Associate Litigation Lawyer
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2 days ago
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Job Summary
WHO WEARE
ME Law Professional Corporation is a litigation boutique headquartered in Torontos Yorkville districtCanadas most prestigious commercial addresswith an expanding presence in Vancouver. We focus exclusively on high-stakes disputes acting as lead counsel for business owners corporations investors professionals trustees executors and high-net-worth individuals navigating complex commercial estate real estate financial and cross-border matters.
Wedo not practice all areas of law. We practice one with singular dedication: litigation. From first pleading to final judgment from urgent injunction to appellate argument from domestic trial to international arbitrationwe prepare we advocate and we execute.
Founded in 2019 and scaled to more than twelve legal professionals through reputation and organic growth alone ME Law is entering its most significant period of expansion. We are investingdeliberately and ambitiouslyin talent technology artificial intelligence business development infrastructure and the long-term institutional foundations of a nationally recognized disputes practice.
WHY THIS OPPORTUNITY IS DIFFERENT
Most lawyers join law firms after the defining moment has already passed. The risk was absorbed by someone else. The culture was set before they arrived. The path upward is defined narrow and slow. What they inherit is a structurenot an opportunity.
This role is different in a way that matters. You are being invited to join during the scaling phasethe period when the decisions made today will define the firms character its leadership and its direction for the next twenty years. When performance is visible. When contribution is recognized. When the people who help build something consequential share in what it becomes.
Unlike a large national firm you will not be one of dozens of associates competing for a handful of committee-selected partnership positions a decade from now. You will be a named contributor to a rapidly growing litigation practice with direct access to firm leadership meaningful courtroom experience from an early stage and a genuine pathway toward senior roles profit participationand future partnership consideration.
WHY LAWYERS JOIN ME LAW
The lawyers who choose ME Law do so for reasons that matter to them professionally over the long term. They are not simply changing employers. They are making a deliberate decision about who they want to become and where they want to build their careers. The common themes we hear:
More Responsibility Sooner
Associates at ME Law carry files with genuine independence and direct client accountability. You are expected to develop as a litigatornot to be managed from a distance.
Direct Access to Leadership
You will work alongside the founder and principal lawyer daily. There are no layers of management between you and decision-making. Your performance is seen and recognized.
Faster Advancement
This is an organization in a scaling phase. Exceptional performers advance faster here than they would at a mature firm where positions are defined by attrition rather than merit.
Courtroom Advocacy
You will appear in courton motions applications discoveries arbitrations mediations and trials. ME Law produces advocates not drafters.
A Firm Going Somewhere
Expanding from Toronto to Vancouver into international arbitration and toward potential officesinternationally elsewhere. The trajectory is clear and ambitious.
Profit Participation
After two years of service eligible professionalsparticipatein the Collective Profit-Sharing Scheme. Your long-term contribution to the firms success is recognized financially.
WORKING DIRECTLY WITH MAY ELAJAMI
Founder CEO & Principal Lawyer ME Law Professional Corporation
Many lawyers choose firms because of who they will learn from. At ME Law that person isMayssia(May)Elajamifounder trial lawyer entrepreneur and one of the driving forces behind whatwe are building.
May founded ME Law from the ground up in 2019establishingthe firm in YorkvilleTorontos most commercially demanding addressand scaling it through organic growth and client outcomes to more than twelve professionals and counting. She holds dual bar admissions in Ontario and British Columbia and brings a litigation background that spans criminal advocacy commercial litigation estate disputes receivership proceedings international arbitration and cross-border enforcement.
Her practice record reflects the calibre of work you can expect to be involved in:
Wonan 8-day civil trial securing a clients property valued at over $2M on complex arguments of bare trust doctrineequitabletitle and constructive trust as lead counsel
Leadcounsel in a complex corporate and family dispute valuedin excess of$15M advanced through strategic multi-party litigation proceedings
Resolveda high-profile corporate dispute of approximately $20M and estate succession matters exceeding $8M navigating competing beneficiary claims and intricateequitablearguments
Obtainedan ex-parteMarevainjunction in British Columbia for a Silicon Valley-basedstartup on a matter involving assets exceeding $50M
Collaboratedwith a UK firm on a landmark private international law matter successfully proving English law not Canadian law governed a domestic dispute securing a decisive jurisdictional advantage
Regularappearances before the Toronto Commercial List Canadas most sophisticated commercial courtoperatinganalogously to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in jurisprudential complexity
Before founding ME LawMayspent twoyearsa criminal litigator conducting an average of two to three trials per week from start to finish across Torontos court system. That foundation forged in high-volume high-stakes advocacy defines the litigation philosophy and preparation standards at ME Law.
May is a recognized voice in Canadas evolving legal technology landscape serving as a keynote speaker for Thomson Reuters on AI-powered legal research and as a moot coach at Osgoode Hall Law School where her coached teams won the regional championship in 202425.
ME Law was among the first Canadian boutique firms to deploy AI-powered legal research at scale.
A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CULTURE
ME Law is not a firm that measures success by hours billed to a timesheet. We measure it by outcomes delivered by advocacy that wins by preparation that is thorough enough that nothing surprises us in a courtroom.
Weoperatewith a clear set of standards: excellence in every work product accountability at every level and professional growth as a non-negotiable expectation. We invest heavily in the development of our lawyersthrough mentorship technology continuing education and direct exposure to sophisticated return we expect lawyers who are motivated by those standards rather than merely tolerant of them.
This is not a maintenance role. We are not looking for someone to occupy a desk while a career progresses on its own timetable. We are looking for someone who wants to acceleratewho looks at the next five years and sees an opportunity to become among the best litigation lawyers in their generation.
Excellencein every work product without exception
Clientrelationships built on trust and outcomes
Accountabilityfor results not just effort
Advocacythat is prepared well enough to win
Professionalgrowth as a non-negotiable standard
Technologymastery as a competitive obligation
Ownershipof files with genuine independence
Leadershipas an expectation not a reward
THE PURSUIT OF LITIGATION EXCELLENCE
At ME Law we believe that exceptional litigation outcomes are not produced by talent alone. They are produced by preparation that is disciplined enough toanticipateevery argument strategy that is sophisticated enough to see three steps ahead and execution that is precise enough that nothing is left to chance.
Our reputation is built one result at a time. Every motion argued every discovery conducted every injunction obtained or defeatedthese are not administrative exercises. They are performances that define what clients believe we can do for them. We take that seriously.
The lawyers who thrive at ME Law are the ones who believe that preparation is not a burdenit is a competitive advantage. That thoroughness is not optionalit is the foundation of every excellent outcome. That advocacy is not simply a professional functionit is the defining skill of a litigator and it must be developed with the same commitment that a world-class athlete brings to their craft.
COURTROOM ADVOCACY DEVELOPED NOT DELEGATED
At many large firms associates spend years drafting documents preparing materials and supporting advocacy that is performed by others. They become excellent technical lawyers with limited courtroom experience. By the time they reach senior associate orjunior partnership level their advocacy skills have not kept pace with their substantive knowledge.
ME Law operates differently. Associates at ME Law are expected to develop as advocatesnot merely as drafters. From early in their tenure they will be appearing before the courts developing courtroom judgment and building the kind of advocacy presence that only comes from being in the room.
The advocacy experience you can expect includes:
Interlocutoryand urgent motions practice
Mediationswith senior counsel present
Summaryjudgment applications
Arbitrationproceedings and jurisdictional arguments
Casemanagement conferences and pre-trials
Contestedestate applications
Examinationsfor discovery and cross-examinations
CommercialList appearances
Rule21 and pleadings motions
Trialpreparation and trial proceedings
Injunctionproceedings including ex-parte
Appellateresearch and factum preparation
We appear regularly before the Toronto Commercial List the most sophisticated commercial court in Canada where the complexity of matters demands a standard of preparation and advocacy that is uncompromising. That standard defines what we expect from our associates from day one.
PRACTICE AREAS
The successful candidate will develop exposure across ME Laws full litigation portfolio with particular emphasis on commercial disputes and a growing focus on financial litigation and international arbitration matters:
CommercialLitigation
Injunction& Emergency Proceedings
FinancialLitigation & Banking Disputes
Receivership Insolvency & Restructuring
Investment& Securities-Related Matters
EnforcementProceedings
Shareholder& Corporate Disputes
InternationalArbitration
Estate& Trust Litigation
Cross-Border & Multi-Jurisdictional Disputes
RealEstate Litigation
Appeals& Administrative Tribunals
OUR VISION & FUTURE GROWTH
ME Laws ambitions are clear and they extend well beyond Toronto. We are building toward a nationally recognized litigation boutique with an international disputes practiceone that serves sophisticated clients across.
Lawyers who join during this scaling phasehave the opportunity togrow alongside the firms international ambitionsdeveloping cross-border expertise building international clientrelationships and positioning themselves for roles that do not yet exist but will.
THE AI-NATIVE LAW FIRM
The legal profession is not simply changing. It is being restructuredand the restructuring is moving faster than most practitioners have recognized. Artificial intelligence workflow automation and intelligent knowledge management systems are not futureconsiderations. They are present competitive realities.
The firms that recognized early that technology was competitive infrastructurenot administrative overheadwill have structural advantages over the next decade that are difficult to close. ME Law intends to be among those firms.
We were among the first Canadian boutiques to deploy AI-powered legal research at scale. MayElajamihas been recognized by Thomson Reuters as a forward-facing voice on boutique firm innovation featured in their marketing materials webinars and speaking series on AI-driven legal practice. This is not a positioning statement. It reflects genuine commitmentand genuine capability.
At ME Law we actively invest in leading legal technology and AI tools and we expect our lawyers to master them. Not because it reduces coststhough it doesbut because lawyers who produce excellent work product faster research more thoroughly and manage files with greater precision deliver better outcomes for their clients. That is the standard we hold ourselves to.
The lawyers who develop genuine fluency with AI-assisted practice over the next five years will not merely be more efficient. They will bebetter lawyersmore prepared more thorough more strategically equipped. ME Law is committed to providing the tools the training and the culture to develop that fluency.
THE ROLE
The successful candidate will manage a meaningful portfolio of litigation matters from inception through resolutionworking alongside MayElajamiand senior counsel with genuine file carriage direct client interaction and substantive courtroom opportunities from an early stage.
Manageand advance litigation files independently from intake through to final resolution
Draftpleadings motions applications factums affidavits and complex court materials to the highest standard
Conductlegal research and prepare comprehensive legal opinions and strategy memoranda
Conductexaminations for discovery and cross-examinations of witnesses and opposing parties
Attendmotions applications mediations arbitrations pre-trial conferences trials and appeals
Developand execute litigation strategy in close collaboration with MayElajamiand senior counsel
Buildand maintain direct client relationships withsophisticated individual and corporate clients
LeverageAI-assisted research and modern legal technology as a standard practice tool
Maintainclear timely and professional communication with clients courts and opposing counsel
Contributeactively to the firms knowledge base operational systems and culture of excellence
WHO YOUARE
We are looking for a litigator who is fundamentally ambitioussomeone who looks at the next decade and sees an opportunity to become exceptional not simply experienced. The profile we are seeking:
Memberin good standing with the Law Society of Ontario with 37 years of civil litigation experience
Strongprocedural knowledge and demonstrated understanding of the Rules of Civil Procedure
Excellentwritten advocacy with the ability to draft complex persuasive court materials independently
Comfortappearing before the courts and developing courtroom judgment through active advocacy
Ambitious entrepreneurial and genuinely motivated by excellence growth and results
Interestedin mastering AI and modern legal technology as a professional competitive advantage
Organized accountable and capable of managing a meaningful file portfolio with independence
Committedto exceptional client service professional communication and responsiveness
Eagerto accelerate their career rather than simply advance on a prescribed timetable
Thekind of person who wants to build somethingnot maintain something
CAREER ADVANCEMENT & PARTNERSHIP POTENTIAL
ME Law is intentionally building leaders from within. We do not view the associate relationship as a temporary arrangementwe view it as the beginning of a long-term professional investment that for the right individuals will evolve significantly over time.
The firms growth trajectory creates opportunities that are simply unavailable at mature organizations. As we expandin headcount in practice depth in geographic presence and in client sophisticationthe lawyers who were here at the beginning of that growth will be the ones positioned to lead what it becomes.
Clearprogression from associate to senior counsel
Businessdevelopment recognition and origination compensation
CollectiveProfit-Sharing Scheme after 2 years of service
Salaryreview discussions commencing at 6 months
Semi-annual performance bonuses for sustained billing targets
Directmentorship from firm founder and principal lawyer
Annualdiscretionary bonuses for exceptional contribution
Influenceover firm direction culture and strategic development
On the question of partnership: we will not offer guarantees thatwe do not intend to keep. What we will say clearly and directly is this: the firm intends to build its future leadership from within. Lawyers who demonstrate exceptional advocacy skills strong business development instincts and a genuine commitment towhat ME Law is building will be considered for future equity participation and partnershipon a timeline that reflects their contribution not an arbitrary seniority threshold.
This is the firm where that conversation is possible sooner rather than lawyers at a large national firm wondering whether they will ever be more than a senior associate that distinction matters.
COMPENSATION & WHAT WE OFFER
We offer a competitive and performance-oriented compensation structure designed to reward excellence and align the interests of our lawyers with the long-term success of the firm. The full package includes:
Competitivebase salary with structured increase after onboarding
LSOmembership andLawPROinsurance coverage
Onboardingretention bonus
annualCPD credit (effective month 3)
Semi-annual performance bonuses tied to sustained billing output
Cutting-edge AI technology and legal research tools
Annualdiscretionary bonus for exceptional performance
Paidvacation sick daysand personal/floater days
Businessdevelopment and client origination bonuses
Directmentorship from firm founder
Collective Profit-Sharing Schemeafter 2 years
Clearadvancement pathway with performance-based progression
Comprehensivegroup benefits package
Opportunityfor future partnership and equity participation
Specific compensation details including billable targets and bonus structure terms will be discussed in full during the interview process as we are committed to transparency and to structuring arrangements that reflect the contribution and ambitions of each candidate.
THE NEXT STEP
The legal profession is at an inflection point. The firms that will define the next generation of Canadian litigation are being shaped right nowby the decisions they make about talent technology and strategic direction.
ME Law is making those decisionswith intention. We know the kind of firm we are building the kind of lawyers we want to build it with and the kind of practice we believe the market will reward over the next two decades.
If you are a litigator with three to seven years of experience whobelieves that the best version of your career has not yet been definedwho wants more responsibility more visibility more access to consequential advocacy and a genuine long-term stake in something growingwe want to hear from you.
APPLY IN CONFIDENCE
Submit your cover letter and curriculum vitae to:
Disclaimer: All applications are received and reviewed in strict confidence. ME Law Professional Corporation is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive professional environment.
Required Experience:
IC
