Executive Assistant & Senior Paralegal

Position Summary

This is an advanced position of Litigation Paralegal position in which the incumbent’s primary responsibilities are to serve as lead or supervisory paralegal on all contracted government cases within the firm. The Senior Paralegal in this position reports directly to the Partner overseeing government defense contracts. This position requires frequent interaction with various members of the firm and a variety of others, including clients, opposing counsel, and senior government officials among others.

 

Essential Duties and Functions

Executive Assistant-Related:

• Oversees the Partner’s calendar, including liaising with clients/attorneys/staff to schedule and confirm meetings
• Manages a to do list for the Partner and prioritizes tasks
• Prepares expense reports for the Partner
• Takes minutes for the Partner’s meetings
• Tracks the Partner’s docket and assists with case staffing
• Assists the Partner with timekeeping
• Assists with the Partner’s general counsel duties, including drafting correspondence and documents as needed

 

Litigation-Related:

• Performs the full-range of litigation paralegal duties as set forth on that position description (see billable hour requirement below)
  • Assists a practice group of attorneys with individual cases and docket management;
  • Calculates, calendars, and tracks upcoming deadlines;
  • Maintains detailed and organized client records;
  • Drafts short correspondence and email communications to clients, attorneys, and staff;
  • Gathers information from clients and potential clients relating to their legal claims and damages;
  • Tracks and follows up with different for a regarding the status of a case;
  • Provides client support in areas of frequent communication and conducts witness interviews;
  • Provides direct support to attorneys preparing for client meetings and assists during client meetings;
  • Schedules, prepares, and assists with discovery, depositions, hearings, trials arbitration, or other court proceedings;
  • Conducts legal research and emailing, mailing, and faxing case-related documents.
• Oversees new defense case assignment set-up in both the legal departments and billing & finance department in accordance with standards set forth in controlling contractual requirements
• Oversees daily activities required for maintenance of the Firm’s government defense case docket files and records
• Sets up a new matters under prevailing contracts, including ensuring accuracy and consistency of folders, import of appropriate checklists/workflow, and identification and saving of appropriate rules
• Tracks government defense cases that scheduled for hearing, appeals to OFO, petitions for review to the MPSB, and summary judgment briefings
• Provides paralegal support on government defense cases and/or other complex litigation as assigned
• Serves as lead paralegal on nation-wide management-side class action labor arbitration grievances:
  • Conducts management witness interviews
  • Prepares affidavits of management witnesses
  • Collects and organizes evidence
• Conducts periodic training for paralegals regarding responsibilities and procedures for government defense cases
• Manages intake for consultation-only contracts, including scheduling consultations, updating leads in the intake database, and providing follow-up as needed

 

Contract Compliance Oversight:

• Creates, maintains, and ensures all attorneys assigned to government defense cases provide monthly case updates to timely transmit to government defense clients in accordance with contractual requirements
• Serves as a point of contact for defense client’s litigation hold notice procedures
• Audits existing litigation holds and proposes hold lifts to the assigned attorneys on a quarterly basis
• Serves as a point of contact for providing copies of case files to the US Attorney or Office of General Council in the event an administrative claim is removed to US District Court
• Attends all calls with government COTRs, Contracting Officers, and other officials related to the Firm’s performance under the relevant contracts
• Conducts initial review and proposes edits on client invoices for attorney review and approval
• Monitors and ensures all GEL staff assigned to government contracts are in compliance with contract training requirements, security and suitability screening requirements, and government issued electronic login frequency requirements

 

Contract Solicitation and Bids:

• Assists the Firm in preparing and submitting bids for government contracts
• Works with government contracting vendors and consultants regarding registration with the GSA Schedule
• Reviews SAM.gov and identifies potential bid opportunities for the firm on a weekly basis
• Prepares unsolicited proposals to federal agencies within 4 weeks prior to the end of the fiscal year

 

Basic Qualifiations

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, and Adobe Acroba
• Excellent written and verbal communications, including providing good customer service
• Proficient at taking notes quickly either by hand or typing
• Proficient at proofreading, editing, and formatting documents
• Ability to work in a team-oriented environment with different personalities and varying schedules
• Ability to read and annotate large or voluminous sets of documents, including medical records, personnel files, discovery document productions, government contracts, and federal records

 

Desired Skills

• Fluency in written and spoken Spanish is a plus, but not required

 

Education/Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree

 

Billable Hour Requirement: 960 hours/year (80 hours/month)

 

Salary Range: $30.00 - $34.00/ hour

 

Benefits

• Dental Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Maternity and Parental Leave
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Retirement
• Commuter and Parking Benefit

 

 

Salary

• $30 - $34/hour