Paralegal

The Wistar Institute•Philadelphia, PA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Wistar Institute is a world leader in early-stage discovery science in the areas of cancer, immunology, and infectious disease, committed to accelerating research advances from bench to bedside through brilliant science and distinctive approaches to collaboration among scientific investigators and academic and industry partners. Wistar’s dynamic environment supports the advancement of discoveries that will change the future of human health. The Institute has an opening for an in-house Paralegal in its results-driven Legal Department. This hybrid role supports the Legal Department across a broad range of contract, governance, compliance, and other core legal operations within the Office of the General Counsel. The position plays an active role in contract drafting, review, and management, policy development, and cross-functional coordination, working closely with legal counsel and internal stakeholders to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat Pro.
High level of expertise in MS Word, including preparing redlines and document comparisons, professional formatting, and conducting research using internet resources.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Strong attention to detail.
Ability to manage priorities while working both independently and collaboratively.
Capacity to solve problems, meet deadlines, and contribute to complex and diverse projects.
Exercise sound judgment on routine legal, compliance, and contract matters.
Comfortable working with minimal supervision on defined projects.

Nice To Haves

Paralegal certificate
Prior work experience in a legal or compliance setting
Experience working in-house
Experience working in the academic biomedical research and/or life sciences industry
Experience with contract management platforms or similar software

Responsibilities

Drafts and reviews basic agreements (amendments, confidentiality, consulting, master services agreements, material transfer, purchasing terms and conditions, etc.).
Key partner in the implementation of contract management system and contract administration generally (manages lifecycle of contracts from intake, internal review by key stakeholders, negotiation, signature, and filing).
Acts as a point of contact for legal, contract, and other inquiries, managing matter intake and related correspondence.
Assists with basic governance matters, such as drafting resolutions, for the Board of Trustees and its committees.
Supports General Counsel and VP Government Relations with government relations function, such as coordinating internal and external stakeholders, tracking contacts and meetings with government officials, monitoring legislative activities, participating in meetings, and preparing informational documents.
Assists with preparing and enforcing compliance policies and procedures.
Plays a key role in managing the institutional training program and monitoring compliance with various requirements.
Responsible for certain administrative tasks associated with institutional committees led by the legal team.
Researches and tracks legal and regulatory updates affecting academic biomedical research and/or the life sciences industry.
Works with the legal team and coordinates across departments to support scientists in complying with pertinent laws and regulations.
Maintains, organizes, and retrieves central files, templates, resources, and other information.
Assists with outside counsel tracking and billing matters.
Keeps track of deadlines, consultations, and deliverables and follows up with stakeholders and attorneys as necessary.
Conducts research, prepares and reviews documents, and works with the legal team and business functions to ensure matters are handled efficiently.
Performs other duties as assigned.