Position Summary:

The trusts and estates administrative paralegal is responsible for managing and timely producing a high volume of complex, detailed work involving estate administration, trust administration, probate, family law and fiduciary accounting in a manner that ensures that Day Pitney successfully meets its objective of distinguishing itself through exceptional service. The paralegal must be able to work independently, handling the administration of an estate from beginning to end, and collaborating with attorneys as needed. Because much of the work is in the areas of accounting and taxes, the paralegal must have good mathematical skills, good organizational skills, and strong technological skills.

Day Pitney's lawyers and staff work collaboratively in a team environment across all offices sharing significant client contact; accordingly, the paralegal must be willing to mentor and be mentored. In addition, the paralegal must be able to interact with, and show compassion to, individuals who may have suffered the loss of a loved one or are under a great deal of stress. In general, the position requires excellent communication and personal skills and client service. Other requisite attributes for this position include effective judgment managing information, the ability to manage and meet deadlines in a fast-paced work environment, flexibility to work overtime, as deadlines require, the ability to multitask while adapting to changes in priorities and the ability to adapt to changes in technology and processes.

Responsibilities:

• Identifying, gathering, and valuing assets;
• Preparing various probate and estate administration documents;
• Preparing accountings for both estates and trusts;
• Preparing death tax returns, including federal and state estate tax returns;
• Preparing federal and state fiduciary income tax returns;
• Reviewing and interpreting wills and trust agreements, in collaboration with attorneys, so as to implement the plan during the estate and trust administration process and to fund trusts;
• Managing a docket system and tracking deadlines; and
• Although attorneys generally research issues of law, the paralegal must be able to use reference materials and perform basic research using a variety of resources.

Education and Experience:

• Undergraduate degree and paralegal certification (or equivalent);
• Familiarity with procedures of Probate Courts, taxing authorities and regulatory agencies preferred;
• Experience working with Microsoft Office resources (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), with PDF software and related scanning and production utilities, and document management software;
• Experience working with tax preparation and accounting software (e.g., FastTax, ProSystems);
• Ability to learn and use advanced software programs and new technology and have a desire to seek and attend training to improve skills; and
• Good understanding of basic business relationships and client confidentiality principles.