Litigation Docket & Court Services Specialist

Barnes & Thornburg LLP•New York, NY

1d•$41 - $46•Onsite

About The Position

Under the umbrella of the Firm's Managing Clerk's Office (MCO) and according to established Firm policies and procedures, the Litigation Docket & Court Services Specialist provides high-level, expert day-to-day support in case docketing, court rules, case research, and legal procedures. This specialist position requires advanced, hands-on expertise in executing compliant electronic filings across various state and federal court systems, with a particular specialization in the New York State Unified Court System (NYSCEF), New Jersey Courts (eCourts), Delaware State Courts (eFlex/File & ServeXpress), the Delaware Court of Chancery, and corresponding U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts (CM/ECF). As a senior-level individual contributor, the Specialist serves as a primary procedural authority, applying rigorous risk-management quality control measures to all incoming/outgoing court filings and docket entries, while observing strict confidentiality in all client and Firm matters.

Requirements

Deep, specialized understanding of court structures, litigation lifecycles, and civil procedure, with unmatched mastery of NJ, NJ and DE state and federal court rules.
Absolute, meticulous attention to detail when reviewing complex legal documents and calculating critical statutory deadlines.
Proven ability to prioritize and execute multiple urgent filings and tasks under tight, competing time constraints in a high-volume litigation environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills necessary to clearly explain complex procedural rules to attorneys, staff, and external court personnel with courtesy and tact.
5+ years of recent litigation docketing and court filing experience within a mid-to-large law firm.
Must have well-rounded national experience with a heavy, specialized emphasis on NY, NJ, and DE county, state and federal courts.
Expert proficiency in rules-based docketing systems (Milana and/or CompuLaw preferred) and extensive hands-on experience utilizing court e-filing databases (such as PACER/ECF, New York State Unified Court System (NYSCEF), New Jersey Courts (eCourts), Delaware State Courts, the Delaware Court of Chancery, and corresponding U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts, and Odyssey).
Highly proficient in iManage (or similar DMS) and Adobe Acrobat Professional for document manipulation, splitting, and redaction, alongside standard MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook).
Familiarity with State, Federal, and Pro Hac Vice bar admissions processes, with a willingness to assist in training and mentoring junior docketing or filing personnel.

Responsibilities

Oversee and personally execute the electronic filing of pleadings, motions, and highly complex legal documents in federal, state, and appellate courts nationwide.
Serve as the resident expert on filing logistics, local procedures, and court protocols specific to state and federal courts across New York, New Jersey, and Delaware—including the New York State Unified Court System (NYSCEF), New Jersey Courts (eCourts), Delaware State Courts, the Delaware Court of Chancery, and corresponding U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts.
Serve as a primary technical resource for attorneys and paralegals regarding complex local court rules, judges' individual practices, and filing requirements.
Actively manage and resolve complex electronic filing rejections, docketing discrepancies, or technical court platform issues.
Maintain high-level knowledge of State, Federal, and Pro Hac Vice bar admissions processes to assist case teams with administrative compliance.
Perform final QC on pleadings and documents prior to electronic filing to guarantee strict compliance with court-specific formatting, redaction rules, signature guidelines, and exhibit requirements.
Audit and verify data entered into the Firm's docketing system (Milana) to ensure all dates, deadlines, and events are calculated accurately and in accordance with the relevant rules of civil procedure.
Interpret and apply court guidelines to calculate, verify, and input critical litigation deadlines across all firm jurisdictions, with deep subject matter expertise in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP), state civil practice rules for New York (CPLR), New Jersey (NJ Court Rules), and Delaware (including Chancery Court Rules), as well as local rules across regional state and federal courts.
Review complex incoming litigation documents for critical dates, entering deadlines, discovery schedules, and other relevant event reminders into the firm's rules based docketing software.
Alert attorneys and paralegals of urgent upcoming deadlines, maintaining end-to-end communication regarding document receipts and filing confirmations.
Conduct routine docket sweeps and audits of active case files to identify obsolete deadlines, manually capture non-deadline triggered events (such as Judge's Individual Rules), and perform case status reconciliations for closed matters.
Retrieve pertinent information on litigants, court cases, dockets, and judicial profiles from online databases (including PACER, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law, DocketBird, and CourtLink).
Create, prepare, and distribute complex, highly customized docket reports detailing upcoming deadlines to legal teams across multiple offices.