Litigation Associate (3+ Years Experience)

ME LAW PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
LITIGATION & ADR · TORONTO · VANCOUVERAssociate Litigation Lawyer
3 – 7 Years · Toronto, Yorkville · Full-Time · In-OfficeAn Invitation to Build Something Exceptional
WHO WE ARE
ME Law Professional Corporation is a litigation boutique headquartered in Toronto's Yorkville district—Canada's most prestigious commercial address—with 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.
We do 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 arbitration—we 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 investing—deliberately and ambitiously—in talent, technology, artificial intelligence, business development infrastructure, and the long-term institutional foundations of a nationally recognized disputes practice.
2019Year Founded
12+Legal Professionals
3Canadian Jurisdictions
$50M+Single Mandate Value
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 structure—not an opportunity.
This role is different in a way that matters. You are being invited to join during the scaling phase—the period when the decisions made today will define the firm's 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 participation, and future partnership consideration.
"We are not looking for someone who wants a comfortable legal career. We are looking for someone who wants to become exceptional."
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, SoonerAssociates at ME Law carry files with genuine independence and direct client accountability. You are expected to develop as a litigator—not to be managed from a distance.
Direct Access to LeadershipYou 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 AdvancementThis 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 AdvocacyYou will appear in court—on motions, applications, discoveries, arbitrations, mediations, and trials. ME Law produces advocates, not drafters.
A Firm Going SomewhereExpanding from Toronto to Vancouver, into international arbitration, and toward potential offices internationally elsewhere. The trajectory is clear and ambitious.
Profit ParticipationAfter two years of service, eligible professionals participate in the Collective Profit-Sharing Scheme. Your long-term contribution to the firm's 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 is Mayssia (May) Elajami—founder, trial lawyer, entrepreneur, and one of the driving forces behind what we are building.
May founded ME Law from the ground up in 2019, establishing the firm in Yorkville—Toronto's most commercially demanding address—and 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:
▸ Won an 8-day civil trial securing a client's property valued at over $2M on complex arguments of bare trust doctrine, equitable title, and constructive trust — as lead counsel
▸ Lead counsel in a complex corporate and family dispute valued in excess of $15M, advanced through strategic multi-party litigation proceedings
▸ Resolved a high-profile corporate dispute of approximately $20M and estate succession matters exceeding $8M, navigating competing beneficiary claims and intricate equitable arguments
▸ Obtained an ex-parte Mareva injunction in British Columbia for a Silicon Valley-based startup, on a matter involving assets exceeding $50M
▸ Collaborated with 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
▸ Regular appearances before the Toronto Commercial List — Canada's most sophisticated commercial court
Before founding ME Law, May spent two years a criminal litigator, conducting an average of two to three trials per week from start to finish across Toronto's 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 Canada's 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 2024–25.
ME Law was among the first Canadian boutique firms to deploy AI-powered legal research at scale.
"The candidate who joins us will not be supervised from a distance. They will be mentored directly. They will work on significant files. They will appear in court. They will be challenged to become better than they thought they could be." — May Elajami, Founder & Principal Lawyer
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.
We operate with 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 lawyers—through mentorship, technology, continuing education, and direct exposure to sophisticated mandates. In 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 accelerate—who looks at the next five years and sees an opportunity to become among the best litigation lawyers in their generation.
▸ Excellence in every work product without exception
▸ Client relationships built on trust and outcomes▸ Accountability for results, not just effort▸ Advocacy that is prepared well enough to win▸ Professional growth as a non-negotiable standard▸ Technology mastery as a competitive obligation▸ Ownership of files with genuine independence▸ Leadership as 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 to anticipate every 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 defeated—these 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 burden—it is a competitive advantage. That thoroughness is not optional—it is the foundation of every excellent outcome. That advocacy is not simply a professional function—it 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.
"Sophisticated litigation requires discipline, strategy, and relentless execution. We prepare as though every proceeding is the one that defines the case—because often, it is."
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 or junior 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 advocates—not 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:
▸ Interlocutory and urgent motions practice▸ Mediations with senior counsel present▸ Summary judgment applications▸ Arbitration proceedings and jurisdictional arguments▸ Case management conferences and pre-trials▸ Contested estate applications▸ Examinations for discovery and cross-examinations▸ Commercial List appearances▸ Rule 21 and pleadings motions▸ Trial preparation and trial proceedings▸ Injunction proceedings — including ex-parte▸ Appellate research 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 Law's full litigation portfolio, with particular emphasis on commercial disputes and a growing focus on financial litigation and international arbitration matters:
▸ Commercial Litigation▸ Injunction & Emergency Proceedings▸ Financial Litigation & Banking Disputes▸ Receivership, Insolvency & Restructuring▸ Investment & Securities-Related Matters▸ Enforcement Proceedings▸ Shareholder & Corporate Disputes▸ International Arbitration▸ Estate & Trust Litigation▸ Cross-Border & Multi-Jurisdictional Disputes▸ Real Estate Litigation▸ Appeals & Administrative Tribunals
We act for business owners, corporations, investors, institutional participants, trustees, executors, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Our clients expect to be represented by lawyers who are fully invested in their outcomes—and that is precisely what we deliver.
OUR VISION & FUTURE GROWTH
ME Law's ambitions are clear, and they extend well beyond Toronto. We are building toward a nationally recognized litigation boutique with an international disputes practice—one that serves sophisticated clients across
Lawyers who join during this scaling phase have the opportunity to grow alongside the firm's international ambitions—developing cross-border expertise, building international client relationships, and positioning themselves for roles that do not yet exist but will.
The firms that will define the next era of Canadian litigation are being built today. We intend to be among them—and we are looking for lawyers who want to help build what comes next.
THE AI-NATIVE LAW FIRM
The legal profession is not simply changing. It is being restructured—and the restructuring is moving faster than most practitioners have recognized. Artificial intelligence, workflow automation, and intelligent knowledge management systems are not future considerations. They are present competitive realities.
The firms that recognized early that technology was competitive infrastructure—not administrative overhead—will 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. May Elajami has 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 commitment—and genuine capability.
AI-Assisted ResearchDocument AutomationKnowledge ManagementWorkflow Systems
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 costs—though it does—but 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 be better lawyers—more prepared, more thorough, more strategically equipped. ME Law is committed to providing the tools, the training, and the culture to develop that fluency.
The lawyers who master these tools will not replace those who do not. They will simply outperform them—in the quality of their research, the efficiency of their practice, and the outcomes they produce for clients.
THE ROLE
The successful candidate will manage a meaningful portfolio of litigation matters from inception through resolution—working alongside May Elajami and senior counsel with genuine file carriage, direct client interaction, and substantive courtroom opportunities from an early stage.
▸ Manage and advance litigation files independently from intake through to final resolution▸ Draft pleadings, motions, applications, factums, affidavits, and complex court materials to the highest standard▸ Conduct legal research and prepare comprehensive legal opinions and strategy memoranda▸ Conduct examinations for discovery and cross-examinations of witnesses and opposing parties▸ Attend motions, applications, mediations, arbitrations, pre-trial conferences, trials, and appeals▸ Develop and execute litigation strategy in close collaboration with May Elajami and senior counsel▸ Build and maintain direct client relationships with sophisticated individual and corporate clients▸ Leverage AI-assisted research and modern legal technology as a standard practice tool▸ Maintain clear, timely, and professional communication with clients, courts, and opposing counsel▸ Contribute actively to the firm's knowledge base, operational systems, and culture of excellence
WHO YOU ARE
We are looking for a litigator who is fundamentally ambitious—someone who looks at the next decade and sees an opportunity to become exceptional, not simply experienced. The profile we are seeking:
▸ Member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario, with 3–7 years of civil litigation experience▸ Strong procedural knowledge and demonstrated understanding of the Rules of Civil Procedure▸ Excellent written advocacy with the ability to draft complex, persuasive court materials independently▸ Comfort appearing before the courts and developing courtroom judgment through active advocacy▸ Ambitious, entrepreneurial, and genuinely motivated by excellence, growth, and results▸ Interested in mastering AI and modern legal technology as a professional competitive advantage▸ Organized, accountable, and capable of managing a meaningful file portfolio with independence▸ Committed to exceptional client service, professional communication, and responsiveness▸ Eager to accelerate their career rather than simply advance on a prescribed timetable▸ The kind of person who wants to build something—not maintain something
This role will challenge you. It will demand more of you than a comfortable position at a larger firm. In return, it will develop you faster, expose you to more consequential work, and put you on a trajectory that a traditional associate position simply cannot offer.
CAREER ADVANCEMENT & PARTNERSHIP POTENTIAL
ME Law is intentionally building leaders from within. We do not view the associate relationship as a temporary arrangement—we view it as the beginning of a long-term professional investment that, for the right individuals, will evolve significantly over time.
The firm's growth trajectory creates opportunities that are simply unavailable at mature organizations. As we expand—in headcount, in practice depth, in geographic presence, and in client sophistication—the lawyers who were here at the beginning of that growth will be the ones positioned to lead what it becomes.
▸ Clear progression from associate to senior counsel▸ Business development recognition and origination compensation▸ Collective Profit-Sharing Scheme after 2 years of service▸ Salary review discussions commencing at 6 months▸ Semi-annual performance bonuses for sustained billing targets▸ Direct mentorship from firm founder and principal lawyer▸ Annual discretionary bonuses for exceptional contribution▸ Influence over firm direction, culture, and strategic development
On the question of partnership: we will not offer guarantees that we 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 to what ME Law is building will be considered for future equity participation and partnership—on a timeline that reflects their contribution, not an arbitrary seniority threshold.
This is the firm where that conversation is possible sooner rather than later. For lawyers at a large national firm wondering whether they will ever be more than a senior associate, that distinction matters.
The lawyers who join ME Law during this scaling phase are not filling roles. They are shaping an institution. The opportunity to become a future leader, equity participant, and partner is not theoretical—it is the firm's stated intention for those who earn it.
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:
▸ Competitive base salary with structured increase after onboarding▸ LSO membership and LawPRO insurance coverage▸ Onboarding retention bonus▸ annual CPD credit (effective month 3+)▸ Semi-annual performance bonuses tied to sustained billing output▸ Cutting-edge AI technology and legal research tools▸ Annual discretionary bonus for exceptional performance▸ Paid vacation, sick days, and personal/floater days▸ Business development and client origination bonuses▸ Direct mentorship from firm founder▸ Collective Profit-Sharing Scheme after 2 years▸ Clear advancement pathway with performance-based progression▸ Comprehensive group benefits package▸ Opportunity for future partnership and equity participation
Specific compensation details, including current base salary, billable targets, and bonus structure terms, will be discussed in full during the interview process. 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 now—by the decisions they make about talent, technology, and strategic direction.
ME Law is making those decisions with 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 who believes that the best version of your career has not yet been defined—who wants more responsibility, more visibility, more access to consequential advocacy, and a genuine long-term stake in something growing—we want to hear from you.
Apply in Confidence:
Submit your cover letter and curriculum vitae to:[email protected]
ME Law Professional Corporation · 180 Bloor Street West, Suite 1000, Toronto, ON M5S 2V6 · melaw.ca
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.