Legal Staff Paralegal in Palo Alto, CA

Law Firm

Palo Alto, CA

Legal Staff Paralegal in Palo Alto, CA

Legal Staff

Min 1 yrs required

No

Job Title: Practice Assistant

Job Responsibilities:
The Practice Assistant provides essential legal and administrative support to the Trusts & Estates practice group at the law firm. This role involves close collaboration with Legal Secretaries, Paralegals, and Attorneys concerning the workflow of assignments and various case aspects. Key responsibilities include interfacing with clients, firm resources, and vendors on behalf of attorneys, booking travel arrangements, creating expense reports, and managing calendars and scheduling. The Practice Assistant is also responsible for preparing engagement letters, opening new matters, and interfacing with New Business and Conflicts. Additionally, the role entails preparing basic correspondence like client letters and memos, preparing legal documents including creating, proofreading, revising, editing/red-lining, and creating shells of legal documents. The Practice Assistant coordinates all aspects of internal and external meetings, depositions, and mediations, such as conference room reservations, catering, and adding guests to the visitor list. Other duties include entering, editing, releasing, and revising attorney time entries, interfacing with the finance department to assist with billing, setting up and maintaining document workspaces, and serving as the file keeper for case matters. Maintaining email distribution lists for teams, keeping up-to-date contact information for clients and vendors, and managing court login/passwords and admissions are also part of the responsibilities. The Practice Assistant maintains memberships of bar associations, CLE credits, dues, and assists with hearing and trial logistics. Additional tasks include handling printing, copying, and binder creation, processing vendor invoices, preparing audit letters, tracking deadlines for tax filings, compliance requirements, court dates, and assisting with the preparation of tax forms, filings, and supporting documents. The Practice Assistant is expected to perform other related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience Information:
The position requires a Bachelor’s Degree, with a preference for Paralegal Studies or a related field. A minimum of one year of related experience is required, with experience in a law firm supporting paralegals and/or attorneys considered a plus. The candidate must be a professional and organized self-starter capable of interacting with attorneys, staff, and clients at all levels in a fast-paced and challenging legal work environment. The role requires the ability to work on a computer for extended periods, possess excellent interpersonal and customer service skills, and demonstrate proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint). The candidate must have excellent attention to detail and strong time management skills, alongside excellent analytical, written, and verbal communication skills. The ability to manage confidential and sensitive information with appropriate discretion is crucial, and experience with cite checking is preferred.

Salary Information:
The California pay range for this role is $65,000 to $75,000, with the final offer amount dependent on skillset and experience. The law firm is an Equal Opportunity Employer and applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for the position in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act.