Real Estate Law Clerk

**About us**

Since 1958, the law firm of Cass & Bishop has been providing legal services to the communities of Burlington, Hamilton, Milton, and Oakville, Ontario. We’ve built our reputation on putting client goals first. Return business and long-standing relationships are the focus of our lawyers and staff.

**Reasons to Apply**

We’ve capitalized on diversity, hiring immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, East Asia, South Asia, and other parts of the world. We welcome applicants from across the human spectrum. We are committed to an inclusive workplace, as well as to a reduction of barriers created by racism, in unconscious biases and discrimination, and better representation of Indigenous and racialized legal professionals, at all levels of seniority. We promote equality, diversity, and inclusion at our firm, towards colleagues, employees, clients, and the public. We are LGBTQ2S+ friendly.

Further, we prefer to work with our employees to help them obtain a better balance in their lives—whether balancing a legal career with being a parent, an athlete, an artist, all of the above, or with whatever calls you. If you put in the hard work and dedication that the legal field demands, we can help provide you with the flexibility you need to get to everything that’s important to you.

The law firm of Cass & Bishop has an excellent reputation for client service and for supporting and protecting its workers (especially during the pandemic). We want clients to come back and employees to stay. We pride ourselves on having management with an “open door policy” for our employees and for continually striving to maintain a positive and professional work environment. This position is available because the firm needs additional staff during the busy summer months. Additional employment opportunities may open up at the end of the contract period.

The position of Law Clerk / Legal Assistant is an important position at Cass & Bishop. As a member of the real estate department, you will work under the supervision of lawyers and a real estate manager, preparing and organizing legal documentation for one of the largest transactions a person can make in their lifetime: the purchase or sale of a home. The firm processes a high volume of real estate transactions—approximately 25 real estate transactions per legal assistant, per month, during busy months (which are typically June through August). Daily tasks depend on the mixture of purchase, sale, and refinance files received and assigned by the office. See the detailed job description, below, for a full list of tasks.

Due to the amount of documents and lawyer supervision required for each transaction, this particular job cannot be done remotely on a regular basis. However, it can be done remotely, briefly, and temporarily, due to an emergency (such as COVID-19 quarantine or isolation).

**Please include the following in your cover letter**:

- Whether your real estate experience includes having worked on _whole_ or _part_ of real estate transactions
- The average number of real estate transactions you have personally completed, in one month
- The maximum number of real estate transactions you have personally completed, in one month
- A list of the tasks in the detailed job description below that you have not done (please note that tasks that are not included in your list will be considered familiar to you and you will be expected to perform these tasks without the need for training, on your first day)

Applicants who do not include the information above will not be considered, because attention to detail is vital to this role.

**Detailed Job Description**

**Service-specific Tasks**

Purchase Files
- Receiving purchase files from managers
- Entering file data into Unity® (formerly Conveyancer ®)
- Verifying property tax information
- Providing files to lawyer to complete property search within deadlines
- Submitting requisitions within deadlines to other solicitor(s)
- Completing other documentation to prepare files for closing, including
- Mortgage documents
- Acknowledgements
- Directions
- Notifying utilities of transaction closing
- Obtaining accurate and detailed insurance information
- Providing accounting department with required directions
- Completing transaction on closing date
- Notifying client that the transaction is complete and confirming availability of keys
- Completing final mortgage report

Sale Files
- Obtaining required loan number
- Ordering discharge statement(s), including
- Mortgages
- Line of credit
- Notice of security interest
- Assigning hot-water heater rental (if applicable)
- Preparing required documents, including
- Property transfer
- Directions
- Statement of adjustments
- Standard vendors’ documents
- Notifying utilities of pending transaction
- Completing transaction on closing date
- Notifying client that transaction is complete
- Paying real estate commission, mortgage, and any other debts (if applicable)
- Notifying ta