Legal Administrative Specialist, Office of General Counsel

University of the South•Sewanee, TN

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Legal Administrative Specialist provides advanced legal administrative support to the Office of General Counsel and reports to the Vice President and General Counsel. The role supports legal operations, subject-matter management, contract administration, document preparation, compliance, and the effective functioning of the office while exercising professionalism, judgment, discretion, and confidentiality. It is a full-year, full-time, 40-hour-per-week, on-site position. The position manages office administration and communications, calendars and deadlines, legal matter files and records, and document preparation and tracking. It supports attorneys with research, contracts, litigation, investigations, compliance, budgets, invoices, and legal projects; coordinates matter intake and workflow; and helps develop and improve office procedures, records standards, and administrative processes. The role regularly handles highly confidential information and works with university constituents, outside counsel, governmental entities, and other third parties. The position requires an associate degree and at least seven years of progressively responsible experience in legal administrative or equivalent legal support work. A bachelor's degree and an ABA-approved or accredited paralegal certificate are preferred. Relevant education, specialized legal training, and experience performing substantive legal support responsibilities may be considered in lieu of the certificate.

Requirements

Associate degree required.
Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience as a legal administrative assistant, senior legal assistant, paralegal, or equivalent legal support professional.
Experience supporting attorneys in an in-house legal department, law firm, government agency, higher education institution, or similarly complex legal environment.
Strong understanding of legal concepts, practices, procedures, terminology, contract administration, records management, and legal document preparation.
Professionalism, integrity, judgment, and sensitivity appropriate to a law office, including protection of confidential and privileged information.
Knowledge of law office operations, legal matter management, legal billing processes, and document management systems.
Ability to conduct legal and factual research, organize complex information, and prepare concise summaries and reports for attorney review.
Strong organizational, project management, and time-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and assignments.
Advanced proficiency in Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, and document collaboration tools.
Excellent verbal, written, proofreading, and interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to exercise independent judgment, solve problems proactively, and work with minimal supervision.
Ability to work effectively and collegially with internal and external constituencies at all levels.
High degree of accuracy, attention to detail, discretion, and professionalism in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to use hands for repetitive tasks and lift and carry up to 10 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree preferred.
Paralegal certificate from an ABA-approved or accredited paralegal program preferred.
Equivalent education, specialized legal training, and progressively responsible experience in substantive legal support—including legal research, contract administration, legal document preparation, litigation or compliance support, and legal matter management—may be considered in lieu of the paralegal certificate.

Responsibilities

Manage administrative and operational functions of the Office of General Counsel, including telephone calls, email, initial legal inquiries, and mail intake and distribution.
Coordinate and schedule meetings, conference calls, training sessions, and travel arrangements.
Maintain complex calendars, track legal and regulatory deadlines, monitor litigation and contract milestones, and follow up on critical matters.
Maintain structured, searchable matter files for contract, litigation, employment, regulatory, compliance, and investigative matters; manage electronic records and open, maintain, and close legal files.
Communicate tactfully and discreetly with internal clients, outside and opposing counsel, government agencies, and third parties to gather, organize, and convey information.
Prepare, revise, proofread, format, and assemble legal and administrative documents, including contracts, correspondence, reports, presentations, board materials, subpoenas, and discovery responses; track revisions and identify inconsistencies between drafts.
Conduct legal and factual research and compile information, summaries, chronologies, and supporting documentation for attorney review.
Assist with contract administration, including reviewing contract status, maintaining contract databases, and triaging matters for policy compliance.
Support litigation, claims, investigations, records requests, compliance reviews, risk management matters, and other legal projects by collecting and organizing documentation.
Coordinate matter intake, attorney assignments, and legal project tracking to support efficient workflow.
Assist with legal compliance initiatives, policy development, legal training programs, website updates, and communications from the Office of General Counsel.
Prepare reports, correspondence, spreadsheets, budgets, metrics, and other materials related to office operations.
Review, process, and reconcile outside counsel invoices, legal service agreements, and departmental expenditures; assist with budget management.
Provide client service to administrators, faculty, staff, students, outside counsel, and government entities and support positive public relations.
Oversee development, documentation, implementation, and continuous improvement of office procedures, records management standards, and administrative workflows; ensure consistency with institutional requirements.
Support departmental operations, including purchases, office equipment maintenance, records retention, and process improvement initiatives.
Perform other duties related to effective administration and operation of the Office of General Counsel as assigned.