Estate Planning Associate Attorney

Grimaldi Law Firm • Hollywood, FL

20h • Hybrid

About The Position

Grimaldi Law Firm, located in Hollywood, Florida, is seeking an experienced and level-headed estate planning attorney. The firm specializes in real estate, estate planning, and probate services, aiming to protect families and their legacies, keeping them out of the court system. GRIMALDI LAW FIRM is a small, growing, boutique, woman-owned law firm that functions as an in-house legal and consulting department for its clients, including private individuals, forward-thinkers, investors, and small businesses. The firm values integrity, compassion, communication, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence. They are looking for team members who are smart, compassionate, ethical, professional, and trustworthy. The firm emphasizes the importance of estate planning and offers a supportive environment with a focus on work-life balance, competitive compensation, and opportunities for professional growth. The role involves significant client interaction, case management, and the potential to shape the firm's culture and systems.

Requirements

• Experienced estate planner who needs no supervision in dealing with planning for a taxable estate.
• Familiarity with GRATs, ILITs, and SLATs.
• Willingness to learn Wealthcounsel and Eldercounsel Estate planning documents.
• Ability to immediately take on client matters.
• Willingness to fully adopt existing systems and help improve them.
• Ability to supervise probate and trust administration.
• Familiarity with the process of estate administration.
• Ability to work with a drafting paralegal and a legal assistant.
• Ability to meet measurable benchmarks (work accomplished and income generated) on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.
• Ability to supervise the estate administration paralegal in preparing probate and estate administration petitions and related filings.
• Ability to assist Fiduciaries with marshaling assets, determining immediate cash needs, determining estate debts and liabilities, and preparing an initial plan of distribution.
• Ability to guide and advise fiduciaries through ongoing administration of the estate and/or trust.
• Ability to assist clients effectively by understanding their needs, analyzing the situation, and then strategizing and deciding on a proper course of action.
• Ability to delegate to and review the work of paralegals and legal assistants.
• Ability to discuss estate planning with clients to understand their needs, fears, and desires.
• Ability to advise clients regarding retirement plans, charitable giving, and insurance.
• Ability to solve legal problems for clients through analyzing the situation, understanding their needs, and creating a strategic plan of action.
• Ability to design estate plans that will work for clients within the client’s chosen price point.
• Ability to draft wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.
• Ability to collaborate with other attorneys and paralegals to effectively move files through the estate administration process.
• Ability to delegate to Paralegals and legal staff to accomplish tasks where appropriate, but remain responsible for ensuring the timely and professional completion of the work assigned.
• Ability to represent clients in court regarding estate matters.
• Ability to perform legal research and drafting discovery, motions, pleadings, orders, judgments, and status updates.
• Ability to oversee and analyze discovery.
• Ability to monitor caseload and move cases progressively forward and through the pipeline in accordance with defined milestones.
• Ability to make recommendations on the design, deployment, and execution of policies, procedures, processes, checklists, templates, forms, etc., to create systems that run the business efficiently and profitably.
• Ability to network.
• Ability to give in-person and webcast presentations to groups of clients, attorneys, financial professionals, or potential clients.
• Must keep CLEs and law license up-to-date.
• Ability to develop relationships with the community served and the leaders of that community.
• Conveys confidence in person and on the phone.
• Shows empathy to clients and puts them at ease during challenging times.
• Demonstrates exceptional communication skills.
• Able to hold yourself and others accountable.
• A go-getter with a strong work ethic.
• 5+ years of estate planning experience required, including planning for taxable estates.
• Good with basic technology.
• Experience with Windows 10 or 11 and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) is required.
• Excellent references are required.
• Applicant must be a graduate of an accredited law school.
• Applicant must be licensed to practice law in Florida or able to be licensed within 3 months.
• Excellent communication skills, especially in highly stressful and emotional situations.
• Up-beat, self-starter, who has meticulous attention to detail, common sense, great interpersonal skills, and is a good writer.

Nice To Haves

• A moderate book of portable business is a plus.
• Experience with Clio and Google Workspace is preferred but not required.
• 3 years of estate and trust administration and probate experience is preferable.

Responsibilities

• Handling a demanding load of client meetings and drafting/reviewing documents.
• Reviewing cases and progress with the owner weekly.
• Adopting and improving existing systems for the estate planning process.
• Supervising probate and trust administration.
• Assisting Fiduciaries with marshaling assets, determining immediate cash needs, determining estate debts and liabilities, and preparing an initial plan of distribution.
• Guiding and advising fiduciaries through the ongoing administration of the estate and/or trust.
• Assisting clients effectively by understanding their needs, analyzing the situation, and strategizing a proper course of action.
• Delegating to and reviewing the work of paralegals and legal assistants.
• Discussing estate planning with clients to understand their needs, fears, and desires.
• Advising clients regarding retirement plans, charitable giving, and insurance.
• Solving legal problems for clients through analyzing the situation, understanding their needs, and creating a strategic plan of action.
• Designing estate plans that work for clients within their chosen price point.
• Drafting wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.
• Collaborating with other attorneys and paralegals to effectively move files through the estate administration process.
• Delegating to Paralegals and legal staff to accomplish tasks where appropriate, while remaining responsible for the timely and professional completion of the work assigned.
• Representing clients in court regarding estate matters.
• Legal research and drafting discovery, motions, pleadings, orders, judgments, and status updates.
• Overseeing and analyzing discovery.
• Monitoring caseload and moving cases progressively forward and through the pipeline in accordance with defined milestones.
• Making recommendations on the design, deployment, and execution of policies, procedures, processes, checklists, templates, forms, etc., to create systems that run the business efficiently and profitably.
• Networking.
• Giving in-person and webcast presentations to groups of clients, attorneys, financial professionals, or potential clients.
• Keeping CLEs and law license up-to-date.
• Developing relationships with the community served and the leaders of that community.
• Supervising the estate administration paralegal in preparing probate and estate administration petitions and related filings.
• Leading paralegals and other staff in a team-oriented manner.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and bonus.
• The balance between home and work life.
• Supportive Environment where you're challenged with interesting work for interesting clients.
• Monthly bonuses for all staff when revenue numbers are hit.
• Significant raise after a 90-day probationary period.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree