Legal Administrative Assistant

Summary: Performs a variety of secretarial duties for attorney(s), paralegal(s), and management to whom assigned according to established policies and procedures. Maintains positive contact with clients, attorneys and staff and observes confidentiality of client matters.

Key Responsibilities:

• Operates a computer, transcribes dictation, performs e-filings as needed.

• Prepares correspondence, memoranda and other legal documents from written and oral drafts. Screens telephone calls and records messages.

• Files time-sensitive legal documents with minimal instruction and produces litigation-specific work such as briefs, e-filings, Tables of Authorities/Contents, motion exhibits, legal numbering, discovery binders, proofreads, researches court rules, and other litigation-related tasks as assigned.

• Reads, sorts, and dates incoming mail. Ensures that outgoing mail is timely delivered. If necessary, routes mail to specific delivery service and follows up on timely delivery.

• Establishes and maintains calendar and deadline reminder systems; utilizes master calendar system.

• Opens new files, requests conflict of interest checks with file room records, assist with audit letter responses, and maintains all client and general files. Conducts periodic review for possible storage of older files; prepares files to be closed.

• Enters attorney(s) timesheets in timekeeping software; submits attorney(s) expenses; arranges and manages attorney(s) travel.

• Receives clients and visitors; maintains good public relations with clients; observes confidentiality of attorney-client relationship.

• Makes appointments for attorney(s).

• Processes bills; proofs billing sheets; reviews and edits bills.

• Works closely with administrative staff (word processing, office services, receptionist, etc.); ensures that attorney timesheets are provided to appropriate person in a timely manner.

• Strong technical knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

• Performs legal assistant duties as requested.

• Performs overflow typing, filing, photocopying, or reception relief as time permits and as requested.

• Other duties as assigned.

The employee must be able to perform all essential job duties and responsibilities of this position satisfactorily and as outlined, with or without reasonable accommodations. Reasonable accommodation requests may be accommodated, absent undue firm hardship.

Qualifications:

• Ability to read and write in order to proof and perform minor editing (e.g., punctuation, grammar, spelling) of routine law office correspondence and legal case matters. Perform non-complex arithmetic calculations when verifying calculations on forms and documents; maintain records and filing systems at a level normally acquired through completion of high school or equivalent.

• Approximately two to three years on the job law firm experience necessary in order to produce accurate legal documents with minimal supervision with quick turnaround.

• Ability to produce legal documents, correspondence and reports from rough draft or dictation at a minimum of 55 wpm.

• Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints including proofreading and quality checking with attention to detail.

• Ability to proofread typed material for grammatical, typographical or spelling errors.

• Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate and follow instructions effectively from a diverse group of clients, attorneys and staff to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact.

• Communication skills necessary to communicate in person, by e-mail and telephone to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact.

• Work occasionally requires a high level of focus and attention to detail while producing a high volume of information and performing other essential duties.

• Work occasionally requires more than 37.5 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position; may require irregular hours.

This job description is intended to describe the general requirements of this position. As such, it is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of job duties or responsibilities required in this job. Subject to firm needs, duties and responsibilities of this position may change at any time, on a temporary or permanent basis, and with or without notice.
Working Conditions:

• Normal law office environment with little exposure to excessive noise, dust, temperature and the like.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of essential functions, responsibilities or requirements.

Equal Employment and Opportunity Statement:

Barnes & Thornburg is committed to equal employment opportunity in both principle and as a matter of policy. We will recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate and provide benefits to all applicants and employees without regard to ancestry, sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religion, religious creed, mental and/or physical disability, medical condition, military and/or veteran’s status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all recruiting, hiring, promotions, upgrades, layoffs, compensation, benefits, terminations and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. The firm complies fully with all federal, state and local equal employment opportunity laws.