Job Title: Paralegal (Personal Injury)
Job Responsibilities:
The primary responsibility of the Paralegal in the Personal Injury department is to prepare responses to discovery for attorney review and approval. This involves obtaining and organizing documents and information from clients and third parties, as well as maintaining familiarity with the entire case file. The role also includes providing miscellaneous support to attorneys. Specific duties include:
- Reviewing the case file and performing all necessary tasks to draft responses to various discovery requests such as Form Interrogatories, Special Interrogatories (including contention interrogatories), Requests for Production of Documents, and Requests for Admission.
- Preparing Notice of Taking Deposition and Request for Production of Documents for both plaintiffs and plaintiff’s expert witnesses.
- Drafting Requests for Statement of Damages and Requests for Prior Pleadings and Discovery for attorney review and approval.
- Communicating with attorneys to gain an overview of the case, including liability and damages, to guide the drafting of discovery responses.
- Engaging with clients to gather information and documents necessary to respond to discovery and support liability and damages claims.
- Serving final discovery responses and forwarding them to clients for verification.
- Collaborating with legal assistants to facilitate expert file production prior to expert depositions.
- Ordering records such as medical records, medical bills, and police reports.
- Summarizing medical bills.
- Under attorney supervision, notifying lien holders and obtaining and indexing lien information.
- Organizing documents obtained from clients, including medical bills, wage records, photographs, insurance cards, and other relevant documents.
- Attending defense medical examinations.
- Communicating with legal assistants regarding upcoming due dates and deadlines and being aware of the responsible attorneys’ availability for finalizing responses.
- Upon settlement of a matter, coordinating with legal assistants working on the case to contact all experts and vendors to request prompt submission of outstanding invoices.
- Ensuring last-minute costs are promptly approved and that the Accounting department is informed to include such costs on the settlement statement.
Education and Experience Information:
- A college degree is preferred, or a paralegal certificate.
- Must possess 3-5+ years of litigation experience, with plaintiff experience in personal injury and medical malpractice being a plus.
- Strong familiarity with the Code of Civil Procedure rules and requirements.
- Knowledge of court filing requirements, including experience with e-filing in state and federal courts.
- Strong software skills, particularly with MS Office Suite, and adept at calendaring.
- Exceptional communication skills and attention to detail.
- Strong project and task management capabilities.
- Must be highly detail-oriented and able to manage multiple high-volume priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to work with diverse personalities at various levels within the organization.
- Must exhibit well-developed interpersonal and client relation skills.
Salary Information:
The law firm offers a competitive salary range of $85,000 to $115,000. Additionally, they provide excellent benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), a 401(k) plan, discretionary bonuses, and profit-sharing contributions.
Equal Opportunity Statement:
The law firm is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, citizenship, sex, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or gender expression or identity), political ideology, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law.
