What are the responsibilities and job description for the Paralegal / Legal Assistant position at Wilhite and Associates Law Firm, P.C.?
PARALEGAL / LEGAL ASSISTANT
Founded in 1994, we are a “boutique” law firm, which means a small team (8 now including 2 attorneys) serving large national/regional clients within one industry (multi-family housing for us). Our focus is civil litigation and adversarial matters while also providing substantial client assistance in regulatory matters, leasing, Landlord-Tenant law and Fair Housing compliance. Our size allows us to remain nimble and aggressive to serve a large and loyal (most clients date back decades) client base. Our practice is multi-jurisdictional but our office is in Carmel. We’ll only interview Hamilton County applicants (or very quick commute).
This position offers the opportunity to work closely with seasoned legal professionals in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. We “Play to Win” and “Failure is Not an Option.” Employees are empowered to succeed. We offer comprehensive and continued training to ensure everyone has the necessary tools, including extensive one-on-one sessions, process workflows, and an initial designated (paid) training period. After onboarded and given direction, will work largely independently (so need problem solving instincts) but within a very collaborative larger team.
For more on the firm, view the “Join Our Team” page of our website www.wilhiteassoc.com.
Key Responsibilities
- A successful litigation law firm is largely an “investigation” firm, digging for facts, people and documents, so you will have responsibilities regularly to roll up your sleeves and see what you can find.
- Supporting attorneys’ and your own cases, manage a high-volume of matters, including meeting deadlines, detailed and strategic case analysis, keeping clients informed, and bringing matters to closure.
- Draft and review legal documents, including notices, pleadings, and correspondence.
- Assist with Court scheduling and coordination with Courts.
- Maintain organized digital case files; manage case management systems and deadlines.
- Communicate professionally with clients, adverse parties, Courts and opposing counsel.
- Conduct legal research on state statutes, regulations, ordinances, case law.
- Prepare exhibits, testimony outlines, case summaries, and client reports.
- Support compliance initiatives and documentation for clients.
- E-filing documents with Court.
- Maintain electronic Case Management System (Practice Panther) and One Drive files.
- Initial drafting of documents and sometimes complex emails.
- Help collect, examine, and organize potential exhibits / evidence.
- Assist in preparation for hearings / trials.
- Assist in creating discovery documents and responses.
- Cross trained to back up high volume times for eviction filings.
To say we have a “fast-paced environment” is an understatement. The apartment industry has constant high-volume needs and emergencies. Events at apartments don’t stop when most of the world shuts down. A successful candidate needs excellent time management and organizational skills to compress a large volume of challenging tasks into a compressed short amount of time with deadlines. The great news is: The days fly by !
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.
- Experience as a legal assistant or paralegal preferred.
- Strong communication and organizational skills with attention to detail.
- Strong interpersonal communication.
- Ability to manage multiple cases, calendars and client needs simultaneously.
- Must type (and think ! ) fast with excellent computer skills including Microsoft Office (We prefer someone even above average tech-savvy).
Why Join Us
- Be part of a respected law firm serving leading housing industry clients.
- Competitive compensation and benefits package. Top tier merit increases.
- Collaborative, supportive team culture.
- Opportunities for professional growth.