Job Description

We are BLG: Canada’s Law Firm. Our culture is one of vigilance and curiosity, Firm-wide collaboration, unfailing mutual respect and dedication. We pride ourselves on having standout talent and delivering an exceptional client experience.

We are a future-minded Firm delivering high-value advice and known for our unwavering commitment to innovation, diversity and inclusion, community involvement and talent development. Learn more about us at www.blg.com

BLG is recruiting a Professional Support Lawyer (PSL) – Business Law to develop, implement and drive strategies and initiatives that foster a culture of knowledge-sharing and directly support the knowledge management (KM), legal technology and practice innovation needs of our Business Law practice groups.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is keen to help build and advance a knowledge and legal technology program that will contribute to the overall success of thriving Business Law practice groups (Corporate Commercial, Securities & Capital Markets, Financial Services, Commercial Real Estate, Intellectual Property, Tax Law) at a leading Canadian law firm.

Working closely with members of the practice groups and other departments within the Firm, the PSL – Business Law will spearhead strategic knowledge management projects and lead the identification, integration and adoption of artificial intelligence, legal technologies and associated best practices within the groups.

The role is also responsible for creating, cultivating and managing the practice groups’ collection of knowledge resources and other substantive content, providing legal and technical expertise to practice group members (lawyers, paraprofessionals, and legal support services) and ensuring the seamless integration and effective utilization of knowledge management tools and resources.

The successful candidate is proactive, a strong communicator and self-motivated, with a proven track record of guiding and supporting team members through transitions to new processes and technologies that enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of legal practice.

The PSL – Business Law will report into the National Director of Knowledge Management and Information Services with dotted line reporting to the Business Law practice Group Heads, to ensure that every initiative is practical and tied to enhanced legal service delivery.

This is a National level role and moderate travel may be required (5-10%).

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of this role are:

General

• Engaging and building relationships with Business Law practice group members, including lawyers, paraprofessionals and legal support services (LSS); developing and maintaining a deep understanding of practice support needs and identifying opportunities for internal practice improvements.
• Continuously monitoring knowledge management, technology, and legal innovation developments, assessing their viability for the practice groups and identifying opportunities to apply and integrate the technologies, methods, and techniques into the practice’s operations.

Knowledge Management (KM)

• Based on a strong understanding of Business Law practice needs, drive the identification, design, implementation and adoption of knowledge management solutions and processes that enhance practice efficiency and improve overall service delivery.
• Leading the development and maintenance of the practice groups’ knowledge resources (e.g. templates, checklists and toolkits), ensuring that content is regularly updated and leveraged by the practice, identifying and addressing resource gaps.
• Designing and leading initiatives that facilitate the organization and sharing of knowledge in the practice, promoting a culture that is open to knowledge-sharing and practice innovation.
• Capturing feedback from all practice group members for continuous improvement of KM solutions and processes.
• Other KM initiatives, as required.

Legal Technology & Process

• Working closely with the Business Law practice groups, other Firm departments and team members, identifying, researching, and evaluating tools, legal technology and productivity solutions which will deliver efficiency and productivity gains for practice group members.
• Collaborating with practice group members and other Firm functions to support the review, testing, piloting and implementation of new technologies and productivity tools for the practice groups.
• Promoting and driving adoption of artificial intelligence, legal technologies, and associated best practices, capturing and measuring usage of the practice groups’ knowledge resources and tools against KPIs.
• Acting as product owner for a portfolio of Business Law specific legal tech applications; liaise with practice group members, IT, and vendors to align Business Law needs and business requirements with product implementation and development, monitoring and evaluating application effectiveness throughout the product’s lifecycle.

Training & Practice Support

• Responding to ad hoc queries from lawyers and students in a timely manner, acting as a go-to resource for the Business Law practice groups and assisting in locating and using practice-related knowledge resources, tools and legal technologies.
• Working with the Firm’s Learning & Development team in assessing and identifying training needs of the practices; develop, participate and promote practice group training and programs targeted towards lawyers and paraprofessionals.
• Assisting in the development of training materials, providing input to help improve and expand substantive legal content for instructional and training sessions for lawyers.

Key Competencies

The successful candidate will be discreet, high-energy, agile-minded, proactive, a direct communicator, highly-organized and committed to the vision and values of BLG.

Skills:

• Have a law degree, current bar admission in a Canadian jurisdiction
• 3-5 years of work experience in practice, practice support, or knowledge management
• Experience and understanding of knowledge and innovation strategies and their implementation
• Strong understanding of, and interest in, technology developments and their impact on the legal sector and its clients
• Fluency, aptitude and interest in AI and technology, with willingness to learn and train others on new platforms and systems
• Self-starter with a track record of critical thinking and effective problem resolution
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Bilingualism in French is considered an asset, but is not essential

The expected salary range for this position is $150,000 - $200,000, depending on level of experience, region/location, and other factors.

BLG is committed to building a diverse workplace reflective of the communities we serve and to fostering an inclusive culture where Firm members feel valued, respected and inspired to thrive as their authentic selves. We value diversity of thought and the unique skills, perspectives and experience each individual brings to BLG. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and encourage applicants from members of groups that have been historically underrepresented, including but not limited to First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples, racialized individuals, persons with disabilities, people who identify as women and/or LGBTQ2S+.

We also strive to provide an accessible candidate experience. Please let us know if you need any accommodations during the recruitment process.