Paralegal

Stony Brook University•Stony Brook, NY

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Paralegal position will support the Office of General Counsel (OGC) and will be responsible for providing competent and professional paralegal support to the office’s attorneys, support staff, and occasionally the State University of New York (SUNY) System Office of General Counsel. Ability to work independently, multi-task, and contribute significantly as a team player in a highly confidential and sensitive environment. Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written; good judgment and discretion; excellent organizational and highly developed interpersonal skills are also essential.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (foreign equivalent or higher). In lieu of a Bachelor’s degree, a combination of directly related experience and/or education totaling four years may be considered.
Two (2) years of full time paralegal experience in a law firm or within an in-house legal department.

Nice To Haves

Paralegal certification from an American Bar Association (ABA) approved program.
Experience with a variety of legal, university and/or academic medical center concepts, practices and procedures.
Experience with New York legal requirements.
Experience working in a higher education and/or healthcare-related environment.
Experience supporting litigation activities and investigations.
Current New York Notarial license.
Experience with Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

Supports and liaisons with the New York Office of Attorney General engaged in general liability, civil litigation, and federal/state investigations involving Stony Brook University (SBU). This includes collecting information and records across SBU, coordinating witness depositions and/or interviews for the Attorney General’s office as requested, and coordinating trial appearances by SBU witnesses when necessary.
Provides support to the OGC attorneys in connection with litigation, arbitration, and other dispute-related proceedings on all levels; including preparation, distribution, and administration of preservation holds, issuing and responding to discovery requests, drafting of materials, and tracking/administering filings.
Responds to subpoenas in a timely manner, including collecting and reviewing relevant documents and/or notifying affected witnesses for any state or federal proceeding and/or workers compensation hearings.
Responsible for administering and processing SBU small claims matters, subject to counsel review.
Works directly with University Police Department (UPD) to coordinate and prepare Persona Non Grata paperwork for attorney review.
Demonstrates and exercises confidentiality and discretion while working on sensitive and confidential issues involving students, staff, and transactional matters that include personally identifiable information, medical data, commercial information, and trade secrets.
Participates in various work-related projects or committees for OGC.
Coordinates and collaborates with other SBU and SUNY paralegals and professionals on matters as needed or directed.
Conduct legal research and draft various communications as may be necessary.
Updates statewide Legal Files database as needed.
Utilization of online databases to retrieve necessary information relating to various cases.
Responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the law library, databases, and subscription payments.
Organizes, manages and obtains archival data, including subject specific historical files, research, contracts, personnel files and other documents.
Other duties or projects as assigned as appropriate to rank and departmental mission.