Classification & Regular Hours

Hours per Week: 35

Salary Grade: Level M

About Western

Since 1878, Western University has been committed to serving our communities through the pursuit of academic excellence and by providing students, faculty, and community members with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social, and cultural growth. We seek excellent students, faculty, and staff to join us in what has become known as the "Western Experience" - an opportunity to contribute to a better world through the development of new knowledge, new abilities, new connections, and new ways to make a difference.

About Us

The Office of the University Legal Counsel provides legal representation and advice to the University and all its constituent parts, including the Board of Governors, the Senate, the President, Provost, Vice-Presidents, the Faculties, Research Western, Student Experience, University Advancement, Procurement, Western Technology Services, Finance, among many others. As a research intensive University with over 40,000 students, Western's Office of the University Legal Counsel touches nearly every area of law, including litigation, administrative law, human rights, intellectual property, research and technology transfer, business transactions, estates and trusts, privacy, real property, landlord tenant, and construction issues, plus many more.

Responsibilities

The Legal Assistant, along with the Senior Legal Assistant, will provide administrative coordination and file support for lawyers in the Office of the University Legal Counsel, including administrative, organizational, and document preparation support. The role will work in collaboration to carry out a variety of legal office administrative tasks in accordance with established processes, contributing to the smooth and effective operations of the Department. The Legal Assistant will serve as a resource and point of contact for visitors, staff, students and faculty members contacting the office, answering or re-directing inquiries as appropriate, and supporting the coordination of calendars, meetings and files to ensure deadlines and priorities are met.

Specifically, this role will be accountable for:

• Maintaining legal filing systems for matters handled by Legal Counsel in accordance with legal requirements and University policies, ensuring effective organization of confidential and sensitive information
• Assisting Legal Counsel in the completion of files by completing assigned tasks (e.g. email correspondence, document preparation, etc.)
• Responding to and obtaining records for student record requests from law firms as directed
• Providing administrative support to assigned committees
• Conducting database or document searches to retrieve information or records requested by Legal Counsel
• Assisting with the coordination of calendars for Legal Counsel, scheduling meetings, appointments and travel in accordance with established priorities
• Tracking invoices, preparing and submitting billing documentation for review and approval, and tracks departmental expenses and prepares documentation to support reconciliation and reporting
• Handling incoming correspondence, emails, confidential files and other sensitive legal documents, determining the appropriate response or further action required
• Identifying urgent issues that require immediate attention and facilitates a resolution, escalating issues that require Legal Counsel's attention
• Tracking the progress, status and deadlines related to legal matters, ensuring deadlines are not missed and brings forward items for action when necessary

Qualifications

Education:

• 2 year Community College Diploma in a law-related discipline (e.g. Legal Assistant, Law Clerk, Paralegal), or a 2 year Community College Diploma in Administration with extensive administrative experience

Experience:

• 2 years of experience providing administrative coordination in a complex office environment
• Experience working as a legal assistant providing administrative support is preferred

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Verbal and written communication skills to clearly express ideas in an objective manner, and adapt communication style to suit the situation and audience
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, to work independently and follow through on work assignments
• High ethical standards with a strong commitment to maintain confidentiality and treat sensitive information with discretion
• Demonstrated ability to understand and resolve external and internal partner issues
• Ability to maintain a positive, outgoing attitude with genuine customer service orientation
• Ability to apply tact and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive client issues
• Ability to follow formal business practices with high attention to detail
• Ability to multi-task and maintain an organized and effective personal work environment
• Adapts readily and effectively to changing priorities and demands
• Ability to interact professionally with students, staff, faculty, and other members of the University community
• Intermediate proficiency required in Microsoft Office to prepare formal correspondence, documents, emails, memos, and input departmental data into spreadsheets and databases, proficiency with Adobe applications
• Familiarity with Western policies and guidelines preferred

Union Statement

Western welcomes applications from all qualified individuals; however, it is the university's policy to give first consideration to qualified SAGE applicants.

Western Values Diversity

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Western is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodations for interviews or other meetings, please contact Human Resources or phone 519-661-2194.

Please Note:

Interested applicants are asked to visit: https://recruit.uwo.ca for further information and to apply online referencing job #42135 by 11:59PM on April 9, 2026.

This position is an existing vacancy. This position is fully in-person, on-site. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those chosen for an interview will be contacted.