IP Services Clerk (12-Month Contract)

Torys LLP

15h • Hybrid

About The Position

The IP Services Clerk provides administrative support to the Intellectual Property group, ensuring correspondence, records, matter information and administrative activities are accurately maintained and completed within required timelines. The role handles a high volume of electronic and physical correspondence from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), supports deadline monitoring and matter closure, and provides backup and overflow support across the IP Administrative team.

The position also contributes to onboarding, training, cross-training, departmental projects, process improvements and documentation maintenance. It follows a hybrid work model requiring three days in the office per week. New hires are required to work in the office more often during their first few months for cross-training.

Requirements

• Post-secondary degree or diploma, or equivalent experience sufficient to complete the essential requirements of the role.
• Strong working knowledge of the MS Office product suite.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy, including the ability to identify errors or inconsistencies and maintain quality across a high volume of work.
• Strong client service orientation and ability to manage multiple client needs simultaneously.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to interact with individuals at all levels of the organization.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to manage a high volume of work, prioritize competing demands and meet time-sensitive deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced team environment.
• Strong technical skills and ability to understand, grasp and adapt to new technology.
• Flexibility to work overtime and participate in rotational inbox coverage, including holidays when the firm is closed and CIPO remains open.

Nice To Haves

• 1–2 years of IP experience within a law firm or professional services firm.
• Canadian Patent Administrator certification.

Responsibilities

• Maintain electronic and physical correspondence from CIPO in the appropriate matter workspace in the firm's document management system, applying established IP naming conventions and keeping records accurate, complete and up to date.
• Coordinate daily due-date reporting and sign-off to support monitoring and completion of critical deadlines.
• Provide primary backup support to the IP Processing Clerk, including rotational coverage of the IP Administration inbox.
• Reconcile CIPO disbursements and maintain client and contact information across applicable firm systems.
• Support accurate and timely closure of IP matters across applicable firm systems, including maintaining Bring Forward to Close (BFTC) dates and completing related data clean-up.
• Provide backup and overflow support across the IP Administrative team to ensure service continuity, effective workload management and adherence to critical deadlines.
• Support onboarding, training and cross-training initiatives within the IP Administrative team.
• Contribute to departmental projects, process improvements and documentation maintenance, and perform other duties as assigned.
• Participate in rotational coverage of the general inbox, including holidays when the firm is closed and CIPO remains open.

What This Job Offers

• Education Level: Associate degree