Legal Research Specialist

Job Description

McCarthy Tétrault is a leading Canadian law firm offering a full suite of legal and business solutions to clients in Canada and around the world. With offices in Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, Calgary and Vancouver, we provide challenging and rewarding career opportunities across the country. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for eleven consecutive years and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for fourteen consecutive years, our culture is guided by The McCarthy Way—our shared approach to working with clients and with each other.

The McCarthy Way is built on four core elements: Excellence, through attracting and developing top talent committed to delivering on our Client Commitment; Collaboration, through seamless, integrated teamwork; Inclusion, through eliminating barriers to belonging and success; and Innovation, through delivering maximum value by embracing leading-edge technologies and approaches. Together, these principles shape how we work, lead, and grow—every day.

We are recruiting for a Legal Research Specialist to join our team in our Toronto office. The successful candidate must have a minimum of 2 years of experience in legal research and will be responsible for legislative research, providing legal research training to lawyers and articling students, and working alongside other other research specialists. McCarthy Tétrault employees benefit from a hybrid work environment with 4 days in office. This position is to fill an existing vacancy.

Salary Range: $90,000 – $100,000 annually

The offered salary may vary based on the candidate’s job-specific knowledge, skills, and experience.

As a Legal Research Specialist/Research Analyst, Legal, you will be:

• Providing legal research and reference services to firm lawyers, students and internal departments. Conducting research and retrieving information quickly and cost-effectively. Docketing time for work performed for charge back to client file.
• Guiding researchers with search strategies, and choosing and using online and print information resources and technology for maximal benefits.
• Contributing to the design and execution of teaching, training and orientation regarding research methodology and resources for students and lawyers.
• Staying abreast of cutting-edge information resources and technology. Identifying, examining and evaluating publications and electronic resources for their usage in the provision of a wide variety of library services.
• Providing a broad spectrum of firm-wide current awareness services to internal clients (alerts, newsletters). Collecting, maintaining and delivering information to achieve a competitive edge.
• Working collaboratively with other researcher specialists on mandates and project-related work as a member of the firm-wide research team.
• Mentoring and onboarding library team members and law students, where applicable, in research methodologies and resources.
• Other duties as assigned.

As our ideal candidate, you will distinguish yourself by the following profile:

• Masters degree in library and/or information studies or law bachelor degree.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience preferably in a corporate or legal environment.
• Experience in an automated library environment using an integrated library management system.
• Familiarity with the law, legal systems and legal processes of Canada, the United States (asset), and Commonwealth/civil law jurisdictions.
• Familiarity with legal and business research methodologies and resources in print and electronic formats, including familiarity with the structure, functionality and use of free and fee-based online legal and business information resources (including but not limited to Lexis Advance Quicklaw, WestlawNext Canada, HeinOnline, and Avantis).
• Demonstrates high-level analytical skills.
• Excellent communication skills
• The title of Analyst will be used for those with a JD or law degree and at least 10 years of legal research experience in a professional services environmen

As a member of the McCarthy team, you will have access to:

• Outstanding benefits from day one, including insurance premiums paid by the Firm and wellness and technology reimbursements.
• Competitive compensation, paid overtime and generous time off, including a day off to volunteer and a day off for your birthday.
• A commitment to professional development and growth opportunities for our people at all levels, supported by a culture that fully embraces and encourages two-way feedback.
• Strong community involvement and a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• A collaborative, cohesive culture that connects lawyers and business teams through collective purpose.

How to Apply: 

We encourage external candidates to apply online and internal applicants must apply directly through our internal careers portal on Espresso. We look forward to receiving your application.

McCarthy Tétrault utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) technology as part of our application screening process to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our recruitment efforts by analyzing applications to identify candidates whose qualifications and experiences align with the requirements of the position.

We thank all applicants for their interest in McCarthy Tétrault; however, only chosen applicants will be contacted. We regret that we are unable to respond to individual inquiries about application status. McCarthy Tétrault is an equal opportunity employer that fosters an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment. Please notify us if you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process.