Job Description

Smart & Biggar has been at the forefront of intellectual property (IP) and technology law for over 100 years. We practice in every area of IP on behalf of an exceptional international clientele, and we are consistently ranked as Canada\xe2\x80\x99s leading IP firm. We are committed to hiring people with different backgrounds and experience, who represent the best talent in their field.

We are part of the IPH Group. IPH Limited is the holding company for intellectual property (\xe2\x80\x9cIP\xe2\x80\x9d) and associated companies offering a wide range of IP services and products. IPH companies employ a highly skilled multidisciplinary team of over 1,200 people in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand. IPH companies service a diverse client base of Fortune Global 500 companies, multinationals, public sector research organizations, SMEs, and professional services firms worldwide.

We are passionate about what we do and what we can achieve. The IPH Group is committed to promoting and maintaining a workplace culture of shared respect across companies to enable us all to feel valued and be the best we can be.

Our Ottawa office is currently looking for a floater Legal Assistant to join and support our Patent team for 6 months. In this role, you will be part of our administrative team providing operational support to our patent agents and lawyers.

It is expected that the successful candidate will work a mix of in-office and at home.

Responsibilities.

• Analyze documents received from the patent offices and report to clients
• Monitoring, prioritizing, and responding to deadlines, and other time sensitive matters
• General administrative duties including creation of outgoing correspondence, entering billable time, preparation of invoices and record management
• Responding to clients, Canadian Intellectual Property Office and other parties
• Other duties may be assigned or amended as required

Qualifications, competencies and experience.

• Legal or General Administrative Assistant Diploma
• 1-2 years\xe2\x80\x99 experience as an administrative assistant. Previous experience with Intellectual Property would be considered an asset
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to deal directly with clients and all levels of staff.
• Excellent attention to detail, highly organized and proactive
• Highly proficient in MS Office and ability to learn new software and technology quickly

Smart & Biggar offers a comprehensive total rewards package including:

• A competitive compensation structure based on transparency, clarity and fairness;
• A flexible benefits program;
• Personal days to help balance personal and professional commitments;
• Employee referral program.

Smart & Biggar is a proud member of the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network (LFDIN), working to promote diversity and encourage a culture of inclusion in our Firm and the broader legal profession.
We welcome applications from all qualified individuals. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

We thank all applicants in advance for their interest; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.