Career Center

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is one of Canada’s leading business law firms. Advising many of Canada’s corporate leaders, as well as U.S. and international parties with extensive interest in Canada, our more than 1,000 firm members are based in offices in Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and New York.

Osler prides itself on attracting and maintaining some of the brightest talent in the legal arena. Our lawyers, students, management and staff have created a unique firm culture which nurtures mentoring and the exchange of ideas. Osler is a dynamic and exciting place to begin a career or carve out a new path.

Osler is currently recruiting for a national Legal Ethics & Risk Specialist to join Osler’s Conflicts, Records & Risk Management Group. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Ethics & Risk the successful candidate will be responsible for executing compliance operations related to ethics and risk management activities. With a strong eye for detail, the Legal Ethics & Risk Specialist will manage the Firm’s client engagement process including external counsel guidelines and other client engagement documents for all our offices.

Major Responsibilities

 Compliance & Client Service:

• Oversee the Firm’s compliance with its Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCG) Policy
• Work closely with General Counsel, Ethics & Risk, other administrative departments and client relationship partners to ensure effective centralization of all OCG’s
• Maintain and track client engagement documents, including storing current and historical authoritative copies of OCG in the central repository
• Identify and tag relevant engagement terms for Firm’s subject matter experts, collect feedback and summarize comments to facilitate negotiation of guidelines with clients
• Administer OCG software solution; maintain and update configurations and provide reporting as needed
• Stay current with rules and best practices pertaining to OCGs and client engagements, including assisting with policy training and awareness
• Update policies and relevant documentation as needed, in collaboration with Senior Risk Manager and General Counsel
• Support with projects as deemed necessary to drive process improvements and ensure compliance

Risk Management:

• Provide back-up support in administering the Firm’s risk management processes, systems and activities, including processes for lateral hires and securing client content (e.g. ethical walls) for all offices

Education and Experience

• The position requires a post secondary degree/certification related to Law, Library Science or Library & Information Technology
• Plus 3 to 5 years experience in a legal environment or a professional services firm. An equivalent combination of risk related education, training and experience in other regulatory environments may be considered
• Bilingualism is considered an asset
• Previous experience with Intapp Open/OnePlace for Risk software, particularly Intapp Terms is an asset

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail, including the ability to identify, understand and categorizing complex legal clauses
• Superior interpersonal skills, including strong oral communication skills and the ability to communicate detailed legal information to personnel at all levels and a willingness to cooperate and share knowledge
• Being adaptable to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment while being highly organized and maintaining accuracy
• Self-starter with strong research, investigative and problem-solving skills and the ability to exercise judgement to resolve issues
• Excellent computer skills and proven ability to learn new software and programs and keep up to date with developments (including enhancements to the Firm’s systems)
• Proven ability to work as part of a team. Capable of building and maintaining effective working relationships to become a trusted advisor and influence effective compliance and risk management practices across the firm
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and limited direction

To protect the health and safety of firm members and visitors and to comply with the recommendations of public health authorities, employment at Osler will be conditional on the candidate submitting evidence of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Accessibility and Accommodation

We thank all applicants for their interest in Osler; however, only chosen applicants will be contacted.  Osler is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, and we welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and people with diverse backgrounds, identities, and cultures. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates in all phases of the selection process.

Background and Reference Checks

Please note that any offer of employment will be conditional upon background and reference checks, including a criminal record check, credit check, and employment and educational verifications.

If you have the required background with the ability to provide exceptional customer service and wish to work in one of Canada's leading law firms, please reply in confidence with a cover letter and résumé by the closing date.