Legal Assistant - Remote USA

Compassion & Choices•Portland, OR

6d•$75,000 - $85,000•Remote

About The Position

Compassion & Choices is seeking a Legal Assistant to support three to six attorneys with day-to-day litigation work and maintain the organization’s Legal Digital Office. The position reports to the Director of Litigation and is part of the Legal Advocacy & Policy department. This is a full-time, remote position with a starting salary range of $75,000–$85,000 annually. The final offer will be based on relevant experience, qualifications, internal equity, and organizational considerations. The Legal Assistant supports active litigation matters by handling administrative and substantive litigation tasks, maintaining electronic case files and digital workflows, managing deadlines and complex calendars, and helping attorneys prepare for discovery. The role also includes evaluating legal requests from prospective clients, maintaining legal research and document archives, and supporting organization-wide activities as requested. Compassion & Choices works to improve care, expand options for compassionate dying, and empower people to choose end-of-life care that reflects their values, priorities, and beliefs. The organization emphasizes patient-directed care, cross-functional collaboration, equity, accessibility, cultural responsiveness, organizational learning, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

A four-year degree (B.A. or B.S.) in a field related to law, medicine, or social change, or an equivalent combination of related experience and/or education.
A minimum of five years of experience in a litigation-focused legal office, law firm, or legal advocacy organization, including simultaneous administrative and litigation support to multiple attorneys.
Exceptional written communication skills, including accurate drafting, editing, and proofreading of legal correspondence and litigation documents.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex legal documents, including pleadings, motions, court orders, discovery requests, statutes, regulations, and judicial opinions.
Ability to identify potential problems before they affect litigation deadlines or attorney workflows.
Ability to independently prioritize competing requests from multiple attorneys.
Sound judgment in knowing what can be resolved independently and what requires attorney direction.
Professionalism, discretion, and strict confidentiality when handling privileged and sensitive information.
Adaptability and reliability in a fast-paced litigation environment, including in response to urgent or unexpected developments.
Clear, tactful communication with attorneys, clients, court personnel, colleagues, and diverse audiences.
Advanced knowledge of or experience with civil litigation procedures, court rules, filing requirements, discovery processes, legal document preparation, and litigation calendaring.
Advanced knowledge of or experience with federal and state electronic court filing systems, including PACER/CM/ECF.
Advanced knowledge of or experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint), Adobe Acrobat Pro, Westlaw, Clio, DocketBird, and comparable legal research, document management, and case management platforms.
Advanced knowledge of or experience with discovery support, including document collection, review, organization, Bates numbering, and production.
Ability and willingness to travel, with personal transportation where applicable; some overnight travel may be required and is likely less than 10% of total time.
Commitment to working in alignment with the organization’s values, including patient-directed care, collaboration, equity, accessibility, cultural responsiveness, and continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting four or more attorneys with competing deadlines and active litigation caseloads is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Support up to six attorneys managing multiple active litigation matters, including administrative tasks.
Maintain and optimize the paperless Legal Digital Office.
Prioritize competing assignments, track deadlines, manage complex calendars, and adjust priorities as litigation demands change.
Anticipate attorneys’ needs, identify scheduling conflicts and workflow challenges, and take initiative to address issues.
Communicate priorities and competing demands, provide timely status updates, and ensure attorneys have the information and materials needed to meet their obligations.
Provide substantive support for written and oral discovery, including drafting discovery shells and initial responses and preparing exhibits for oral depositions.
Conduct intake and evaluation of legal requests from prospective clients and screen appropriate plaintiffs.
Cite-check and proofread as needed.
Maintain electronic case files and litigation documents, and identify opportunities to improve digital workflows and operational efficiency.
Create and maintain research and memo archives for historical, contextual, and future use by Compassion Legal attorneys and partners.
Create and maintain organized, accessible pleading shells, templates, sample briefs, and pleadings.
Support organization-wide Compassion & Choices efforts as requested, including fundraising activities.
Travel as needed, including possible overnight and weekend travel.

Benefits

Employer-shared medical and dental insurance premiums
Employer-paid short- and long-term disability insurance
Employer-paid life insurance
Employer-paid accidental death and dismemberment insurance
Flexible spending accounts for medical and dependent care
Commuter pre-tax benefit
Eligibility to participate in a 401(k) with a 5% employer match and immediate vesting upon eligibility
Paid holidays
Paid time off
Personal days