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.
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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.
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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.
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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 the following dimensions of the practice:
- Legal quality and professional standards across assigned matters
- Timely and effective file progression
- Client satisfaction and direct relationship management
- Practice capacity and workload management
- Team development and associate supervision
- Institutional reputation of the commercial litigation practice
- File economics, realization, and collection discipline
- Development of the commercial litigation platform
NATURE OF THE PRACTICE
The practice encompasses complex commercial disputes at all stages of Ontario and British Columbia proceedings, with a growing emphasis on financial litigation — banking disputes, investment disagreements, insolvency proceedings, and securities-related matters. International arbitration work is increasing as the firm develops its arbitration platform.
Matters regularly before the Toronto Commercial List include injunction applications, summary judgment motions, derivative actions, shareholder disputes, receivership proceedings, and complex estate litigation. The Senior Counsel will carry files with full independence, including conduct of examinations, court appearances, and client strategy.
Practice areas:
- Complex Commercial Litigation
- Real Estate Litigation
- Financial Litigation and Banking Disputes
- Injunctions and Emergency Relief
- Investment and Securities Matters
- Cross-Border Enforcement
- Shareholder and Corporate Disputes
- International Commercial Arbitration
- Insolvency, Receivership, and Restructuring
- Appeals — Ontario Court of Appeal
- Estate and Trust Litigation
- Regulatory Proceedings (CIRO, RECO)
REPRESENTATIVE WORK
Selected matters from the firm's recent docket:
- Lead counsel in an 8-day civil trial securing a client's title to property valued in excess of $2M — arguments on bare trust doctrine, equitable title, and constructive trust
- Lead counsel in a complex corporate and family dispute valued in excess of $15M, advanced through multi-party litigation across Ontario proceedings
- Resolution of a corporate dispute valued at approximately $20M and estate succession matters exceeding $8M, involving competing beneficiary claims and equitable title arguments
- Ex-parte Mareva injunction obtained in British Columbia on a matter involving assets exceeding $50M for a technology sector client
- Private international law matter in collaboration with UK co-counsel — English law established as the governing law of a domestic dispute, invoking a UK limitation period with no Canadian equivalent
- Arbitration proceedings and jurisdictional arguments across shareholder, commercial, and condominium matters; contested enforcement and applicability of arbitration frameworks
- Appearances before CIRO and RECO in regulatory advocacy proceedings
PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT EXPECTATIONS
Senior Counsel is not required to arrive with a portable book of business and is not subject to origination targets. The role carries an expectation of active contribution to the following:
- Client retention and service quality
- Strategic development of the litigation platform
- Reputation within the commercial litigation bar
- Associate mentoring and professional development
- Referral relationship maintenance and expansion
- Institutional credibility of the firm's practice
- Client service expansion on existing matters
- Contribution to knowledge management and procedures
Lawyers who develop institutional client relationships, referral networks, or practice-building capabilities — whether or not they arrived with a portable book — will be recognized through defined compensation structures and expanded participation in practice economics.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PATHS
The firm offers four defined development paths. Each has distinct progression criteria and compensation implications. A candidate may pursue more than one path over time.
Specialist Track
Deepening subject-matter expertise in a defined practice area. Recognition as the firm's primary authority in financial litigation, estate disputes, arbitration, or another concentrated area. No management obligation required.
Leadership Track
Progressive management responsibility over a practice group. Includes authority over hiring, performance, procedures, and team development, with full accountability for group performance after 12 months.
Institutional Development Track
Focus on referral development, institutional relationship-building, and client retention. Compensation structured to recognize broader contribution beyond personal billing. No portable book required at entry.
Equity and Partnership Track
Available to lawyers who demonstrate sustained performance, practice leadership, and measurable contribution to firm growth. Equity participation structure discussed with candidates who progress to advanced discussions.
The compensation model is designed to reward not only personal legal performance, but also leadership contribution, team development, client retention, practice growth, and contribution to the firm's profitability. For lawyers whose contribution extends across multiple dimensions, the compensation structure is designed to reflect that — and the firm's intention is to create a route to increasingly significant participation in the economics of the practice over time.
The firm does not permanently cap the economic position of lawyers whose contribution to the practice is sustained and measurable.
WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH MAY ELAJAMI
Founder, CEO and Principal Lawyer — ME Law Professional Corporation
May Elajami holds bar admissions in Ontario (2016) and British Columbia (2023).
Her civil practice spans complex commercial litigation, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional disputes, international arbitration, and estate litigation. She appears regularly before the Toronto Commercial List and maintains active co-counsel relationships in the United Kingdom. She has presented as a keynote speaker for Thomson Reuters on AI-assisted legal practice and serves as moot coach at Osgoode Hall Law School.
May retains responsibility for firm strategy, major client development, institutional relationships, and matters of exceptional financial, reputational, precedent-setting, or institutional significance. Within those areas, the Senior Counsel exercises full professional authority over assigned matters and the team working on them. Collaboration between May Elajami and Senior Counsel on complex matters is part of the working structure; it does not displace the Senior Counsel's day-to-day authority.
AI-NATIVE LITIGATION PRACTICE
ME Law deploys AI-assisted research and drafting tools as standard practice infrastructure. The firm was among the first Canadian litigation boutiques to integrate AI-powered legal research at scale, a distinction recognized through its association with Thomson Reuters.
Research is produced faster and at greater depth than conventional methods permit. Draft materials arrive at a higher starting point. File management overhead is reduced. Senior counsel time is directed toward argument, strategy, and client matters. The tools are provided. Facility with AI-assisted practice is preferred; development support is available for candidates without existing experience.
INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION PLATFORM
ME Law is developing an international arbitration practice with a focus on financial markets disputes, cross-border commercial matters, and investment arbitration. The foundation includes dual Canadian bar admissions, active co-counsel relationships in the United Kingdom, and a mandate history that encompasses private international law arguments, foreign judgment recognition, and multi-jurisdictional enforcement.
May Elajami is developing CIArb. A Senior Counsel with existing arbitration experience, or an interest in developing it, would contribute to that platform as a practitioner.
THE OFFICE
The firm's principal office is located at 180 Bloor Street West, Suite 1000, in Toronto's Yorkville district, with a view overlooking Queen's Park. Additional details regarding the office are available on request.
The position is fully in-office for the initial six-month period, to support integration into the firm's practice, team, and operating environment. Following full integration, hybrid arrangements may be considered where the candidate's circumstances and demonstrated performance support it. Daily office attendance is the standard model and is encouraged as the basis for effective collaboration with staff, direct client interaction, and team leadership.
QUALIFICATIONS AND CANDIDATE PROFILE
Technical qualifications:
- Member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario; Law Society of British Columbia admission an asset
- 8 to 15 years of civil litigation experience, with substantial exposure to complex commercial or financial matters
- Demonstrated capacity to carry significant files independently, including conduct of examinations, appearances, and client strategy
- Advocacy experience at the level of complex motions and applications before the Ontario Superior Court; Toronto Commercial List experience preferred
- Experience in or genuine interest in international commercial arbitration
- Facility with AI-assisted research and drafting tools, or readiness to develop it
Professional profile:
Applications are invited from lawyers whose professional record reflects sustained contribution to a practice, team, or institution over time — including experience exercising leadership, managing junior lawyers, contributing to practice development, and accepting accountability for outcomes beyond individual billing performance. The firm is seeking a candidate who wants responsibility and the economic rewards that accompany it, not solely a title or a platform.
COMPENSATION
ME Law offers two primary compensation structures. Specific terms are discussed with each candidate directly and in confidence. The firm will have a substantive compensation conversation at the beginning of the process.
Stability Track
Base salary-led structure with defined bonus eligibility. Designed for candidates who prefer income predictability.
COMPONENT
Base Salary
[ To be specified ]
Annual Bonus Target
[ To be specified — performance criteria to be defined ]
Expected Total Compensation
[ To be specified ]
Performance Track
Reduced base component with substantially higher variable upside, tied to billing performance, practice metrics, and leadership contribution.
COMPONENT
Base Component
[ To be specified ]
Variable Component
[ To be specified — formula tied to billable output, collection rates, practice development, and leadership accountability ]
Target Total Compensation
[ To be specified ]
Top-of-Market Total
Available for sustained high performance
Both tracks include:
Group Benefits
Effective after qualifying period
LSO and LawPRO Coverage
Included
Professional Development
Supported
AI Tools and Technology
Provided
Profit Participation
[ Available after qualifying period — structure to be specified ]
Partnership Track Eligibility
On defined criteria — see Career Development Paths
Top-of-market compensation is available for the right candidate. The firm does not limit the economic upside of lawyers whose contribution to the practice is sustained and measurable.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Qualified candidates will receive a prompt response. The firm will initiate a substantive compensation and scope discussion at the first stage of the process, not at the conclusion of it.
All communications are treated in confidence. The firm understands that lawyers exploring lateral opportunities do so with care, and will handle all inquiries accordingly.
Applications must include:
- Curriculum vitae
- Brief cover letter
Applicants are also asked to provide short written responses to the following two questions:
1. What would you want to have built within ME Law after three years?
2. Describe a team, practice group, client relationship, or institutional capability you helped strengthen beyond your individual billings.
