Legal Assistant

OVERVIEW OF POSITION:  The Legal Assistant, is a key position responsible for providing administrative support to the Firm’s Attorneys and Attorney Teams.   The Legal Assistant will be responsible for a variety of tasks including, but not limited to, proofreading and eFiling legal documents, preparing letters, scheduling for attorneys, docketing deadlines, and organizing and maintaining system files. The Legal Assistant must be extremely detail oriented and organized, as well as an effective communicator and planner, to be able to perform the job effectively and efficiently. 

REPORTING STRUCTURE:  The Legal Assistant works closely with other team members and supervising attorneys, however, an individual in the position will report directly to the Operations Manager of the Firm. 

HOURS AND STATUS:  The Legal Assistant position is a full-time position generally working around forty (40) hours per week. However, some additional hours may be needed to meet Firm operational needs.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:  The Legal Assistant is responsible for the following essential duties:

• Process daily mail as a high priority and as efficiently as possible.
• Proofread and eFile legal documents.
• Draft transmittal correspondence and basic general pleadings.
• Provide administrative support to one or more attorneys at the Firm and the applicable attorney teams. 
• ProFile/file all electronic communications initiated/received by the supervising attorney and by all other attorney team members.
• Maintain attorney calendars by scheduling reminders, conferences, hearings and meetings.
• Mail, fax, or arrange for delivery of legal correspondence to clients, opposing counsel, court officials, and other outside entities.
• Answer phone calls, take notes/messages and redirect calls when appropriate.
• File, organize, scan, copy and fax raw data documents and legal pleadings/documents in a timely and organized manner. 
• Maintain client files with continual updating and filing copies of raw data documents (electronic/paper files) created within the office or received via mail, fax or email.
• Facilitate the completion of deadlines by maintaining multiple agendas and provide timely reminders.
• Communicate clearly and effectively and work professionally with all attorneys and Paralegals assigned to the team. 
• Consistently produce high level work that is accurate and meets or exceeds Firm standards.
• Regular and reliable attendance.

While the Firm provides this job description in an effort to define the essential functions and responsibilities of the Legal Assistant, this description is a summary representative of the duties and responsibilities required of this position and may not include non-essential duties. Duties or responsibilities may be added or modified at the discretion of the Operations Manager in accordance with the business needs of the Firm. An individual in this position may be asked to perform duties assigned to others if coverage is necessary.

CORE COMPENTENCIES:

• Extremely detail oriented.
• Strong organizational, communication, delegation and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.
• Ability to prioritize while meeting all deadlines and demonstrating a high level of reliability and efficiency.
• Ability to work in a very fast-paced environment and adapt to changes.
• Highly detail oriented and ability to multi-task.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Work, Excel, PowerPoint), ProLaw, and Adobe.
• Must work well in a team-oriented environment. 
• Must be a self-starter. Someone who takes initiative and works independently to complete assigned tasks.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS OF POSITION:

1. Physical Demands:
   • Ability to verbally and effectively communicate to individuals and groups.
   • Ability to regularly utilize a computer keyboard, monitor and other electronic equipment to prepare reports, communicate and perform other duties. 
   • Ability to endure a sedentary type of work requiring a great deal of sitting at a computer. 
   • Ability to work at least forty (40) hours a week.   
   • Ability to read and interpret legal documents.  
   • Ability to maintain regular and reliable attendance, meet deadlines and perform work duties in a timely manner. 

1. Mental Demands:
   • Ability to work effectively and efficiently and remain poised in high stress and conflict situations.
   • Ability to simultaneously address multiple complex problems.
   • Ability to multitask without loss of efficiency or accuracy.
   • Ability to sustain attention with or without distractions.
   • Ability to interact and communicate professionally and appropriately with a variety of individuals.
   • Ability to meet time sensitive deadlines.
   • Ability to maintain regular and reliable attendance, meet deadlines and perform work duties in a timely manner. 

 QUALIFICATIONS FOR POSITION:

1. Qualifying Education:
   • Preferred: Associates or four year college degree from an accredited college or university, preferably in but not limited to business, business administration, pre-law or other related fields.

1. Qualifying Experience:
   • Preferred: Significant prior experience working in a law or other professional firm.
   • Preferred: Significant prior experience working as a Legal Assistant or in a similar role. 

 While the Firm seeks these qualifications for this position, the Firm reserves the right to consider experience in lieu of education and to determine the best combination of education and experience appropriate for the position.