As a Paralegal, you will be responsible for providing a comprehensive range of support to attorneys on medium to large employment litigation matters, and overseeing the work of associated legal secretaries, administrative staff, clerks, and/or temporary employees in the performance of client-related tasks.
At Davis Wright Tremaine, you will find challenging assignments, opportunities for professional growth and community involvement, and a culture of inclusion. DWT fosters inclusiveness and authenticity. Regardless of position, everyone here has a voice and the support is unparalleled.
On a typical day you will perform:
Case Management * Proactively serve as the focal point for litigation team communications and centralized repository for information on project assignments and status * Work with secretaries and docketing personnel to ensure that both calendar systems contain accurate and current information * Oversee creation, indexing, and continued maintenance of complex case files and document collections * Proofread legal memoranda to identify and correct typographical and grammatical errors; check all citations to legal authorities and to the evidence for accuracy of citations and forms of citation consistent with The Bluebook and/or specific court requirements; verify history of cited cases * Coordinate and manage court filings, either in paper or electronic form as determined by court requirements
Research & Discovery * Perform complex fact research and analysis; retrieve and review documents from clients, other parties, and outside sources such as the Internet, public agencies, courts or libraries, as well as case, statutory and/or regulatory law; prepare memoranda or summaries documenting research * Manage the creation and maintenance of special collections of documents (including witness files, subject and issue files, experts’ reliance documents, etc.) * May prepare initial drafts of discovery requests and responses and other pleadings and memoranda * Assist with and participate in collection of client and other parties’ documents; manage detailed tracking of document collection; work with litigation support to ensure proper collection of electronic documents and files * Conduct interviews of witnesses and file custodians * Work with litigation support to retain vendors, as needed, for all aspects of document production and review; conduct quality control assessment of work performed by vendors * Draft memoranda or other documents memorializing in detail the processes used in collecting and producing client documents * Conduct initial review of client documents to determine responsiveness and relevance and to identify documents protected by attorney-client privilege; draft privilege logs * Perform complex database searches to locate and retrieve selected documents * Prepare or supervise the preparation of exhibits for use at depositions and maintain a system to track marked exhibits * Manage the collection and status of deposition transcripts; perform searches in the deposition full-text database; summarize deposition transcripts
Preparation for and Assistance at Trial or Other Proceedings * Assist with trial or arbitration proceedings (tasks include but are not limited to: preparation of exhibit and witness lists, designations of deposition testimony, preparation of the trial brief). * Coordinate logistics with court personnel and other counsel * Work with trial support vendor and/or internal litigation support staff to select, prepare, and operate courtroom technology; coordinate set-up and use of technology with courtroom personnel and other counsel * Assist attorneys at trial (e.g., track and manage trial exhibits, coordinate with witnesses, operate courtroom presentation tools, act as liaison with court personnel, and summarize trial testimony); coordinate trial support work of more junior paralegals and/or document clerks
Administrative Tasks * Accurately and completely record billable time spent and tasks performed in accordance with firm policy and client-imposed billing protocols; enter and release time promptly in compliance with the firm’s announced deadlines * Accurately and promptly submit records of hours worked in compliance with the firm’s established deadlines * Maintain regular and consistent attendance and punctuality. Adhere to schedule by being timely on breaks, lunches and meetings * Accept and perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned
Join us if you have:
* 5+ years of paralegal experience, depending upon practice area and position available * Bachelor’s degree and completion of paralegal program of study, or clear demonstration of equivalent knowledge and skill * Highly developed skills in time and task management * Highly developed attention to detail in striving for perfection in the firm’s work product and client service * Post-college level writing and oral communication skills * Advanced proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office computerized business applications (Word, Excel, and Outlook) for the creation and editing of complex documents, spreadsheets, and e-mail * Proficiency in the use of computerized legal research and document retention databases, like Westlaw, Relativity, for performance of legal and fact research and effective management of complex evidence and case files * Proficiency in the use of trial support software, like Trial Director, preferred * Proficiency in the use of eDiscovery software, i.e., Relativity, preferred * Flexibility for overtime
While a Bachelor’s degree is helpful, we are open to candidates from non-traditional backgrounds who have transferrable skills to succeed.
Who We Are
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with eight offices nationwide. We are relentlessly committed to client service and look for candidates who share that commitment. At DWT, client service means having empathy for each client’s and each lawyer’s work and personal pressures, business objectives, and legal needs; anticipating their needs; and having the capabilities and commitment to deliver what matters most to them.
What’s in it For You?
DWT offers competitive compensation in addition to ample benefits including but not limited to: * Choice of health and vision insurance plans * 2 paid volunteer days for qualifying community service work * Dental plan * Fertility and adoption benefit * Paid sabbatical after 13 years of service * Tuition reimbursement * Commuter benefits * Retirement contribution
Physical Requirements
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to feel and reach with hands and arms and frequently required to sit, stand, walk and occasionally stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
This job description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP believes that embracing diversity and inclusion brings out the best of what each individual has to offer and inspires us to build strong and lasting connections with each other, our clients, and our communities. We are committed to promoting a diverse workforce and inclusive environment where every employee has the right to work in surroundings that are free from all forms of unlawful discrimination. It is our policy to hire, promote, transfer, terminate, and make all employment-related decisions without regard to an employee’s sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical condition), race, color, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, religious creed, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, medical condition, military condition, military or veteran status or any other basis prohibited by applicable local, state, or federal laws.
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About Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
The List that Shaped a Legacy
Davis Wright Tremaine is dedicated to providing excellent legal services, and delivering them in a manner customized to each client’s particular needs and preferences.
This commitment has remained intact for decades as the firm has grown across the nation and to China. Today, Davis Wright is a full-service firm with approximately 500 lawyers in nine offices on the east and west coasts of the United States and in Shanghai. We are recognized for excellence in a broad number of areas, with 89 of our attorneys across 31 practice areas cited as leaders in their fields in the most recent Chambers USA guide, and over 140 of our attorneys across 56 practice areas included in the 2015 edition of "The Best Lawyers in America."
Focused on the Future
While we honor and have great regard for our history, Davis Wright is focused on the future of providing legal services. We believe the future will reward those lawyers and firms that innovate and persist in tuning their services to the real-life, changing business needs of their clients. The ability to deliver customized excellence is based on listening to and understanding our clients, and being sufficien...tly flexible to adapt our approach to the client’s needs in the context of the particular situation in which we were hired. That involves talking with our clients, learning what their success measures are, and collaborating with them to ensure our service helps them accomplish those measures.
This always involves excellent lawyering but it also includes:
deep industry knowledge,
gains in efficiency in performing work that does not require a customized solution, or
the application of technology to reduce cycle time and improve quality.
How We Work with Clients
We use a number of techniques to ensure we understand our clients. We use client teams to enhance communication and collaboration among our lawyers, to advance our understanding of our clients’ business objectives, and to confirm with clients that our service model is aligned with their needs. Each year, we conduct dozens of face-to-face client service interviews, led by senior members of the firm, to solicit specific feedback on our lawyers and work, and to understand how, from the client’s perspective, we can improve. And, on a daily basis, we expect our lawyers to deliver value that includes not just excellent legal service but also business insight, user-friendliness, and flawless support.
We believe the way we work with clients is a distinctive feature of the firm and we make it a priority to reinforce its importance.
Teams That Collaborate
In terms of our services, we supplement depth and strength in the core legal functions of litigation, business transactions, intellectual property, and employment with nationally-recognized, broadly-based teams focused on a number of highly regulated industries—including communications, media, financial services, health care, energy, and hospitality. These teams collaborate effectively to provide a unified legal solution that is well-informed by the particular business and regulatory circumstances that influence our clients’ businesses and the legal work they need.
We focus on what we do extremely well. This means we will not be all things to all clients, but that they will place a high value on their relationship with Davis Wright.
