Paralegal - Torts

JOB TITLE:                       Paralegal - Torts

SALARY RANGE:              $77,250 

HAY POINTS:                     393

DEPT/DIV:                           Legal Department

SUPERVISOR:                    Deputy Executive Assistant General / Assistant General Counsel 

LOCATION:                         130 Livingston Street

HOURS OF WORK:            9:00 am - 5:30 pm (7 1/2 hours/day)

SUMMARY:

An MTA Paralegal assists and supports attorneys in the MTA Legal Department with the delivery of legal services to the MTA and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including the MTA’s Operations, Administration, and Integrated Business Functions areas.  Depending on the needs of the MTA and Legal Department, a Paralegal may work on a wide range of legal assignments, including matters involving litigation, transactions, and authority governance.

RESPONSIBILITIES:  

Assist and support attorneys in the MTA Legal Department with the delivery of legal services to the MTA and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including the MTA’s Operations, Administration, and Integrated Business Functions areas.  Depending on the needs of the MTA and the Legal Department, the paralegal may work on a wide range of legal assignments, including matters involving litigation, contracts, transactions, and authority governance.

Regarding litigation-related matters, including matters handled by the Legal Department’s Torts, Federal Employers’ Liability Act, Commercial Litigation, Labor and Employment, Pension and Employee Benefits, and General Law Divisions and Transit Adjudication Bureau, under the guidance and supervision of attorneys, duties may include:

• Reviewing notices of claim, pleadings, summonses, subpoenas, motions, demands, legal correspondence, and court orders and recording their content and entering and updating deadlines in Legal Department calendars and databases.
• Monitoring court dockets for activity in cases, notifying attorneys, and recording and updating information in Legal Department calendars and databases.
• Maintaining Legal Department litigation files.
• Serving or arranging for service of litigation papers.
• Reviewing discovery demands and preparing draft responses.
• Collecting, reviewing, and redacting documents for discovery.
• Reviewing and working with records that contain confidential and sensitive information, including:
• Personnel, financial, and medical records of employees, litigants, and customers.
• Labor Relations records, including employee disciplinary records.
• MTA Equal Employment Opportunity complaint and investigatory records.
• MTA business records containing financial, confidential, and safety sensitive information.
• Records relating to law enforcement activity and criminal investigation matters.
• Scheduling depositions and statutory hearings and arranging for court reporters and interpreters.
• Preparing digests and summaries of transcripts of testimony and video and audio recordings.
• Preparing litigation papers for service and filing, including compiling exhibits, verifying citations to the record, and cite checking briefs.
• Assisting at depositions, hearings, and trials.
• Conducting fact research and assisting in legal research, including using publicly available databases and Lexis-Nexis.
• Preparing status reports relating to matters handled by the Legal Department. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Regarding transactional matters, including matters handled by the Legal Department’s Condemnation, Environmental, Finance, Procurement and Contracts, Real Estate Development, Real Estate Transactions and Operations, and Special Projects Divisions, under the guidance and supervision of attorneys, duties may include:

• Assisting in the preparation of correspondence, documents, and forms for execution in transactional matters, including compiling exhibits, proofreading, and checking internal references, completing transfer tax and other forms, and reviewing ACRIS for recording data.
• Managing document workflows with internal clients and counterparties.
• Distributing draft documents for internal review and coordinating receipt and reconciliation of stakeholder comments.
• Reviewing surveys and title documents.
• Updating templates and maintaining template libraries.
• Reviewing notices, demands, and legal correspondence, recording their content, and entering and updating deadlines in Legal Department calendars and databases.
• Tracking and updating attorney workflows and status of open matters.
• Maintaining Legal Department transactional matter files.
• Reviewing and working with records that contain confidential and sensitive information, including financial, pricing, and safety sensitive information of the MTA and others.
• Preparing summaries of documents.
• Conducting fact research and assisting in legal research, including using Lexis-Nexis.
• Recording and filing legal documents with public authorities including tax exemption filings and tort filings.
• Searching online public records and other databases
• Preparing status reports relating to matters handled by the Legal Department.
• Other duties as assigned.

Regarding matters relating to authority governance, under the guidance and supervision of attorneys, duties may include:

• Maintaining corporate records of the activity of the MTA board and its committees.
• Preparing public notice materials, including notices of changes in rules.
• Assisting prior to and during public hearings.
• Performing a wide variety of assignment for attorneys on an as-needed-basis, including monitoring progress of pending legislation, conducting fact research, and assisting in performing computerized research using Lexis Nexis.
• Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Strong organizational, analytical, and quantitative skills.
• Strong communication skills, including in writing.
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues at all levels of an organization and with people outside the organization.
• Ability to balance short-term and long-term deadlines in order to complete assignments in a timely manner.
• Proficiency in or ability to learn the programs and systems used in the Legal Department, including Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe, and LexisNexis. 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: REQUIRED 

• Bachelor’s Degree.  An equivalent combination of education and experience from an accredited college may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Minimum 2 years of Paralegal experience 

PREFERRED:

• Prior experience working in a law firm or the legal department of a private or government entity.
• Familiarity with the MTA’s policies and procedures.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Pursuant to the New York State Public Officers Law & the MTA Code of Ethics, all employees who hold a policymaking position must file an Annual Statement of Financial Disclosure (FDS) with the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (the "Commission")      

Equal Employment Opportunity 

MTA and its subsidiary and affiliated agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers, including with respect to veteran status and individuals with disabilities.

The MTA encourages qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, including military service members, to apply.