Legal Secretary – Restructuring and Bankruptcy

BakerHostetler Career • Seattle, WA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Our Seattle office has an excellent opportunity for a Legal Secretary to support partners and associates in both the Litigation and Business group. This position requires a strong background in federal court filings, complex litigation support, and multi-jurisdictional practice, with a preference for prior experience supporting bankruptcy or financial restructuring matters. This is a non-exempt position that reports to the Office Administrator. The successful candidate will be self-motivated, proactive, have a strong understanding of the litigation process, and possess strong communication skills. A commitment to client service with strong attention to detail is essential. This position will provide legal support to a legal team consisting of five (5) or more attorneys, all with varying workloads and jurisdictions. This position works under the supervision of attorneys and has an in-person presence of four (4) days a week with a Monday through Friday schedule of 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. This position is eligible for one (1) remote day a week.

Requirements

• A high school diploma or general education degree (GED) is required.
• A minimum of five (5) years’ experience working as a Legal Secretary.
• Knowledge of federal and state court systems, including federal e-filing and state court filing systems required.
• Strong sense of urgency, accountability, flexibility, and resourcefulness with a proven aptitude to learn new systems and platforms.
• Ability to function professionally under pressure, while managing multiple concurrent tasks and deadlines.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Outlook and Excel, as well as document management systems such as NetDocs.
• Ability to work overtime as needed.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree is preferred.
• Prior experience in Big Law is a plus.
• Prior experience in California, Delaware, and Texas local and federal filings is preferred.
• Prior experience supporting bankruptcy, restructuring, creditors’ rights, complex commercial litigation, or financial services litigation with heavy federal filing requirements is strongly preferred.
• Advanced skills in Word to include using styles, track changes, and document comparison programs is preferred.
• Prior experience with Intapp Time, Proforma Tracker, Copilot, and ChromeRiver is a plus.
• Washington State notary is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, format, and file pleadings and other legal documents in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, federal district courts, and state courts, as well as appellate filings in both federal and state courts. This includes ensuring all documents comply with local rules and judge specific formatting requirements.
• Maintain familiarity with bankruptcy specific procedures, including Chapter 7, 11, and 13 filings.
• Correctly format court pleadings according to applicable court rules including the auto-generation of tables of authorities (TOAs) and tables of contents (TOCs).
• Prepare, proof and format correspondence, pleadings, and other necessary documentation.
• Order Certificates of Good Standing for Pro Hac Vice and hearing transcripts.
• Organize exhibits, documents, briefs, and other supporting documentation. This could include providing clerical assistance in all phases of document production, trial preparation, and trial.
• Record and monitor deadlines through the Firm docketing system and individual attorney calendar systems.
• Prepare engagement letters, open new matters, and interface with New Business and Conflicts department.
• Maintain list of court logins/passwords and keep admissions up to date. This includes managing electronic filings (ECF/PACER) across multiple jurisdictions.
• Assist in reviewing and finalizing attorney pre-bills. This could include entering time into Intapp Time.
• Schedule various events and meetings to include coordinating travel arrangements, reserving internal conference rooms, and reserving guest offices (across all offices).
• Enroll attorneys in CLE courses and assist with CLE questions and recording.
• Process timely expense reimbursements through ChromeRiver.
• Coordinate travel arrangements.
• Back up other secretaries during planned and unplanned secretary absences.
• Other duties as requested and assigned.

Benefits

• group health, dental and vision insurance
• accrued PTO (18 days in the year of hire)
• paid holidays (10 days)
• 401(k) plan
• parental leave (4 weeks, not including disability, where applicable, and accrued PTO)
• family care program
• wellness program
• life and accident insurance
• short and long-term disability

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED