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ABOUT GOWLING WLG

At Gowling WLG, our dedication to excellence and quality service begins with our people. As a global law firm with offices across Canada, the U.K., Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we pride ourselves on sourcing and retaining top talent who bring energy, passion and commitment to the delivery of outstanding client service.

Employee satisfaction is important to us. We work hard to ensure that our people are motivated, engaged and empowered. We are guided by our firm’s Core Values - The Power of Teamwork, Always Striving to be Better, We all Bring Something Different - in all that we do.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are an integral part of our firm’s core values. We are always striving to build a more equitable, engaging and rewarding workplace by attracting and retaining talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. Our aim is to help everyone reach their full potential and achieve their personal and professional goals.

Our diverse group of legal professionals, law students, law clerks, paralegals, legal administrative assistants and business services team members work together, and are respected and valued for their individual contributions.

PROFILE

The Manager of Legal Learning & Development (L&D) will work closely with the Head of L&D and other members of the L&D team to execute key components of the firm-wide learning and development strategy. Focused on developing the firm’s legal professionals nationally, the Manager, Legal Learning & Development will be responsible for supporting curriculum development and maintenance and delivery of programs that strengthen legal skills and performance of both lawyers and law clerks across the firm. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in professional development or training within a law firm or similar environment and a passion for fostering growth and development.

This position can be based in any of our Canadian offices.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop educational and skill development programs for legal professionals in collaboration with subject matter experts and L&D and Legal Talent team members

• Deliver or co-deliver educational programs for summer law and articling students, law clerks, associates, and partners on a range of topics, including substantive law, professional ethics, practice management, practice skills, firm processes, and knowledge resources and tools
• Build strong and strategic relationships with key stakeholders across the firm and with external providers as needed
• Collaborate and consult on sourcing, developing and managing the delivery of vendor-led legal training and professional development programs, as needed
• Design and develop L&D programs for legal professionals by
  • Working closely with practice group leaders and department heads to:
    • Understand knowledge and skill development needs for the practice, and source or develop programming and resources accordingly
    • Review and maintain associate benchmarks for the practice area
    • Identify and encourage opportunities for ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programming, including exploring what the group’s members need and can offer as education for others
  • Working with subject matter experts from areas such as conflicts, risk, finance, IT and others to source or develop programming in alignment with key policies and procedures
• Collaborate with L&D and Legal Talent team members on developing, delivering and maintaining core curricula for summer law and articling students, law clerks and associates
• Work with the Head of L&D and team members to create an annual CPD program plan and calendar
• Lead the CPD accreditation process for the firm and support professionals across the firm in meeting their CPD requirements by
  • Keeping current on CPD requirements in relevant Canadian jurisdictions, and
  • Reviewing and accrediting both internal and client-facing programs for CPD in all relevant Canadian jurisdictions
• Develop self on an ongoing basis, and keep current with the latest trends in legal L&D topics and methodologies

QUALIFICATIONS

• LLB, JD or equivalent
• At least three years of prior experience working in professional development, training, or practice support, preferably in a law firm or professional services firm
• Member of the Law Society of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario or the Barreau du Quebec or admitted to practice law in another common law jurisdiction
• Strong communication, interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to:
  • Deliver content in an effective, engaging way both virtually and in-person
  • Adapt content and approach to different skill levels and audiences
• Strong project management skills, reliably and consistently delivering on agreed objectives and commitments
• Ability to work independently and on a team in both virtual and hybrid environments
• Excellent organization and time management skills with ability to establish and redefine priorities
• High standards for own and others’ work, with strong attention to detail
• Proactive, creative and innovative; focused on finding solutions
• Keeps knowledge and skills up to date, passionate about development for self, team and the firm;
• Bilingualism in French and English preferred

Gowling WLG employees benefit from a hybrid work environment.

The starting range for this role is $100,000 to $125,000. Starting salary will be determined based on an applicant’s individual skills, competencies and unique qualifications. Gowling WLG employees have the potential to exceed this range based on tenure and performance.

Not sure if you meet all the requirements? If you are excited about this opportunity but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Gowling WLG is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please let us know.

While we appreciate all applications received, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.