The Legal Secretary will provide high-level secretarial, administrative, and litigation support to attorneys while ensuring efficient management of legal matters, administrative processes, and client service activities. The role requires a proactive professional who can independently manage competing priorities, maintain accuracy under pressure, and provide exceptional support in a fast-paced legal environment.
Main responsibilities:
Attorney and Administrative Support:
- Manage attorneys' calendars, including complex scheduling and coordination of meetings.
- Follow up on meeting action items and ensure timely completion of deliverables.
- Schedule and organize complex activities such as meetings, seminars, and domestic and international travel arrangements.
- Process and manage vendor invoices and related administrative documentation.
- Prepare expense reports, check requests, billing support, time entries in Intapp Time, mail distribution, and other administrative tasks.
- Organize and prioritize high volumes of emails, phone calls, and requests for information.
- Respond to regularly occurring requests for information with professionalism and discretion.
- Prepare, edit, proofread, and format correspondence, memos, presentations, reports, charts, and other business documents.
- Update and proof visual presentations and other client-facing materials.
Litigation Support:
- Prepare attorneys' correspondence and legal documents with minimal direction.
- Format, revise, and proofread pleadings, briefs, motions, discovery requests, and other legal documents.
- Generate Tables of Contents (TOC) and Tables of Authorities (TOA) for briefs and court filings.
- Assist with manual and electronic court filings.
- Coordinate and serve discovery documents.
- Maintain familiarity with California Rules of Court, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and applicable court procedures.
- Support attorneys with trial preparation, including organization of exhibits, filings, and case materials.
- Maintain accurate case-related records and documentation.
Teamwork and Collaboration:
- Work effectively with attorneys, clients, court personnel, and colleagues at all levels of the Firm.
- Volunteer to assist others within the practice group and office as needed.
- Foster a collaborative and positive team environment.
- Share knowledge, information, and expertise with colleagues.
- Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills and exercise sound judgment in handling administrative and legal support matters.
Skills and experience:
Education and Experience:
- High School Diploma or equivalent required; Secretarial or Administrative degree preferred.
- Minimum of 8-10 years of legal secretarial experience, preferably supporting litigation attorneys within a law firm or professional services environment.
- Experience supporting both litigation and administrative functions in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience with trial preparation and court filing procedures.
Technical Skills:
- Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Intermediate knowledge of Firm technologies and legal support platforms, including:
- iManage
- Intapp Time
- Intapp Open
- Chrome River
- Other document management and workflow systems
- Strong technical aptitude with the ability to learn new systems quickly.
Professional Competencies
- Excellent English verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong proofreading, grammar, spelling, and document formatting skills.
- Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
- Strong organizational, planning, and time-management skills.
- Ability to prioritize multiple assignments and meet intense deadlines.
- Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Professional demeanor and ability to interact effectively with individuals at all levels.
- Demonstrated commitment to teamwork, collaboration, and client service.
- Understanding of Firm structure, resources, and administrative processes.
- Commitment to continuous improvement and identifying process efficiencies.
Key Attributes:
- Team player with a proactive, service-oriented mindset.
- Highly organized and detail-oriented.
- Able to perform effectively under pressure and in deadline-driven environments.
- Dependable, adaptable, and resourceful.
- Consistently demonstrates professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment.
