Legal Assistant

Bivalacqua, Gelé Ellis is a New Orleans boutique litigation firm of about 20 people. We handle contested cases in Louisiana state courts, the federal courts, and the Louisiana appellate courts, and we do it in an office that takes the work seriously and itself considerably less so. We are hiring a Legal Assistant to keep our attorneys organized, our files in order, and our clients well looked after. You will work directly with the attorneys and alongside our litigation paralegal, with Eileen Bivalacqua, our Office Manager, as your day-to-day point of contact.

PAY, BENEFITS, AND SCHEDULE

• Salary of $50,000.00 to $62,000.00 depending on experience
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company matching contribution
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Paid parking downtown
• Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in the office

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Draft correspondence and routine motions, and keep clients informed about where their cases stand.
• Keep attorney calendars current, including calculating and calendaring court deadlines.
• Organize physical and electronic files: correspondence, pleadings, and discovery.
• Handle incoming mail, answer and route calls, and manage scheduling.
• E-file in Louisiana state courts and help with federal filings as needed.
• Communicate with clients, court clerks, chambers staff, medical offices, and opposing counsel.
• Pitch in during busy stretches and trial weeks.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Organized and careful. In litigation a missed date matters, so precision counts.
• Confident with Microsoft Word (styles, tables of contents, formatting), Excel, and Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• A clear, professional communicator on the phone and in writing.
• Reliable. We plan around each other, so we count on people to be here when they say they will be.
• Good humor and a team mentality. That is most of what makes this office work.

Nice to have, not required: experience with Louisiana state court e-filing or PACER/CM-ECF, and an interest in growing into a paralegal role. If that is where you want to go, we will help you get there.

WHAT IT IS LIKE HERE

We will say this plainly because most law firms cannot: this is a relaxed place to work. Dress is casual unless you are headed to court. We have regular happy hours and outings, and the day-to-day atmosphere is closer to a small team that likes each other than to a traditional law office. The work itself is high-level (contested motions, depositions, trials) and we expect it done well, but we do not confuse long hours with good work. Trial weeks occasionally run long; the rest of the year, 5:00 means 5:00. The firm is growing, and we invest in the people who grow with it.

HOW TO APPLY

Email your resume and a few sentences about yourself to Eileen Bivalacqua, Office Manager, at jobs@bivlaw.com. No formal cover letter is needed. Our process is short: a brief phone call with Eileen, then an in-person interview with the attorneys you would work with. [We respond to every applicant within one week.]

Pay: $50,000.00 - $620,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Salary : $50,000 - $620,000