Litigation Paralegal

ACLU of Massachusetts • Boston, MA

45d • $68,000 - $75,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Litigation Paralegal plays an important role in supporting the day-to-day work of ACLUM’s Legal department. The focus of this role is to perform administrative tasks in support of litigation and department operations, including creating tables of authorities and tables of contents for briefs; formatting, filing and serving legal documents for both federal and state courts; maintaining files and litigation calendars for assigned cases; scheduling and coordinating logistics for meetings; and helping to maintain the department’s filing structures and systems. This role also supports assigned case teams by taking minutes at team and client meetings, conducting factual research, and drafting and tracking communications with clients, co-counsel, and partner organizations. This position reports to the Managing Attorney for Legal Operations and works closely with the Legal Director and other ACLUM colleagues to achieve the department’s operational objectives.
The ideal candidate for this position brings direct experience in a litigation environment, a sharp eye for detail, and skill and interest in all aspects of this job, including administrative support tasks and assisting assigned case teams. Strong candidates will have demonstrated ability to keep organized and up-to-date case files; prepare, file, and serve legal documents in both federal and state court; manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously, work well with external partners, and work both independently and collaboratively with colleagues across departments in a dynamically paced environment.

Requirements

• Minimum of one year’s experience handling general office administration tasks, performing document management activities, maintaining filing or organizational systems, and handling submissions per specific criteria, required.
• Experience in an administrative support role for a team and working in a litigation environment preferred.
• Associate or bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience in political science, legal studies, business operations, or related field.
• Experience preparing and handling legal files, conducting factual research, and performing other tasks in support of litigation preferred.
• Knowledge of legal terminology and citation conventions, legal case management software, electronic court filing systems, and resources for legal research (e.g., Westlaw).
• Highly proficient in data management systems, case management systems (e.g., Filevine, ALIS), and Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
• Strong organizational skills and keen attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple tasks under time pressure.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work proactively, collaboratively, and independently as needed to get things done.
• Strong belief in the ACLU’s mission and work to defend and strengthen civil rights and civil liberties.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion. Respect for differences in race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability and socio-economic background.

Nice To Haves

• Professional certification as a litigation paralegal a plus.
• Fluency in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, or other languages a plus.

Responsibilities

• Prepare legal documents for filing, including formatting, creating tables of contents and authorities, filing electronically in federal and state court in accordance with local rules, and coordinating the production, filing, and service of paper documents, as assigned.
• Organize, update, and maintain files and documents for assigned cases, including court filings, correspondence, discovery information, and other materials.
• Take minutes at case team and client meetings, conduct factual research, and draft and track communications with clients, co-counsel and partner organizations.
• Handle other litigation related administrative tasks for the Legal department, including scanning and printing case documents, preparing binders and other materials for use by attorneys, and processing incoming and outgoing mail.
• Maintain ACLUM’s litigation calendar for assigned cases.
• Track potentially relevant amicus opportunities from Supreme Judicial Court announcements and from requests made by outside counsel, and periodically present such opportunities at Legal department meetings.
• Calendar and arrange logistics for meetings and events hosted by the Legal department, whether conducted by conference call, video conference, or in person, including booking space, distributing invitations, preparing and assembling materials, and arranging catering.
• Provide support for and during departmental meetings and events, including room setup, handout of materials, handling audio visual setup and functions, and coordinating and assisting in-person guests.
• Generate reports related to legal matters for the Managing Attorney for Legal Operations and Legal Director, as assigned.
• Maintain the Legal department’s filing structures and systems in coordination with the Managing Attorney for Legal Operations and Legal Administrator.
• Provide backup for the Legal Administrator and Managing Attorney for Legal Operations in general administrative tasks, as needed, including processing bills and invoices, expense reports and credit card reconciliations, and requests for reimbursement, as well as other tasks to support daily operations for the department.
• Assist and support the Legal Resources team in non-litigation correspondence, maintaining information in the intake database, and processing requests for legal assistance, in coordination with the Legal Administrator.
• Assist Legal and other ACLUM staff with public records requests, including monitoring and triaging ACLUM’s public records email box; tracking public records requests issued across departments; maintaining related communications and productions in the Legal department’s systems; and reviewing and summarizing public records productions, as assigned.
• Special projects and other tasks as assigned by the Managing Attorney for Legal Operations and the Legal Director.

Benefits

• 401(k) plan plus employer match
• medical and dental insurance
• paid vacation and holidays
• Reimbursement for mileage may be provided in accordance with ACLUM policies, when applicable.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree