office product suite.

Core Competencies

• Exceptional client service orientation, with the ability to manage multiple client needs and competing priorities.
• Strong leadership, relationship-building, collaboration and consultation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization with tact and diplomacy.
• Effective people management skills, including the ability to delegate, provide timely feedback and support direct reports.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines in a high-pressure environment.
• Excellent judgment and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess options, develop creative solutions, adapt to changing circumstances and handle confidential information with discretion.
• Flexible and collaborative approach, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to assess processes and services, identify opportunities for improvement, and lead and coordinate implementation.

Please forward your resume in confidence to shona@urbanlegal.ca or contact Urban Legal Recruitment to learn more about this exciting opportunity.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.