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Job Description
We are looking for a Legal Assistant / Paralegal who will contribute to a various tasks and responsibilities to facilitate the smooth operation of our estate planning departments for our State College office. The preferred candidate should possess organizational skills, a willingness to assist others, and excellent communication skills coupled with attention to detail.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Phone Responder
Scheduling
File Management
Writing/Information Gathering
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Phone Responder
- Serve as a phone responder to answer phone calls, direct caller to appropriate staff member and/or email appropriate department a message related to the call.
- Maintain a professional and pleasant manner on the phone.
- Limit callers time on hold, apologize for delays.
Scheduling
- Assist clients or potential clients with scheduling appointments or initial consultations by creating appointments in Outlook/Zoom and updating our client database.
- Manage Outlook calendars for various staff members to ensure all appointments are correctly listed across individual and office calendars.
File Management
- Assist with preparing files for new clients/maintaining old files.
- Assign tasks to staff to advance files from potential client status through the client process and concluding in the inactivating file stage once work is completed.
- Attend appointments with the attorneys and interact with clients and referral sources serving as witness and/or notary during signing appointments.
- Assist with billing for department to maintain regular and accurate billing.
Writing/Information Gathering
- Coordinate the intake and triage process in order to understand clients' needs and wishes for effective planning.
- Order tax assessment cards and title searches for clients’ real estate.
- Prepare, proofread, and print correspondence and documents.
- Perform records research online and at courthouses, including but not limited to researching deeds, gas leases, and corresponding ancillary documents.
- Record documents at the county courthouse as well as at the Department of State, IRS, the Office of Veteran’s Affairs, and the Department of Public Welfare.
- Gather information and compile client information and assets into a Client Information and Asset List.
- Assist with trust funding by completing change forms, corresponding with professionals and companies, ensuring changes are made, and follow up with clients as needed.
Qualifications
- High school diploma or GED required; some college preferred.
- Display excellent written, problem-solving, and verbal communication skills.
- History of being deadline-driven and extremely organized.
- At least 1 year experience in an administrative or other related position, legal experience preferred.
