Description
Location: London, Ontario
Firm: Established Criminal Defence Firm Expanding into Family Law
Compensation: ~$90 - 100K base + performance-based bonus + defined path to profit sharing/leadership
Benefits: Malpractice insurance covered; LSO fees covered, administrative support; group health and dental
About the Firm
We are an established criminal defence firm with a strong reputation and a genuinely good workplace culture. We take a human approach to law — client-centred, practical, and grounded — and we believe in people over profit. Doing excellent work for clients and treating people well are not competing values here.
Our office is:
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collaborative,
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easy-going but professional
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high trust, high autonomy
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team-oriented and low ego
We value efficiency, systems thinking, and smart use of technology (including AI), to reduce friction, improve client service, and free lawyers up to focus on actual lawyering. We care about outcomes, not face time.
Our team genuinely likes each and have formed friendships outside of work.
As we expand into family law, protecting this culture is just as important as financial performance.
About the Opportunity
We regularly receive high-quality family law inquiries, many of which overlap with criminal matters. Rather than referring these files out, we are building a family law practice within the firm.
This is not a junior role and not a training position.
We are looking for an experienced, motivated family lawyer who wants to build and lead a family law department inside a stable, collegial firm — with clear metrics, real autonomy, and a defined path to leadership and long-term partnership.
If you are looking for a low-responsibility role, this will not be a fit. If you want to build something meaningful, with support and a clear path to equity, it may be.
The Role
You will:
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Run family law files independently from intake to resolution
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Conduct paid consultations and convert them to retained matters
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Enforce retainer and billing policies
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Build a sustainable family law practice within the firm
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Collaborate with the criminal defence team where matters overlap
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Participate as a full member of the firm heading another department.
You will have strong administrative and billing support. The firm provides infrastructure, branding, marketing support, and modern tools. We do not micromanage — we care about results, professionalism, and how people treat one another.
Initial Term
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Base salary: ~$90 - 100K plus Lawpro and LSO fees.
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Performance-based bonus tied directly to collections
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Clear, objective monthly and quarterly benchmarks
Benefits
Practice Lead & Expansion
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Upon meeting performance targets, you will transition into the role of Family Law Practice Lead
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Authority to grow the practice and recruit in associates
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Increased compensation tied to department growth
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Participation in revenue generated by associates you recruit and develop
Profit-Sharing Path
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Defined profit-sharing path toward partnership in the family law practice
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Partnership is earned through results, leadership, cultural fit, and profitability — not tenure
All benchmarks, transitions, and expectations are set out clearly and objectively.
Work Arrangement
Our preference is for team members to be meaningfully integrated into the firm and its culture. In-office collaboration matters to us.
That said, we recognize that strong candidates do not always live in the same city. Hybrid or partially remote arrangements may be considered for the right person. For candidates based outside the area, this would typically involve regular in-office time of at least 2.5 days/week with flexibility around the remainder.
A fully remote, is not the goal. We are building a cohesive team and practice, not a collection of disconnected lawyers.
Who You Are
You are someone who:
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Is substantively competent and confident running family law files
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Is comfortable with retainers, billing, and client management
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Wants responsibility and ownership, not just an associate position
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Enjoys working as part of a team
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Treats colleagues, staff, and clients with respect
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Appreciates good systems, efficiency, and thoughtful use of technology
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Can build without ego
You don’t need supervision, but you do value collaboration. You understand that a strong culture doesn’t happen by accident — it’s something everyone protects.
Experience
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Family law experience is required, but we are flexible on formal years of call
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Candidates with fewer than three years’ call will be considered if they have equivalent, meaningful experience (e.g. significant file responsibility, contested hearings, trials, or high-volume practice)
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The key requirement is competence and independence, not a specific number
What This Role Is Not
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Not a training position
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Not a low-accountability role
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Not a siloed practice within the firm
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Not a fit for high-ego or self-centred personalities
A Note on Our Team
We’re a genuinely diverse office — culturally, linguistically, and in how people found their way into the profession. Many of us are immigrants or children of immigrants, and several of us were foreign-trained.
If your name is hard to pronounce, you’ve had to explain your credentials more than once, or your résumé doesn’t fit a neat box, that won’t count against you here. We understand that experience, because it’s our experience too.
Do good work. Be a good human. Everything else is secondary.
How to Apply
Please apply with a résumé and a brief cover note outlining your family law experience and your interest in a leadership and practice-building role.
