Construction Paralegal | Tampa

Shutts & Bowen; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Shutts & Bowen in Tampa seeks a Paralegal for the Construction Litigation Practice to perform a variety of legal administrative support duties for high-quality client service.

The role requires significant Florida construction litigation experience and knowledge of firm procedures, IT systems, and research tools. The candidate will assist with trial prep, discovery, pleadings, and coordination with outside counsel.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of Florida law firm experience required.
• Florida construction litigation experience required.
• Experience working with multiple attorneys required.
• Florida Registered Paralegal (FRP) preferred.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of Florida Court procedures, processes, and filing requirements.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and law firm billing software.

Responsibilities

• Handle pleadings and court filings in compliance with court requirements.
• Assist with trial preparation and attendance at trials.
• Conduct legal research and draft pleadings and motions.
• Review and organize case documents and exhibits.
• Maintain documents, transcripts, and databases.
• Coordinate with outside counsel and vendors.

Skills

Communication skills

Multitasking

Attention to detail

Time management

Education

FRP certification preferred

Tools

Relativity

Microsoft Office

Outlook

Word

Excel

CMS

SmartTime

Aderant

FileSite

Job description

Shutts & Bowen, a full-service law firm serving clients locally, nationally, and internationally, is seeking a Paralegal for its Construction Litigation Practice in the Tampa office.

This position performs a variety of legal administrative support duties and delivers high-quality service to clients, exhibiting commitment to integrity and excellence. Candidates for the role must have significant Florida construction litigation experience and a thorough knowledge of law firm and practice specific administrative processes and procedures, information technology systems, research tools, and a broad-based understanding of the clients, matters, and associated practices.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Experience working in a mid to large-sized firm and collaborating with various firm-wide departments to handle various responsibilities.
• Working knowledge of the rules of procedure governing courts relating to this role, including experience filing pleadings with the court in compliance with court requirements.
• Assist with trial preparation, including the readiness of courtrooms and attendance at trials.
• Conduct investigations, engage in legal research, develop draft pleadings, prepare motions for review by an assigned attorney, and assist in discovery.
• Act as liaison with designated outside counsel and their paralegal staff.
• Advise attorney on the priority needs and status of assigned cases.
• Prepare draft affidavits of documents, maintain case correspondence and document files.
• Contact court administrators and regulatory bodies as needed.
• Write memoranda to summarize research results.
• Handle large and complex document productions to include retrieval, review, and upload to databases.
• Cite-check and edit legal documents.
• Maintain documents, transcripts, and work product databases.
• Organize and prepare exhibit lists and privilege logs.
• Responsible for coordination of work with outside document/litigation vendors.
• Strong oral and written communication skills to draft and proofread correspondence, pleadings, and other legal documents.
• Experience tracking and billing professional time to client files.
• Manage electronic and paper case files.
• The above description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of employees assigned to this job. You may be required to perform other duties as assigned, which may include work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to equalize peak work periods, or to otherwise balance the workload.

Requirements:

• Minimum of five years of Florida law firm experience required
• Florida construction litigation experience required.

• Experience working with multiple attorneys required.
• Florida Registered Paralegal (FRP) preferred.

• Ability to work efficiently and effectively under pressure and time constraints.
• Ability to multitask and handle multiple responsibilities.
• Strong attention to detail, initiative and follow-through required.

• Effective oral and written communication skills, including the ability to clearly express thoughts to others and exchange information.

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, other departments, vendors, and clients.
• Knowledge of Florida Court procedures, processes, and filing requirements.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including extensive knowledge of Outlook, Word, Excel, and experience working with law firm case management and billing software required. Knowledge of FileSite, CMS, SmartTime, and Aderant a plus.
• Working knowledge of Relativity is required.
• Physical attendance and punctuality at the workplace are required.
• Generally, core working hours are from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, with the flexibility to work overtime as needed

Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully, including typing/using a keyboard, as well as writing by hand.The employee is regularly required to talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close and distance vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The above description outlines the general nature of the work performed by employees in this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of employees assigned to this job. Individuals may be assigned other duties, including work in different functional areas to cover absences or provide relief, equalize peak work periods, or otherwise balance the workload.

This job description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities.

Shutts & Bowen is an Equal Opportunity Employer.