Lerners LLP Employee Reviews

It depends on who your lawyer/manager is, but overall it is a great team environment and almost everyone is willing to help. There are a lot of internal training programs to give you the assistance you need. Most assistants and clerks are quite underpaid and raises are not in line with the rising cost of living and it's very hard to get overtime hours approved even if your manager requires you to work overtime, but there is an amazing benefits package for full-time staff.

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Toxic and bullying, but you get paid a reasonable wage so they think it’s okay

Admin (Former Employee) - London, ON - 30 June 2023

What is the best part of working at the company?Going home for the day. The workplace is toxic and you’re looked down on if you’re not a manager or a lawyer. What is the most stressful part about working at the company?Not knowing what the policies are because they don’t have any What is the work environment and culture like at the company?Toxic and confrontational - people treat you like you’re worthless and talk behind your back (senior management and executives included)What is a typical day like for you at the company?You think you know what is expected of you but you go in and get in trouble for something you didn’t do

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Insights into Lerners LLP

Based on 14 survey responses

What people like

Inclusive work environment
Ability to learn new things
Fair pay for job

Areas for improvement

Trust in colleagues
Sense of belonging
Support from manager

High turnover of marginalized people

Staff (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 8 March 2023

This is not a welcoming company for marginalized people. Representation is window dressing, fear is a fiercely protected guiding principle, and classism is ever present. There is a high turnover rate of marginalized people.

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HR is not your friend

Law Clerk (Former Employee) - London, ON - 12 May 2022

It goes without saying, we all know HR is there for the company, but Lerners takes it to a whole new level. If you aren't a partner, or don't work for a partner, every little thing you do will be under scrutiny and they will nickle and dime your salary every step of the way. During the pandemic, they will even cut your pay, take away all raises, and then ask you to work extra hours due to being short staffed after laying everyone off. Any concern expressed will automatically designate you as a "problem" employee. On the other hand, if you are a partner or work for a partner the rules do not apply to you. Use whatever lowly staff you have to complete your tasks, wear, work, and do whatever you want, and expect that your raises will be the equivalent of what 3 or 4 other lower staff could have gotten combined, but didn't, because you are special.

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Lerners was a great place to work. I left after 25 years of service .

Head Receptionist (Former Employee) - London, ON - 26 February 2021

Great place to work. Wonderful Staff and Lawyers. I left to move away. Had I stayed in London, I would still work there. It’s a Work Family.Very Professional Environmeht and we were encouraged to work diligently with little or no Supervision. Great Benefits Packsge and Generous Vacation Package. When I left I earned 6 weeks vacation plus an annual bonus. Very Generous Partners

Pros

Great Hours, Benefits and Vacations

Cons

Honestly nothing

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Busy fast paced job.

Legal Dictation Transcriptionist/Legal Assistant (Former Employee) - London, ON - 17 February 2021

I was there 20 years loved my job. Was laid off. Toronto HR came in got rid of all senior employees. No job security there now. Some co-workers back stabbers.I.liked the lawyers and got along well with them. Fast paced job. You did get lunch and breaks.

Pros

Good hours

Cons

No job security

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Terrible work culture

Law Clerk (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 7 February 2021

They do not remotely care about their employees. High turn over rate and zero job security. Their bonus structure makes you have no work life balance to make a comparable wage

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Lerners is where happiness goes to die!!!

Law Clerk (Former Employee) - London, ON - 29 June 2020

The full time staff are very snobbish and ignorant to new staff. Lawyers clearly wanted to be treated as superior by law clerks. Lawyers treat law clerks as thought the law clerks are there for the lawyers' personal gratification. Student law clerks are even lower on the food chain. They are at the mercy of all staff and lawyers - human resources does nothing to help them. One lawyer likes to prance about talking as loud as he can because he wants attention, distracts staff completely. Completely narcissistic and/or unfulfilled.

Pros

none

Cons

poor pay, lack of respect

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High stress and work volume

Law clerk (Former Employee) - London, ON - 23 June 2020

Culture changed over recent years. More of a cut throat atmosphere. High volume of work. Little recognition for long hours and hard work. Some age discrimination.

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Hit & Miss Lawyers, Toxic Human Resources Policies

Law Clerk (Former Employee) - Ontario - 19 March 2020

Various lawyers can be wonderful or terrible, and managing styles vary wildly, which leads to inconsistencies. Turnover is high, and team dynamics can range from cohesive to cliquish. Human resources has little handle on problem situations, putting off or ignoring issues, and plays favourites between the staff.

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Jobs at Lerners LLP

See more jobs

AV Systems Technician- 3+ Years- Toronto (In Office)

Toronto, ON

7 hours ago

Administrative Assistant, Marketing- Toronto or London (Part Time)

London, ON

30+ days ago

Law Clerk (Health Law) 1-4 Years , Toronto (Hybrid)

Toronto, ON

30+ days ago

Law Clerk, Commercial Real Estate- 5+ Years- London (Hybrid)

London, ON

8 days ago

Legal Assistant, Litigation (Personal Injury and Insurance) - 3+ Years- Toronto (Hyrbid)

Toronto, ON

30+ days ago

Horrible Place to work

Law Clerk/Legal Assistant (Former Employee) - London, ON - 11 March 2020

HR is only interested in making the partners happy. If you have issues with workload/work environment, too bad, so sad. However, HR is only too happy to meet with you if a partner wants to chastise you for a little mistake. Support staff get treated as second class compared to lawyers. There is little/no training and you are expected to figure everything out on your own, so you better hope you have nice/helpful people sitting around you. There is no room for advancement, and the pay is garbage. Worst job I have ever had.

Pros

none

Cons

terrible work environment, low pay, stressful

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IT Department with room to grow

Service Desk Analyst (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 6 March 2019

Generally a slow paced environment with some steady project tasks available. Opportunity to ask questions, learn the tools, systems and technical environment, but little to no room for advancement. IT manager is very trusting and delegates well, but does not challenge you for individual growth and career development. The IT team is excellent & collaborative with fun, personable personalities but duties are clearly defined and segmented. White glove customer service skills are a definite MUST to be successful in this role.

Pros

Opportunity to own your responsibilities and duties.

Cons

Slow and minimal exposure to Law industry & new technologies.

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Great Workplace

Legal Assistant/Law Clerk (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 2 March 2019

Not enough hours in the day! Everyone is super motivated to make things work. Wonderful group of dedicated professionals who achieve work life balance.

Pros

Good Culture

Cons

Long Hours

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Good place to work, very busy. People are very friendly.

Conflicts/File Opening Clerk (Former Employee) - London, ON - 17 January 2019

A typical day at work would be doing conflict searches, opening files & answering phones to take information for any new clients. The hardest part of the job is the conflict searches when they have many familiar names/companies. The most enjoyable part of the job is completing each task and going on to something new.

Pros

Good People

Cons

working till 5 oclock.

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Great place to work

Law Clerk/Legal Assistant (Former Employee) - London, ON - 31 January 2018

Stable work, great hours and pay with amazing benefits. They have lots of employee appreciation events and treat their staff well. I have enjoyed my time with them immensely.

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Excellent working environment

Accident Benefits Clerk (Current Employee) - London, ON - 24 January 2018

Lerners is good to their staff and make a healthy working environment. They have casual days and donate to many charities and are always looking to make things good for everyone

Pros

open door policy

Cons

none

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Law Clerk

Law Clerk (Current Employee) - London, ON - 18 September 2017

I have work at Lerners for many years as a law clerk. Your experience will depend on the lawyer you work for. I have been fortunate enough to work with some great lawyers during my time there and it is a great teaching environment. HR is partner focused as most law firms tend to be but I have not really encountered any issues personally. The London office is a great place to work. Toronto does not have the same culture as the London office and is not a great place to work. I would not want to work at another law firm in London outside of Lerners. I have encountered many personalities during my time working as a law clerk and learned a great deal in my role with this firm.

Pros

Company and department lunches, nominal bonus depending on years of service, training, family culture, education assistance, extended health care benefits (meds and rehab)

Cons

Pay, limited dental benefits, lack of support staff to reduce overhead, heavy workload

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Productive and fun workplace

Legal Assistant - Litigation (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 1 November 2016

manage lawyer's calendar manage files involving personal injury claim and MVAs preparation of pleadings, motion materials, mediation briefs, factums and briefs of authorities transcription with the use of Digital Dictaphone create and maintain relationships with clients fulfill various administrative duties the work environment is very family oriented, lovely people to work with

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Lerners LLP

Senior Law Clerk (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 4 October 2016

I loved working at this firm. I enjoyed the variety of cases and the clients I interacted with. I also enjoyed assisting counsel at trials. I found the work challenging and had great satisfaction seeing cases through from their beginning to completion. I worked for a group of 14 lawyers of varying seniority. Often, my days required me to prioritize work, meet deadlines (some of which were not realistic), however, I did the best job I could.

Pros

Vacation time, salary

Cons

Very long hours

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Fast paced office environment

Law Clerk/Legal Assistant (Current Employee) - London, ON - 5 July 2016

A typical day is spent at my work station in front of the computer, I answer client phone calls, have meetings with lawyers to review files, file documents and prepare various court documents. What I do day-to-day changes based on what is the biggest priority that day. I have learned plenty of things about working in a large law firm and the databases used, including billing, court work, accident benefit forms, and running a file smoothly. Most importantly, I have learned to effectively prioritize tasks. Management generally is away at court or client meetings, so we work independently. We often receive feedback and have regular meetings. I have many co-workers working in a large firm, but the ones that I work directly with are all friendly and knowledgable. The hardest part of my job is the workload balancing act. There are a lot of files and prioritizing what needs done first is very important, and you can often be pulled away from what you're doing for meetings or if a client calls. The most enjoyable part of my job is the fact that I know I am helping others at a very difficult time in their lives.

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A great place to work.

Senior Executive Assistant (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 24 November 2015

Typical day: I worked for senior counsel. My day began with a quick meeting where we discussed what needed to be completed, an overview of deadlines, reminders and new tasks. What I learned was that you can never have enough reminders for deadlines. In any industry, you have to be super organized and you simply cannot have enough bring forward reminders. Co-Workers. I had no problems with my co-workers. I am an outgoing person and am able to combine professionalism and collegiality when dealing with my colleagues. Hardest part of the job. Getting documents prepared and out the door in time sensitive situations.There were many last minute jobs and when it comes to filing with the courts, it must be done in an accurate and timely manner.