Senior Litigation Lawyer

OPPORTUNITY OVERVIEW ME Law Professional Corporation is seeking a Senior Litigation Counsel to join its civil litigation practice in Toronto. The successful candidate will have primary carriage of complex commercial and civil litigation matters, regularly appearing before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, including the Toronto Commercial List, while also contributing to the firm's growing international arbitration practice. The position is a leadership role within the litigation practice. The Senior Counsel carries delegated professional authority over assigned matters and the lawyers and staff working on them. Business development, firm administration, and operational functions are managed by dedicated teams. Compensation is independent of client origination. The position is offered as an employment relationship. The firm provides multiple internal development paths, including specialist, leadership, institutional development, and partnership tracks, each with defined progression criteria. ABOUT ME LAW ME Law Professional Corporation is a litigation boutique headquartered in Toronto's Yorkville district, founded in 2019, representing clients in Ontario and British Columbia. The firm practices exclusively in litigation and dispute resolution, representing corporations, institutional parties, business owners, executives, investors, professionals, trustees, executors, and high-net-worth individuals in complex commercial, financial, estate, real estate, and cross-border matters. The firm has grown to more than twelve legal professionals through organic growth and targets approximately twenty by year-end 2026. It appears regularly before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, including the Toronto Commercial List, and maintains an active presence in the British Columbia courts. FIRM STRUCTURE AND OPERATING ENVIRONMENT ME Law operates with defined professional standards, internal procedures, and performance frameworks across its practice. The firm is organized into practice groups, each with standard operating procedures, file management protocols, and quality controls. Dedicated support functions are managed by an executive team that operates independently of the legal practice. This structure allows senior legal staff to direct their time toward substantive work. Administrative, intake, financial, and operational functions are not the responsibility of the Senior Counsel. The infrastructure has been designed and continues to be refined to support a high-performance litigation practice at scale. The firm maintains robust KPI frameworks, reporting processes, and performance metrics across all functions. The Senior Counsel will be expected to operate within these standards and, over time, to contribute to their development within the litigation practice. The working environment reflects the Firm’s approach to professional standards: demanding in the quality of work expected, but structured to support strong performance through reliable resources, clear allocation of authority, and prompt, transparent decision-making. The Firm has also developed formal processes to support professional development and address internal issues constructively. These include structured onboarding and training, defined career progression pathways, clear supervisory responsibilities, internal review mechanisms, and governance practices designed to ensure that concerns can be raised, considered, and resolved fairly and transparently. CANDIDATE CONTEXT The position has been structured with several professional situations in mind. • In-house counsel who began their careers in active litigation and have found their practice evolving toward advisory work will find a direct path back to regular court appearances, examinations, motions, and trial advocacy. The firm's litigation practice supports the full range of work expected of experienced trial counsel. • Sole practitioners seeking to concentrate on substantive legal practice rather than the operational demands of running a law firm will find that business operations, administration, and business development are managed independently. The practice portfolio includes complex commercial disputes, financial litigation, and a growing international arbitration practice within a fully supported professional environment. • Lawyers from national or regional firms who are drawn to the agility and accountability of a litigation boutique will find a materially different working model. Matters are staffed by smaller teams, allowing Senior Counsel to maintain primary carriage and strategic control of assigned files while working directly with clients from commencement through resolution. The firm's client base — comprising ultra-high-net-worth individuals, corporate principals, and institutional participants — expects direct access to senior counsel and individually developed strategy throughout. For lawyers with existing institutional relationships, or an interest in developing them within a focused litigation practice, the firm's profile provides a credible platform. A boutique litigation practice of this kind produces a distinct style of advocacy. Strategy is developed by the lawyer who will execute it. Preparation and court appearances remain with the same counsel throughout the proceeding. The firm is able to respond quickly to urgent matters, make decisions efficiently, and tailor its approach to the specific demands of each dispute. The result is a practice environment that emphasizes accountability, strategic ownership, and direct client relationships. SCOPE OF AUTHORITY The Senior Counsel carries delegated professional authority over assigned matters and the lawyers and staff working on them. The allocation of responsibility between the Principal Lawyer and Senior Counsel is defined as follows. May Elajami retains responsibility for firm strategy, major client development, institutional relationships, and matters of exceptional financial, reputational, precedent-setting, or institutional significance. The Senior Counsel exercises independent professional authority over the conduct, strategy, and day-to-day management of assigned matters. Consultation on matters of the kind described above does not displace the Senior Counsel's day-to-day authority over the file. The firm recognizes that different clients and different counsel have distinctive professional styles. Universal standards of quality and conduct apply across all matters; within those standards, the Senior Counsel is expected to exercise judgment independently. Authority over the following functions expands on a structured timeline: Assignment and reassignment of work within the litigation team From 6 months, subject to performance standards Direction of associates, law clerks, and support staff on assigned matters From 6 months, subject to performance standards Authority over file timelines and file economics on assigned matters From 6 months, subject to performance standards Participation in associate and clerk hiring decisions From 6 months, subject to performance standards Establishing file management and litigation procedures for assigned matters From 6 months, subject to performance standards Participation in management and executive team discussions From 6 months, subject to performance standards Input into practice group strategy, staffing, and budget decisions From 12 months, subject to performance standards Addressing performance issues within the litigation team From 12 months Full accountability for practice group performance metrics From 12 months Input into compensation and promotion decisions for team members On a defined basis following sustained performance The scope and volume of the initial docket will be discussed with each candidate following expression of interest, having regard to the candidate's experience, areas of practice, and professional background. LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY The Senior Counsel carries accountability across t