Legal Assistant, Intellectual Property

Job Description
McCarthy Tétrault is a Canadian law firm that offers a full suite of legal and business solutions to clients in Canada and around the world. At McCarthy Tétrault, we offer challenging and rewarding career opportunities in our offices in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary and Vancouver. We are delighted to have earned the distinction of one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for the thirteenth consecutive year in 2025. Our culture is built on professional excellence, collaboration, innovation, thought leadership and entrepreneurialism. We embrace inclusion in all its forms and we provide the tools and opportunities to help our people develop to their full potential.

We are recruiting for a
Legal Assistant, IP
to join our team in our
Toronto
office. The successful candidate must have a minimum of 5 years' experience as a legal assistant in an Intellectual Property group, and will be responsible for filing patent, trademark, industrial design, and copyright applications with Canadian Intellectual Property Office, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and other administrative functions. McCarthy Tétrault employees benefit from a hybrid work environment.

As a Legal Assistant, Intellectual Propoerty you will be:
Documents

• Drafting, preparing, formatting, and revising all correspondence and submissions for Intellectual Property Offices in Canada, the US, and elsewhere, including the Canadian Patent Office and the Canadian Industrial Design Office (CIPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and WIPO, including office action responses.
• Filing submissions with CIPO, the USPTO, and WIPO via fax, courier, and online tools (e.g., CIPO's Patent Portal, MyCIPO Patents, Patent Center, etc.), including generation of cover letters, fax cover sheets, and fee payment forms.

File and Time Management

• Managing lawyer's prosecution practice, including delegating tasks to appropriate IP team members, and following up with regards to status.
• Supporting lawyer's regulatory practice, including conducting drug/patent searches, drafting PM(NOC)-related documents, and preparing letters addressed to Health Canada/OPML.
• Reviewing all Pattsy information including checking all docket entries, ensuring data is correctly entered and maintained, requesting changes and follow-up dates as needed, generating docket reports, and tracking all deadlines (official, internal, or client/external) and work progress in all active files to make sure due dates are met.
• Contacting Intellectual Property Offices, including CIPO and the USPTO, to resolve basic issues on files such as inquiries and status updates on applications or changes to paperwork and follow ups.
• Managing physical and electronic files for the IP group; ensuring they are current with all relevant documentation, submissions, and correspondence; bringing forward and pulling files as necessary for lawyer's attention.
• Requisitioning new files; maintaining a record of all client files and client data, including contact information.
• Coordinating daily practice of lawyer to ensure hard and soft deadlines are being addressed.

Administrative Functions

• Liaising with billing analyst on prebills and invoices including reviewing all prebills for inaccuracies and errors prior to lawyer review.
• Managing client billing information, including special billing instructions.
• Processing expense reports, outgoing fee payments, and incoming client payments.
• Providing consistent backup support when assistants are absent; providing support to assistants who may be managing multiple tasks and/or difficult deadlines; and working proactively as a positive and productive member of the team.

Other

• Conducting searches for and downloading patents, trademarks, and designs, using foreign and domestic databases, as requested by the lawyer.
• Working in a team environment, which includes sharing information and knowledge with team and occasionally supporting other legal assistants and other legal staff.
• Performing a variety of routine tasks, as well as special projects.
• Performing other duties as required.

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

• Legal Assistant diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years of experience as a Legal Assistant in an Intellectual Property group.
• Depth of legal understanding and knowledge of IP laws, with ability to self-update in view of ongoing changes to IP legislation and practice.
• Extreme attention to detail.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to maintain a mutual comfort level while relating to clients, lawyers, and government agencies.
• Strong time management and prioritizing to meet important deadlines with effectiveness and efficiency.
• An energetic, proactive approach with a can-do attitude.
• Flexibility and adaptability in responding to changing laws and practices and constructive feedback; reliability and punctuality.
• Empathy, with a focus on delivering high-quality client service (both internal and external).
• A willingness to take on any task as needed to support the lawyer's practice.
• High level of discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to work in both a team setting and as an independent under minimal supervision.
• Knowledge of Pattsy and iManage or comparable document management system.

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.

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.