Litigation Secretary

Hinshaw & Culbertson•Los Angeles, CA

11d

About The Position

Litigation Secretary Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, a leading national law firm, is seeking a litigation secretary to provide comprehensive legal and administrative support to a team of attorneys. The position may be located in our Los Angeles or San Francisco office. The ideal candidate will have experience in civil defense litigation, including trials, arbitration & mediation. The candidate will also have demonstrated excellence in dependability, pro-activity and the ability to work independently and within a team. Multi-state knowledge of court procedures and practices is a plus. Duties and Responsibilities: Prepares, edits, files and may compose legal documents, including but not limited to, letters, memoranda, pleadings, motions, discovery, agreements, subpoenas and other legal documents as required by the practice area. eFiles documents with state and federal courts. Communicates with clients, counsel, court personnel, and other external parties. Communicates and coordinates with local and other office administrative resources to ensure tasks are completed accordingly. Reviews and processes all incoming mail. Opens new files, checks conflicts of interest, maintains client and general files. Conducts periodic review of files for possible closure/off-site storage. Interacts with clients, counsel, court personnel and others. Maintains professional appearance and demeanor. Maintains good public relations and customer service with clients. Maintains confidentiality of attorney-client relationship. Establishes and maintains calendar and deadline reminder systems. Records court dates, deposition dates, etc. Works with attorneys, secretaries, legal administrative assistants and docketing personnel to ensure accuracy of calendar. Schedules appointments and makes business travel arrangements. Communicates with administrative support by apprising of deadlines, attorney travel plans, etc. Works collaboratively in a team: Proactively demonstrates effective teamwork and communication with attorneys, team members and all Firm personnel. Actively participates in regular team meetings to discuss current projects and workflow. Takes personal responsibility for regularly exchanging information and training tips with team members for maximum job effectiveness. Effectively uses team software to log, manage and handle workflow. Other related duties and special projects as assigned.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Minimum of five years of civil defense litigation legal secretarial experience.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; ability to prioritize and manage numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints.
Knowledge and application of State and Federal court rules (including e-filing) and local rules, where applicable, pertaining to litigation procedures, requirements and practices (including trial, mediation and arbitration).
Knowledge of or ability to learn office procedures, rules and regulations.
Demonstrated competency and proficiency in computer programs and relevant software applications including Outlook, Word, Excel, iManage, InTapp, Chrome River and Adobe.
Ability to effectively and accurately communicate orally and in writing; correctly apply departmental rules, complex regulations and procedures; maintain a high degree of confidentiality and attention to detail; work well under pressure and time sensitive situations; proofread and perform editing of routine and complex law office documents; transcribe legal documents, correspondence and reports from written drafts or dictation at a level of 70 wpm; identify and resolve issues; work well within a team environment; incur overtime in order to perform the essential duties of the position - may require irregular hours.
Interpersonal and customer service skills necessary to professionally communicate with and effectively follow instructions from a diverse group of clients, external entities, attorneys, management and staff.

Nice To Haves

Multi-state knowledge of court procedures and practices is a plus.
Knowledge of BigHand Now or similar workflow platform preferred.

Responsibilities

Prepares, edits, files and may compose legal documents, including but not limited to, letters, memoranda, pleadings, motions, discovery, agreements, subpoenas and other legal documents as required by the practice area.
eFiles documents with state and federal courts.
Communicates with clients, counsel, court personnel, and other external parties.
Communicates and coordinates with local and other office administrative resources to ensure tasks are completed accordingly.
Reviews and processes all incoming mail.
Opens new files, checks conflicts of interest, maintains client and general files.
Conducts periodic review of files for possible closure/off-site storage.
Interacts with clients, counsel, court personnel and others.
Maintains professional appearance and demeanor.
Maintains good public relations and customer service with clients.
Maintains confidentiality of attorney-client relationship.
Establishes and maintains calendar and deadline reminder systems.
Records court dates, deposition dates, etc.
Works with attorneys, secretaries, legal administrative assistants and docketing personnel to ensure accuracy of calendar.
Schedules appointments and makes business travel arrangements.
Communicates with administrative support by apprising of deadlines, attorney travel plans, etc.
Works collaboratively in a team: Proactively demonstrates effective teamwork and communication with attorneys, team members and all Firm personnel.
Actively participates in regular team meetings to discuss current projects and workflow.
Takes personal responsibility for regularly exchanging information and training tips with team members for maximum job effectiveness.
Effectively uses team software to log, manage and handle workflow.
Other related duties and special projects as assigned.