Senior Managing Clerk

Davis Wright Tremaine • New York, NY

89d • $160,000 - $180,000 • Remote

About The Position

This is an exciting opportunity to work for one of the top law firms in the U.S.! Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is looking for a Senior Managing Clerk to join our team in our New York office. We offer a hybrid work engagement with one day of remote work, and four days in-office. The Senior Managing Clerk leads the daily operations of the Docket and Court Services team at DWT's New York office. Responsibilities include managing the filing, serving, and retrieval of court documents—both physical and electronic—as well as processing incoming court filings, docketing critical dates, and generating reports. This role provides leadership and support to the Clerk's office, offering guidance on day-to-day operations and advising attorneys and staff on courthouse procedures. In addition to overseeing department activities, you will engage in a variety of projects, requiring a strategic approach to handling unforeseen challenges and driving change with resilience, adaptability, and practicality. At Davis Wright Tremaine, you will find challenging assignments, opportunities for professional growth and community involvement, and a culture of inclusion. DWT fosters inclusiveness and authenticity. Regardless of position, everyone here has a voice and the support is unparalleled.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience as a Clerk or Docket Specialist experience in an Attorney or in a Managing Clerk office, or equivalent experience dealing directly with the courts, is required; civil litigation legal assistant/paralegal or experience is a plus.
• Juris Doctorate or Bachelor's degree (+completion of paralegal program of study) and clear demonstration of equivalent knowledge and skills.
• Prior experience in a law firm required.
• Excellent working knowledge of civil procedures, court procedures and rules of all Federal, State and Local courts.
• Proficiency with New York State Courts eFiling (NYSCEF), Federal court (CM/ECF) and all state court electronic filing systems.
• Proficiency with Pacer; PacerPro; Lexis/Nexis; Westlaw; CompuLaw, ProLaw, CourtAlert; CourtLink; MA3000; Microsoft Suite (Word; Excel; PowerPoint; Outlook); Adobe Acrobat, Service Now.
• Demonstrated experience in people management and leadership, including hiring, performance evaluation, and fostering team development to achieve organizational goals efficiently.
• Experience with complex commercial litigation.
• Willingness to adapt and learn new technology, software applications and upgrades.
• Excellent grammar, proofreading and superior organizational skills required.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with clients, attorneys, and staff members and other business contacts are required.
• Ability to communicate and handle stressful situations in a professional, calm, courteous manner.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
• Highly developed skills in time and task management.
• Highly developed attention to detail in striving for perfection in the firm's work product and client service.
• Strong interpersonal communication.
• Ability to work harmoniously and effectively with others.
• Must be flexible to respond quickly and positively to shifting demands and able to work under tight deadlines.
• Must be a self-starter and possess the ability to work independently, under pressure, while exhibiting extraordinary attention to detail.
• Post-collegiate level writing and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities.
• Must be able to plan, organize and complete multiple related activities.
• Advanced proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office business applications (Word, Excel, and Outlook) for the creation and editing of complex documents, spreadsheets, and email.
• Proficiency in the use of computerized legal research and document retention databases for performance of fact and legal research and effective management of complex evidence and case files.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily departmental workflow with a focus on process improvement, operational efficiency, and collaboration across departments.
• Lead and manage staff, prioritizing performance management, professional growth, and development.
• Cultivate a collaborative and high-performing team culture by providing mentorship, clear guidance, and consistent support.
• Provide docket and court services support to attorneys, including research, retrieval, submission and/or filing of legal documents in all City, State, and Federal courts or with government agencies or in arbitration.
• Oversee all assigned docketing and calendaring work in a timely and accurate manner, and in accordance with firm policies and procedures.
• Serve documents, and arrange for service and/or filing in other jurisdictions.
• Monitor court dockets for active matters of New York attorneys and/or filings for new litigation matters against firm clients.
• Maintain docket/calendar for New York attorneys.
• Interact with court clerks and administrative personnel to advise attorneys about practical courthouse operational issues including filing, hearings, courtroom technology, and related matters.
• Maintain and update court and other relevant login credentials for New York attorneys on master list.
• Screen and review incoming court documents and office correspondence in order to calculate and capture relevant dates into the Firm's calendar database/docketing system.
• Ensure that lawyers are notified of filing deadlines and court appearances.
• Prepare calendar reports for distribution to the attorneys on a regular basis.
• Review for form and procedural compliance to identify and remedy potential defects in documents received, served and filed by New York attorneys.
• Provide substantive procedural guidance and advise attorneys with regard to litigation procedures in compliance with State and Federal rules.
• Maintain quality control of a comprehensive case calendar, using information provided by attorneys and consulting applicable court rules to calculate deadlines for filing and service.
• Facilitate the processing of court filings to extract sensitive critical dates and, when necessary, modify calendar entries with explanatory text to supplement the automated rule-set information in the docketing software.
• Screen and review incoming court documents and office correspondence to calculate and capture relevant deadlines for entry into the docketing database, and ensure proper filing of documents with each court and related response deadlines.
• Keep abreast of developments, changes and updates to procedures and rules in the forums where the firm practices, and notify the attorneys of same.
• Coordinate with vendors regarding document retrieval, transcript requests, filings and service as needed.
• Research and provide guidance to attorneys and litigation support staff with regard to litigation procedures applicable filing procedures for cases pending in New York State and Federal courts, as well as other courts nationwide as needed.
• Perform complex database searches to locate and retrieve selected documents.
• Assist, guide, train and support Clerk's office staff.
• Accept and perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
• Maintain regular and consistent attendance and punctuality.
• Adhere to schedule by being timely on breaks, lunches and meetings.
• Work in office a minimum of 4 days/week.
• Process time and expenses regarding travel and Court expenditures.

Benefits

• Choice of health and vision insurance plans.
• 2 paid volunteer days for qualifying community service work.
• Dental plan.
• Fertility and adoption benefit.
• Paid sabbatical after 13 years of service.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Commuter benefits.
• Retirement contribution.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree