Senior Paralegal - Family Law

Gevurtz Menashe is a dedicated law firm offering family law and estate planning services in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. For over 40 years, we have built a practice that is centered around our core belief that quality care for our clients produces the best outcomes when paired with our expertise in the law. At Gevurtz Menashe, we work as a team to support our clients and are fully engaged with one another and have high expectations of ourselves and each other in a fully collaborative and committed environment. 

Core Objectives

• Assist Attorneys: Utilize strong work ethic, amassed knowledge of local and state rules, and expertise with basic legal proceedings, complimented by the ability to assist with court processes to provide legal assistance to Attorneys in our Family Law practice.  Internal Training: Provide mentorship and training to Paralegals by coordinating and delegating projects as well as overseeing the outcomes. 
• Client Experience: Provide excellent care to our clients from the start to the end of a case. 

Typical Tasks

What follows is a sample list of responsibilities in the Senior Paralegal role. This list is not intended to be exclusive but will identify some typical day-to-day tasks and projects.

Client Assistance: 

• Provide information to clients regarding status, track pending matters and documents. Provide information regarding procedures and explain processes.
• Meet with clients to review and sign documents as needed.
• Work directly with clients to complete forms and pleadings, Uniform Support Declarations, UCCJEA information, affidavits/declarations in support of other pleadings.
• Prepare child support worksheets and parenting time calendars.
• Assist clients by troubleshooting questions/problems when the Attorney is unavailable.
• Take client phone calls, listen, and provide procedural information (gatekeeper duties).

Case Management: 

• Track litigation process and assist with the management of the case.
• Track case deadlines, reminders, and other necessary dates with tickle system.
• Discovery organization and preparation of draft UTCR 8.010, as requested.
• Create hearing notebooks, trial preparation materials, outlines and trial exhibit notebooks and Parenting evaluation notebooks.
• Coordinate and communicate with other opposing counsel and other outside professionals.
• Coordinate with Paralegals to reschedule hearings, depositions, mediation, arbitration, etc. with courts, Attorneys, clients, and witnesses. 
• Assist with case coverage during Attorney absences. Coordinate with other Attorneys to provide assistance to clients and outside counsel.

Discovery and Case Processing

• Initial preparation and follow-up on documents such as, but not limited to: 
• Uniform Support Declarations
• Request for Production and Responses 
• Protective Orders and Non-Disclosure Agreements/Confidentiality Notices 
• Notices of Deposition with Subpoenas 
• Motion to Compel with Exhibits and Supplements
• Declarations (TRO’s, MTC’s, Protective Orders, Status Quo Orders)
• Mediation Memorandums
• Settlement Agreement Outlines

Deposition, Trial, Mediation and Settlement Conference Preparation

• Proactively and independently anticipate and attend to case needs and coordinate workflow with Attorneys and/or other Paralegals and staff.
• Conduct statutory, regulatory, or factual research with respect to client matters. 
• Prepare Documents such as, but not limited to:
• Exhibits and Exhibit Notebooks
• Trial/Mediation Notebooks
• Witness Coordination: Pre-trial Conference, Trial Appearance, and Exhibits

Attorney Assistance:

• Provide coverage for other Paralegals during absences or overloads.
• Research and pull statutes, rules, cases, legislative histories, etc.
• Provide support to attorneys for their marketing, CLE, professional and bar-related committee work and activities.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, communications, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of Family Law experience.

Skills & Abilities 

• Ability to exercise and maintain a high level of confidentiality and discretion.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills are required and the ability to be adaptable and change plans as needed. 
• Must be detail-oriented, able to think critically and set high standards for accuracy. 
• Knowledge of local and state filing rules, procedures, and terminology.
• Excellent communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional client service skills and ability to work independently, as well as on a team. 
• Ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced team environment.
• Must have demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Power Point. Experience with or exposure to Adobe, Zola Suite, NetDocs, etc. are a plus.