Legal Assistant (Business & Tax)

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP•Portland, OR

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

This is an exciting opportunity to work for one of the top law firms in the U.S.! Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is looking for an Legal Assistant (Business and Tax) to join our team in our Portland office. We offer a hybrid work engagement with two days of remote work, and three days in-office. This position provides and coordinates administrative and clerical support to attorneys and paralegals in the Business and Tax practice group, supporting effective use of their time. This position requires a high ability to work independently as well as in a team environment with timekeepers and staff members. This is an opportunity to support a high energy practice group, and the ideal candidate is a strong organizer and communicator, while remaining professional, efficient and courteous with clients, firm members and other business contacts. 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.

Requirements

6+ years’ experience as a legal assistant in a law firm environment is required
GED or High School Diploma
Ability to read and write English
Ability to understand and follow work directions, manage multiple priorities and respond to urgent requests with minimal supervision
Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects and follow them through to completion, regardless of who is doing the work.
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, with strong word processing and computer skills.
Excellent keyboarding, grammar, spelling and proofreading skills
Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with clients, firm members, and other business contacts
Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills, as well as the ability to handle stressful situations in a calm, composed manner
Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented, service environment
Demonstrate a growth mindset; participate in innovation initiatives
Ability to pay close attention to detail and be highly organized and accurate
Strong time management skills
A highly professional demeanor and appearance – adhere to dress code
Availability and willingness to work overtime as needed or requested

Nice To Haves

Experience with MS365 a plus.
Proofreading, Adobe/Kofax, DocuSign, NetDocs, Excel and PowerPoint skills desired

Responsibilities

Effectively partner with attorneys and maintain good working relationships with clients, staff, attorneys, and other contacts (agencies, vendors, etc.)
Sustain a high degree of attorney confidence, minimal backlog and minimal overtime
Extensive interaction with clients; act as intermediary with clients and respond to client requests
Type, proofread, run comparisons, and edit correspondence, memoranda, agreements and other legal and business documents from notes, templates, drafts, or dictated text under time sensitive deadlines
Set up, organize, and maintain data rooms for transactions
Maintain due diligence/document production checklists
Identify and organize documents for closings of complex financing or acquisition transactions
Prepare initial checklists, manage format, and ensure uniformity across documents
Monitor and update checklists, organize signature packets, and review documents for completeness
Maintain electronic records of final executed documents and produce/distribute closing transcripts
File relevant documents in client minute books
Maintain equity ownership information
Docket reminders for annual corporate filings (e.g., stock plan registration)
Manage client billing process including: enter attorney time; process and review monthly prebills and invoices
Monitor and calendar deadlines
Maintain attorney and client records, including email and other electronic records
Run conflicts checks; manage client intake and open new client and new matter files
Prepare, submit and track expense reimbursement reports and third-party vendor check requests
Make travel arrangements
Schedule conference rooms using Resource Scheduler and arrange for food service and audio visual equipment as needed
Schedule and coordinate appointments, meetings and conference calls and maintain calendars
Maintain and track continuing legal education (CLE) records for attorneys
Maintain up-to-date forms, including collaboration with word processing on templates
Answer, screen, and respond to phone calls
Open and route mail, attaching appropriate files and documents
Maintain a deep understanding of attorney’s practices and goals, as well as firm objectives, policies, and procedures; proactively seek development opportunities and collaborate with supervisor to meet them; raise concerns or ideas with supervisor, and collaborate on solutions that support team and firm success
Check in regularly with attorneys to ensure all aspects of projects are on track. Prompt as needed.
Exercise careful judgment about when to ask for guidance.
Take initiative to understand attorneys’ client service needs; identify opportunities to contribute to client relationship success by raising concerns and/or opportunities to improve; offers potential solutions and is willing to participate in the agreed upon course of action to reach the desired goals