Executive Legal Assistant

Job summary

The Executive Legal Assistant will proactively manage administrative tasks for the Litigation and Montreal Legal teams, including scheduling, document management, and budget tracking. They will also support legal counsel by preparing materials, coordinating invoices, and facilitating internal and external communications.

Job details

You are as unique as your background, experience and point of view. Here, you’ll be encouraged, empowered and challenged to be your best self. You'll work with dynamic colleagues - experts in their fields - who are eager to share their knowledge with you. Your leaders will inspire and help you reach your potential and soar to new heights. Every day, you'll have new and exciting opportunities to make life brighter for our Clients - who are at the heart of everything we do. At Sun Life, we're driven by our Purpose: helping our Clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. Our values shape how we work: caring, authentic, bold, inspiring, and impactful. When you join Sun Life, you'll work with passionate colleagues and empowering leaders who support your growth and celebrate your contributions, so you can make a meaningful difference in our Clients' lives. Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world. Job Description: As an Executive Legal Assistant for the Sun Life Litigation Legal team and the Montreal Legal team, you will be responsible for proactively managing administrative tasks within our collaborative and dynamic legal team. The ideal candidate is expected to be a self-confident and proactive team player who possesses superior organization, time management and communication skills, as well as the ability to handle a variety of responsibilities. Reporting to the AVP & Managing Counsel, Litigation, the successful candidate will handle a variety of responsibilities in a fast-paced environment with a high regard for confidentiality. This is a hybrid role based in Montreal. What will you do? Proactively anticipate the needs of the team in a dynamic and fast paced environment Assist with scheduling meetings, travel arrangements, expense reimbursement, and matters relating to on-boarding and off-boarding employees Open, track and close legal matters on document management systems (Legal Tracker and iManage), correspond with external counsel and their administrative support teams, co-ordinate approval and payment of legal invoices and purchase supplies Support the Montreal Legal Team and the Vice President Litigation Prepare and format documents using a variety of applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneNote and iManage Prepare expense reports, submit expenses, and track team budget Organize and file documents Support budget / expense management for the team Support creation of presentation materials and documents for internal and external audiences Cover vacation and staff absences as needed What do you need to succeed? A minimum of 5 years’ experience working as an Executive Legal Assistant supporting lawyers Knowledge of standard legal documents considered an asset Proficiency in Microsoft Suite (i.e. Word, OneNote, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and Adobe Ability to handle and maintain confidential company information Proactive, adaptable, a good work ethic, responsive, and reliable Strong interpersonal skills, and ability to work in a team environment as well as independently Strong time management and organizational skills with the ability to manage changing priorities Ability to work with multiple internal systems, and internal and external databases Work in a high-volume, paperless environment Able to apply judgment and make decisions on complex administrative matters Able to quickly learn and be proficient in understanding the overall departmental functions, goals and visions Ability to handle and maintain confidential company information Ability to use AI tools is an asset Bilingualism (French, English, both oral and written) is required for the frequent interactions with English and French-speaking colleagues or internal partners across Canada and worldwide. This role requires Reliability Security Clearance. In addition to a law enforcement inquiry and a credit check, as part of your application, the Government of Canada will ask if you lived or travelled outside of Canada for 6-consecutive months during the last 5 years, and you must account for all activities during this time. What's in it for you? The opportunity to move along a variety of career paths with amazing networking potential Flexible Benefits from the day you join to meet the needs of you and your family We’re committed to creating an inclusive and respectful environment. Our goal is to make sure all our employees have the chance to live up to their full potential We’re honoured to be recognized as a 2025 Best Workplaces in Ontario by Great Place to Work® Canada We are thrilled to be recognized by Excellence Canada with their top-level certification, the Canada Order of Excellence for Mental Health at Work®, for prioritizing employee well-being, fostering a positive work culture, and achieving excellence in mental health *LI-MS The Base Pay range is for the primary location for which the job is posted. It may vary depending on the work location of the successful candidate or other factors. In addition to Base Pay, eligible Sun Life employees participate in various incentive plans, payment under which is discretionary and subject to individual and company performance. Certain sales focused roles have sales incentive plans based on individual or group sales results. Diversity and inclusion have always been at the core of our values at Sun Life. A diverse workforce with wide perspectives and creative ideas benefits our Clients, the communities where we operate and all of us as colleagues. We welcome applications from qualified individuals from all backgrounds. Persons with disabilities who need accommodation in the application process, or those needing job postings in an alternative format, may e-mail a request to thebrightside@sunlife.com. We are proud to be a hybrid organization that offers our employees the choice and flexibility to work from both the office and virtually based on the needs of the business, our Clients and you. We may use artificial intelligence to support candidate sourcing, screening, interview scheduling. We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Salary Range: 49,000/49 000 - 77,000/77 000 Job Category: Legal Posting End Date: 27/09/2026

What you’ll do

The Executive Legal Assistant will proactively manage administrative tasks for the Litigation and Montreal Legal teams, including scheduling, document management, and budget tracking. They will also support legal counsel by preparing materials, coordinating invoices, and facilitating internal and external communications.

Requirements

Candidates must have a minimum of 5 years of experience as an Executive Legal Assistant and possess strong proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite. The role requires bilingualism in French and English, along with the ability to maintain high levels of confidentiality and security clearance.

Benefits

• Flexible benefits • Career development opportunities • Inclusive work environment • Mental health support

Listed skills

• Time management · Preferred
• Attention to detail · Preferred
• Data entry · Preferred
• Communication Skills · Preferred
• scheduling · Preferred
• Microsoft Office Suite · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Legal administration
• Time management
• Organizational skills
• Communication skills
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Document management
• Budget management
• Expense reporting
• Confidentiality
• Bilingualism
• Legal research
• Scheduling
• Data entry
• Attention to detail
• Proactive problem solving
• Administrative Support
• Organizational Skills
• Expense Reports
• Bilingual (French/English)
• Talent Sourcing
• Strong Work Ethic
• Administrative Functions
• Quick Learning
• Microsoft Excel
• Artificial Intelligence
• Mental Health
• Lawsuits
• Communication
• Document Management Systems
• Disabilities
• Document Formatting
• Expense Management
• Sales
• Interpersonal Communications
• Invoicing
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft OneNote
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Time Management
• Travel Arrangements
• Security Clearance
• Teamwork
• Self-Confidence

Job areas

• Legal
• Administrative
• Management & Leadership
• Legal Executive Assistant
• Executive Assistant
• Administrative and Executive Secretaries
• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants