Legal Support Specialist IP Transactions

Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP•Chicago, IL

10d•$90,000 - $105,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Legal Support Specialist for IP Transactions serves as a senior legal support professional, executive assistant and operational resource for the IP Transactions Practice Group and coordinates and supervises other support for the IP Transactions Group. This position requires substantial transactional legal support and supervisory experience, advanced critical thinking skills, clear communications, strong business judgment, and the ability to work independently with limited supervision. The position requires evaluation of transactional agreements, identification of problematic or inconsistent provisions, editing contracts, coordination of complex workflows, and proactive management of attorney and client needs in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate functions as a manager and project coordinator, producing high-value work product, and serving as a trusted resource who anticipates issues, identifies solutions, and ensures outstanding client service.

Requirements

Minimum 8 years of advanced contract support, executive-level administrative support, or comparable in-house or law firm experience.
Substantial experience supporting transactional attorneys, coordinating workflows, and working with agreements and related legal documents.
Advanced Microsoft Word and other document management software skills, including track changes, document comparison, redlining, clean and marked comparison drafts, styles, tables, templates, complex formatting, cross-references, and metadata management.
Ability to compare document versions, review redlines, reconcile edits, confirm requested changes were made accurately, and identify inconsistencies, formatting issues, version-control concerns, or potentially problematic language for attorney review.
Exceptional attention to detail, proofreading, editing, grammar, and written business communication skills.
Strong organizational, project, calendar, and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex assignments, shifting priorities, and competing deadlines.
Sound judgment, discretion, confidentiality, and professionalism when working with sensitive client, firm, and personnel information.
Strong interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with attorneys, clients, colleagues, and firm leadership.
Demonstrated initiative, accountability, follow-through, and ability to work independently with limited supervision.
Flexibility to work before or after normal business hours when necessary to meet business, client, or transaction-related needs.

Nice To Haves

Degree or certification in paralegal studies, business administration, intellectual property studies or related contractual field, or commensurate in-house or law firm experience.
Self-starter able to generate contractual work product with minimal supervision.
Working knowledge of law firm document management, matter management, time entry, billing, and client intake systems.
Experience supporting intellectual property, corporate, or other sophisticated transactional work.
Supervisory experience and experience coordinating workflows, improving processes, or serving as a resource to other legal administrative support professionals.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted resource to transactional attorneys by managing day-to-day practice support, anticipating needs, exercising sound judgment, and advancing client and practice group priorities.
Coordinate multiple transactional matters, deadlines, deliverables, and competing priorities to ensure accurate, timely, high-quality work product; coordinates and supervises other support for the IP Transactions Group.
Draft, revise, proofread, compare, and prepare agreements, ancillary documents, correspondence, and related legal materials for attorney review.
Review documents for consistency, completeness accuracy and form, escalating issues as appropriate.
Produce complex, polished documents using advanced Microsoft Word and other document management software functionality, including track changes, comparison, styles, tables, templates, cross-references, and metadata management.
Manage the flow of transactional documents among attorneys, clients, opposing counsel, and third parties to meet deadlines and commitments.
Research prospective clients, companies, industries, and intellectual property portfolios and prepare organized background materials for attorney analysis and business development.
Support RFPs, pitches, presentations, and business development projects by gathering information, conducting research, and preparing polished materials.
Create, edit, format, and maintain professional documents, presentations, spreadsheets, reports, and client-facing materials.
Create and manage materials and international schedules for leadership roles of the practice members on external boards and professional speaking engagements.
Coordinate attorney calendars, client meetings, travel, agendas, matter schedules, and related logistics with minimal supervision.
Prepare expense reports, invoices, time entries, engagement documentation, and other administrative materials accurately and in accordance with firm procedures.
Maintain organized matter files, document repositories, electronic workspaces, correspondence, and transactional records for efficient matter management and retrieval.
Coordinate and supervise other support for the IP Transactions Group, both within the group and across the firm.
Exercise sound judgment and discretion when handling confidential client, firm, and personnel information.
Anticipate attorney and client needs, communicate status updates, monitor open items, and follow through with minimal direction.
Build strong relationships with internal and external clients through responsive communication, professionalism, attention to detail, and exceptional service.
Identify opportunities to improve workflows, document management practices, procedures, and practice group efficiency.
Manage a high volume of complex assignments and shifting priorities while maintaining accuracy, responsiveness, professionalism, and strong work quality.
Support knowledge sharing, process consistency, collaborative problem-solving, and continuous improvement as practice and client needs evolve.