Senior Legal Assistant (Litigation)

Reports To: Support Staff Manager

Salary:  $85,000 - $92,000

Status: Non Exempt

Location: Seattle

About Us:

Williams Kastner is a premier multi-practice law firm in the Pacific Northwest with more than 60 attorneys in Washington and Oregon. We have been serving clients with high-quality legal services since 1929. As a firm we embrace diversity and inclusion through our people, our work and our support for, and participation in, community programs and projects which foster diversity. 

Position Overview:

We are seeking a Senior Legal Assistant in our Seattle office. This position will perform administrative legal support under the supervision of attorneys and the Support Staff Manager, with tasks that include but are not limited to: organize and retrieve legal documents and assist with preparation of case materials; maintain and organize case files, exhibits, and notebooks; and electronic filing with local, state and federal courts. There may be occasional billable tasks. This position must observe confidentiality of client and firm matters. The ideal candidate will have experience in a variety of practice group areas with primary duties in civil litigation. Experience with state, local and federal court rules is required. NOTE: It may be possible to work remote up to 2 days per week, based on the needs of the position.

What might set you apart for this position: You have strong time management and organizational skills, are personable and approachable, authentic and transparent, have a balanced personality, are adaptable, and understand the roles and expectations within a litigation practice group.

Responsibilities of Senior Legal Assistant:

This position generally involves recurring work situations with occasional variation from average to moderate complexity. The employee must perform all duties with minimal supervision. Overtime might occur during periods of high workload.

Responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to the following: 

• Assist with all aspects of the litigation process including: preparing pleadings such as notice of appearance, finalizing briefs, E-filing in appellate, federal, state and local courts, tracking discovery and verifications, preparing settlements and dismissal paperwork, closing files and assisting with compiling expert information.
• Draft correspondence and other communications in strict confidence; communicate with attorneys, clients and vendors in a professional manner. This may include administrative tasks associated with attorney’s membership in work-related organizations.
• Maintain attorney calendars including coordination of schedules, case docketing, and assisting with travel arrangements.
• Organize and maintain case files, including copying, filing, typing and updating case indices.
• Research, retrieve, collect and compile case materials for use by attorneys and experts.
• Coordinate attorney directives regarding case and client guidelines.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications of Senior Legal Assistant: 

• 10+ years of litigation legal assistant experience. Demonstrated experience understanding litigation procedures in Washington State and Oregon (local, state and federal courts, depending on office location), required. Appellate court experience is a plus.
• Familiarity with basic office policies and procedures.
• High degree of technical skills, including MS Office products required; accounting and docketing software a plus.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment, such as personal computer, multi-line telephone, fax/copy machine.
• Ability to maintain filing and recordkeeping systems.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to communicate professionally with all levels of a law firm from attorneys to reception, clients and vendors.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate with others as a team, in a collegial manner.
• Ability to be reliable and maintain regular attendance, and be able to work overtime as needed.
• Ability to follow instructions and organize work to meet deadlines. 

Additional experience and educational preferences: 

Any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job.

• Required: A high school diploma or equivalent. 
• Preferred: College degree or equivalent work experience demonstrating required skills.

Salary Range and Benefits: 

$82,000 - $95,000 – This salary range is dependent upon a variety of factors, which include but are not limited to the following: the candidate’s relevant experience, skill level, and demonstrated ability to perform all of the essential functions of the position as well as the ability to perform tasks which would arise from the needs of the position or as assigned and all of the qualifications listed in the job description. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short & long-term disability, 401K, paid time off, and holiday pay. 

Working Conditions: 

This position is capable of working partially remotely, based on the needs of the practice group and clients. The need to be in the office cannot be predicted as the work assigned will be based on multiple factors. When in the office normal office environment with little exposure to excessive noise, dust, temperature, etc. Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time; frequently operates a computer and other office machinery such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer; often works under deadlines; occasionally needs to move about the office to access file cabinets, machinery, etc. Ability to occasionally lift objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Travel outside the office may be necessary occasionally.

• Be Exceptional – Fiercely committed to high-quality work, productivity, and being elite players doing next-level work.
• Lighten Up – Kind, authentic humans with positive attitudes having fun and making each other look good.
• Own Your Stuff – 100% accountability for our behavior and impact on each other. Gracefully resolve static and conflict.
• Ever Forward – Never complacent, always learning and improving. Stay humble, innovative, and adaptable.
• Blood Type: Grit – Resilient and scrappy, impossible to discourage, unafraid to dream big and shoot for the moon.