Senior Paralegal - Litigation

Rückbauanlage Gundremmingen•Chicago, IL

About The Position

RWE Americas, LLC is seeking an experienced Senior Paralegal - Litigation to support litigation and dispute resolution matters for its in-house legal team. The role works directly with in-house and outside counsel to manage a broad range of disputes, including complex contract disputes, warranty claims, permitting challenges, property damage claims, regulatory challenges, and environmental litigation. This is a new role, offering the opportunity to help shape the company’s approach to managing its litigation and disputes portfolio. The position reports to the Assistant General Counsel - Litigation. The Senior Paralegal manages dispute and litigation matters through their lifecycle, including intake, investigation, deadline tracking, document and file management, discovery and e-discovery, claim preparation, and hearing and trial preparation. The role also coordinates outside counsel and vendors, supports litigation risk reporting, conducts legal and factual research, and helps train business stakeholders on litigation holds, document preservation, and dispute escalation. The position is full time and permanent. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States; the company cannot sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas. The annual base salary range for this position in Illinois or New York is $105,000–$130,000. The position is eligible for short-term incentives in addition to salary.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and paralegal certificate.
At least 5 years of litigation experience in a law firm or in-house legal department.
Demonstrated experience managing discovery and e-discovery in complex commercial, regulatory, or environmental matters.
Self-starter who anticipates needs, spots issues early, and drives matters forward with minimal supervision.
Exceptional organizational and analytical skills, with meticulous attention to detail, particularly in deadline management and document productions.
Ability to independently manage a high-volume, varied docket in a fast-paced, evolving environment, prioritize competing demands, and maintain high-quality work.
Sound judgment and discretion when handling highly confidential and privileged information.
Hands-on experience managing e-discovery, including litigation holds, ESI collection, and document review platforms such as Relativity or Everlaw.
Proven ability to build strong working relationships and collaborate with internal stakeholders, outside counsel, and vendors across functions, globally, and externally.
Confidence to raise risks, push back constructively, and hold outside counsel and vendors accountable to deadlines and budgets.
Commitment to continuous improvement and professional growth, including adopting new legal technology and processes.
Experience with electronic legal billing and matter management systems.
Proficiency with legal research tools such as Westlaw and Lexis.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel for tracking and reporting, as well as Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook; SharePoint; and Teams.
Legally authorized to work in the United States; employment visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

Broad-based litigation experience is preferred.
In-house experience or experience in the energy, infrastructure, or construction sectors is preferred.

Responsibilities

Support a broad disputes portfolio, including pre-litigation matters, complex contract disputes, warranty and insurance claims, permitting and regulatory challenges, property damage claims, environmental litigation, and other litigation across multiple jurisdictions.
Manage the day-to-day lifecycle of disputes and litigation with a high degree of independence.
Lead matter intake, including receipt of service of process and subpoenas, initial case investigation, fact gathering, and preliminary assessment.
Calculate, docket, and track deadlines under applicable court rules, contracts, and insurance policies, maintaining a master calendar across active matters.
Review and summarize pleadings, motions, briefs, and outside counsel memoranda, flagging key deadlines and issues.
Own and maintain internal litigation files, compiling and synthesizing documents and data into accurate, reliable case records.
Manage pre-trial discovery and e-discovery, including litigation holds, collection coordination with IT and custodians, review and production with third-party vendors, and preparation of privilege logs.
Assist with drafting discovery requests and responses, correspondence, notices, and other legal documents for attorney review.
Prepare warranty and insurance claim packages, including notices to suppliers and carriers, supporting documentation, and claim tracking.
Coordinate deposition, hearing, and trial preparation, including witness and exhibit materials.
Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready case files.
Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for outside counsel, coordinate deliverables, review invoices against billing guidelines and budgets, and flag variances to control costs.
Conduct legal and factual research and analysis to support dispute strategy and management.
Assist with litigation risk reporting to senior leadership and auditors, including status reports, exposure summaries, accrual support, and audit letter responses.
Interface with senior members of other departments, outside counsel, government agencies, insurers, and vendors.
Assist with developing and delivering training to business stakeholders on litigation holds, document preservation, and dispute escalation.