Executive Legal Assistant

• Take ownership of own success and attorneys’ success
• Welcome challenges and take a proactive approach to problem solving
• Be engaged, interested and curious, offer ideas and solutions to improve service, teamwork and efficiency
• Maintain composure and discretion
• Effectively partner with attorneys and maintain good working relationships with clients, DWT staff and attorneys, and other contacts (agencies, courts, vendors, etc.)
• Sustain a high degree of attorney confidence, minimal backlog and minimal overtime
• Extensive interaction with clients; acts as intermediary with clients and responds to client requests
• Collaborate with team members
• Mentor and share information with others
• Invest in mentoring Administrative Legal Assistants/Secretaries and others
• Utilize resources (administrative staff, practice management, finance department, copy center and services, colleagues, office management)
• Assign appropriate tasks to word processing, file room and other support staff. Follow up on status of all projects to ensure timely completion
• Communicate clearly with all appropriate team members on project status
• Efficiently manage complex and challenging workflow
• Manage client billing process, including review and editing of pre-bills
• Maintain up-to-date forms, including collaboration with word processing on templates
• Docket deadlines
• Type, proofread, run comparisons, and edit correspondence, memoranda, agreements and other legal and business documents from notes, templates, drafts, or dictated text under time sensitive deadlines
• Maintain attorney and client records, including email and other electronic records
• Open new client and new matter files
• Schedule and coordinate appointments, meetings and conference calls and maintain calendars
• Answer, screen, and respond to phone calls
• Open and route mail, attaching appropriate files and documents
• Prepare and submit expense reimbursement reports and check requests
• Make travel arrangements
• Schedule conference rooms using Resource Scheduler and arrange for food service and audio-visual equipment as needed
• Maintain a deep understanding of attorney’s practices and goals, as well as firm objectives, policies, and procedures; proactively seek development opportunities and collaborate with supervisor to meet them; raise concerns or ideas with supervisor, and collaborate on solutions that support team and firm success
• Take initiative to understand attorneys’ client service needs; identify opportunities to contribute to client relationship success by raising concerns and/or opportunities to improve; offers potential solutions and is willing to participate in the agreed upon course of action to reach the desired goals
• Check in regularly with attorneys to ensure all aspects of projects are on track. Prompt as needed. Exercise careful judgment about when to ask for guidance
• Assist fellow secretaries and additional attorneys as priorities dictate
• Maintain regular and consistent attendance and punctuality. Adhere to schedule by being timely on breaks, lunches and meetings

Join us if you have:

• 6 years’ experience as a legal secretary in a law firm environment is required
• A high school diploma or GED certification is required
• Ability to read and write English
• Ability to understand and follow work directions, manage multiple priorities and respond to urgent requests with minimal supervision
• Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects and follow them through to completion, regardless of who is doing the work
• Expertise in Microsoft Word and Outlook is essential. Must also be proficient in Adobe, Excel and PowerPoint. Experience with Office 2010 and Windows 7 is preferred
• Excellent keyboarding, grammar, spelling and proofreading skills. Transcription skills required
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with clients, firm members, and other business contacts
• Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills, as well as the ability to handle stressful situations in a calm, composed manner
• Ability to pay close attention to detail and be highly organized and accurate
• Strong time management skills
• Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented, service environment
• Availability and willingness to work overtime as needed or requested
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, with strong word processing and computer skills. Experience with MS365 a plus. Proofreading, NetDocs and PowerPoint skills desired.
• Demonstrate a growth mindset; participate in innovation initiatives
• A highly professional demeanor and appearance – adhere to dress code

Who We Are

What’s in it For You?

• Choice of health and vision insurance plans
• 2 paid volunteer days for qualifying community service work
• Dental plan
• Fertility and adoption benefit
• Paid sabbatical after 13 years of service
• Tuition reimbursement
• Commuter benefits
• Retirement contribution

District of Columbia