Litigation Paralegal

Summary: Staff designated at Dickinson Wright PLLC (“the Firm”) as a Paralegal are under the general supervision of the attorneys to whom assigned, as well as the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Essential duties and responsibilities of staff designated as Paralegal at the Firm include but are not limited to:

1. Follow the ethical requirements in order to assist in preparation of case for trial, a closing, the handling of an estate, preparation of tax returns, or other legal functions;
2. Review and analyze matters for the purpose of preparing matter evaluations and status reports to attorneys and clients;
3. Review and analyze cases in order to assist with all phases of discovery, trial preparation and trial support;
4. Draft complaints and answers, routine notices, affidavits, motions, subpoenas, and petitions and other legal documentation;
5. Establish, organize and maintain pleading indexes, attorney trial notebooks, expert witness notebooks, document indexes and lists;
6. Locate and confer with expert witnesses and resource people. Arrange for expert witness inspections and obtain approval from counsel of record and specified parties;
7. Conduct research and locate cases, depositions, opinions, reports and information related to the matter;
8. Contact and interview parties, witnesses and experts, including the obtaining of written statements from witnesses;
9. Review and outline depositions, indexes and summarizes documents;
10. Utilize computerized litigation techniques and software when applicable;
11. Knowledge of state and federal court rules, procedures and e-filing requirements, as well as excellent communication skills and excellent proofreading skills;
12. Self-motivated, proficient in Relativity and Trial Director, as well as the ability to cite-check and shepardize cases, blue book cases, prepare tables of contents, and tables of authorities;
13. Assist in the trial of the case including scheduling of witnesses and control and track exhibits;
14. Perform assisted legal research tasks using all available resources including libraries and computer data systems;
15. Operate standard office equipment such as photocopiers, fax software, personal computer, typewriter;
16. Review and summarize medical records, deposition transcripts, etc.

Qualifications, Skills and Abilities Required:

Paralegals must:

1. Have a Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal certificate are highly recommended. At least 3 years of on-the-job experience is required;
2. Possess knowledge of legal principles and practices at a level normally acquired through formal paralegal training or its equivalent;
3. Possess the ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints. Ability to concentrate and pay close attention to detail when evaluating legal matters;
4. Possess the ability to proofread typed material for contextual, grammatical, typographical or spelling errors;
5. Possess interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate and follow the instruction effectively from a diverse group of clients, attorneys and staff and provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact;
6. Regular and timely attendance at work when scheduled;
7. Work occasionally requires a high level of mental effort and strain while organizing and maintaining multiple cases;
8. Work occasionally requires more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position, may require irregular hours;
9. Have the ability to travel to private and public buildings, local and statewide, via private or public conveyance to assist attorney in attending to client needs on legal matters.

Working Conditions:

Normal law office environment with little exposure to noise, dust, temperature.

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. Please note that a variety of factors determine compensation, including geographic location, experience, relevant degrees and certifications, and other applicable factors authorized by law.

Dickinson Wright offers a generous benefits package for eligible fulltime employees within our U.S. offices, including health, dental, and vision; 401(k) and profit sharing plans; paid vacation; and parental leave. Additional elective programs include: a health flexible spending account, a health savings account, identity theft protection, a dependent day care reimbursement account, commuter benefits, life and AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability protection, an employee assistance program, and emergency travel assistance.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.