Legal and Administrative Assistant

About the Organization
The Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) is a community legal clinic that specializes in improving income security and removing systemic barriers in order to provide access to justice and advance the rights of low-income Ontarians. ISAC’s work includes pursuing test case litigation, developing law reform initiatives, community organizing and providing community legal education. Visit us at www.incomesecurity.org for more details.

Position Overview
ISAC is seeking a full-time Legal and Administrative Assistant. This is a permanent unionized position located at ISAC’s downtown Toronto office, with hybrid work available in accordance with the needs of the organization. Candidates must be able to work flexible hours, including some evenings and week ends. The preferred start date is December 8, 2025.

The primary role of Legal and Administrative Assistant is to provide litigation support to legal staff, as well as administrative assistance to program staff and management. Legal and Admin Assistant is responsible for a broad range of specialized administrative support, assisting as appropriate in litigation support, document management, and correspondence requiring knowledge of legal terminology and formats. This position reports to the Finance and Administration Manager.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Litigation Support
• Prepare and file legal documents with courts and tribunals, maintain litigation and other files; assist with the scheduling of court appearances and other appointments and deadlines; and handling of correspondence.
• Prepare materials and coordinate logistics for meetings, training sessions, conferences and other events.
• Assist with advocacy, outreach and law reform projects and campaigns including compiling reports, assisting with the preparation of presentations and coordination of material distribution.
• Manage case management system, ensuring the data is accurate and complete
• Assist with training staff on administrative and computer procedures, including file management systems.
• Open client files and maintain up-to-date contact information for the active files
• Coordinate and manage reminder system for legal deadlines
• Maintain legal library
• Follow file management procedures to open and close files and upload documents to our internal data management systems

Administrative Support
• Provide administrative support for program staff and management
• Assist with developing office procedures, training staff on administrative processes and computer applications
• Respond to telephone and email inquiries and provide referrals
• Coordinate internal intake system to appropriately direct potential intakes and client inquiries to staff
• Book meetings rooms and conference venues
• Provide support for Board and other tasks as may be assigned
• Prepare client feedback and post-training surveys in SurveyMonkey and distribute them
• Assist with occasional updates and edits to the organization’s website
• Provide back-up administrative support as required

Other
• Attend staff & team meetings and take minutes as required
• Ensure work is captured in ISAC’s internal data management systems (CIMS)
• Participate in strategic planning sessions
• Other duties as assigned

COMPETENCIES/REQUIREMENTS:

• Diploma/Certificate from a recognized legal assistant program and/or equivalent education and experience
• Minimum 3 years’ experience as a legal assistant or equivalent role
• Experience with civil litigation including familiarity with the Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure, Consolidated Practice Direction for Divisional Court Proceedings, and/or Federal Court Rules
• Familiarity with rules and filing requirements pursuant to various courts and tribunals, including but not limited to: Small Claims Court, Superior Court, Divisional Court, Federal Court, as well as the Ontario Labour Relations Board, Social Benefits Tribunal, Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Social Security Tribunal
• Experience with document preparation including motions, records, affidavit of documents, and materials required for appellate and judicial review work (eg. Facta, appeal book and compendium, book of authorities etc.)
• Experience with filing systems such as Justice Services Online, Case Center and Ontario Citizen Direct/Delivery Slip
• Client service experience and strong communications skills
• Ability to work with diverse communities, particularly low-income and marginalized groups
• Strong administrative and organizational skills and the ability to prioritize
• Good judgment and strong problem-solving abilities
• Excellent MS Word, Excel, Power Point, Microsoft Outlook, Adobe Pro, SurveyMonkey, and internet research skills
• Ability to work under pressure with attention to accuracy and detail
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and on own initiative as well as collaboratively as part of a team.

Assets:
• French Bilingual
• Familiarity with income security law (Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, Employment Insurance, and Canada Pension Plan)
• Familiarity with CIMS, a client data management system
• Experience in a legal clinic or other non-profit setting
• Experience with webinar software, such as Zoom, WebEx or Skype for Business

REMUNERATION AND APPLICATION PROCESS:

This is a permanent position with an annual salary of $67,011–$80,400, commensurate with experience, plus a 5.5% defined benefit pension contribution and a group benefits package, subject to employee contributions and a waiting period.

Please send a cover letter and resume in one document to: elena.koneva@isac.clcj.ca, by October 24th with the subject line: Legal and Administrative Assistant. We anticipate that interviews will be held the week of November 10th.

ISAC is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from equity-seeking groups including, but not limited to women, individuals of Indigenous descent, persons with disabilities, members of racialized communities, people of diverse faiths and creeds, and people of diverse gender identities or expressions.

We thank all applicants, however only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Candidates selected for an interview will be asked to provide two references in advance of the interview.