Corporate Legal Secretary

Arnold & Porter LLP; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Arnold & Porter LLP seeks an experienced Corporate Legal Secretary in San Francisco to provide high‑level administrative and legal support to attorneys. You will manage calendars, organize documents, handle filings, and coordinate with clients and service providers to keep matters moving smoothly.

The role requires strong MS Office skills, 10+ years of secretarial experience in a law firm, and knowledge of California e‑filing.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; associate’s or bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of legal secretarial experience in a law firm or professional services environment.
• Typing proficiency of at least 60 words per minute.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and document management systems.
• Experience with iManage, Emburse, DTE Time Entry, or similar applications.
• Experience using ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and/or Claude is a plus.
• Thorough understanding of legal terminology and documentation.
• Experience with efiling in California.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing demands.
• Discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment with confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, edit, proofread, and format corporate agreements, transaction documents, board and shareholder resolutions, written consents, and minutes.
• Assist with corporate formations, registrations, amendments, and dissolutions and coordinate filings with state agencies.
• Maintain corporate minute books and entity records, including bylaws and operating agreements.
• Support mergers, acquisitions, financings, and other transactions by organizing documents and tracking deadlines.
• Coordinate document execution, including signature packets and electronic signatures.
• Assist with transaction closings by organizing closing materials and binders.
• Organize due diligence materials and manage document indexes and data rooms.
• Coordinate with clients, registered agents, service providers to obtain documents.
• Track filing deadlines and annual reporting with attorneys and paralegals.
• Manage attorney calendars, priorities, and time zones for calls and meetings.
• Review prebills and enter attorney time entries.
• Open new client matters and maintain organized files.
• Arrange travel and meetings; manage conference rooms and resources.
• Process expense reports, invoices, and AP submissions.
• Handle confidential client information with discretion.

Skills

Typing 60 wpm

MS Word

MS Excel

MS PowerPoint

MS Outlook

iManage

Emburse

DTE Time Entry

ChatGPT Proficiency

Copilot/Claude

Legal terminology

Education

High school diploma

Associate/Bachelor preferred

Tools

iManage

Emburse

DTE Time Entry

California e-filing

Job description

Join one of the world's leading law firms and become an integral part of a collaborative team that supports exceptional legal work for sophisticated clients. Arnold & Porter is seeking an experienced Corporate Legal Secretary to provide high-level administrative and legal support to attorneys in our San Francisco office.

This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive, detail-oriented professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys building strong relationships, and takes pride in delivering outstanding client service.

As a Corporate Legal Secretary, you will play a critical role in ensuring attorneys can focus on delivering exceptional legal work while you manage the administrative and operational details that keep matters moving forward.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare, edit, proofread, and format corporate agreements, transaction documents, board and shareholder resolutions, written consents, meeting minutes, and related correspondence.
• Assist with corporate formations, registrations, amendments, and dissolutions by preparing documents and coordinating filings with appropriate state agencies under attorney supervision.
• Maintain corporate minute books and entity records, including organizational documents, bylaws, operating agreements, resolutions, and ownership records.
• Support mergers, acquisitions, financings, and other corporate transactions by organizing documents, maintaining transaction checklists, and tracking deadlines.
• Coordinate document execution, including preparing signature packets, arranging electronic signatures, tracking outstanding signatures, and compiling executed documents.
• Assist with transaction closings by organizing closing materials, coordinating document delivery, and preparing electronic closing binders.
• Organize due diligence materials, maintain document indexes, and assist with uploading and managing documents in virtual data rooms.
• Coordinate with clients, registered agents, corporate service providers, and other parties to obtain organizational documents, certificates of good standing, and related records.
• Compare document versions, prepare redlines, and maintain accurate version control for agreements and transaction materials.
• Track corporate filing deadlines and annual reporting requirements in coordination with attorneys and paralegals.
• Manage attorney calendars, workflow, priorities, and deadlines, including scheduling transaction calls and client meetings across time zones.
• Collaborate with attorneys, paralegals, colleagues, and the Attorney Resource Center (ARC) to provide timely and effective support.
• Review and edit client prebills, coordinate billing activities, and enter, review, and finalize attorney time entries.
• Open new client matters and maintain organized electronic and physical files in accordance with firm procedures.
• Arrange domestic and international travel and coordinate meetings, conference rooms, catering, technology support, and Outlook invitations.
• Process expense reports, invoices, and accounts payable submissions.
• Handle confidential client and transaction information with discretion and assist with additional administrative and project assignments.

The ideal candidate is a highly organized professional who combines strong technical skills with exceptional judgment, professionalism, and client service.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; associate’s or bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of legal secretarial experience in a law firm or professional services environment.
• Typing proficiency of at least 60 words per minute.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and document management systems.
• Experience with iManage, Emburse, DTE Time Entry, or similar applications.
• Experience using ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and/or Claude is a plus.
• Thorough understanding of legal terminology and documentation, including corporate agreements and transaction materials.
• Experience with efiling in the state of California.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing demands.
• Demonstrated discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment when handling confidential information.
• Commitment to outstanding service for internal and external clients.
• Flexibility to work additional hours as business needs require.

Arnold & Porter offers a collaborative, inclusive environment that values teamwork, excellence, and innovation. Join a team where your skills and contributions support the success of our attorneys, clients, and firm.

At Arnold & Porter, you'll work alongside talented professionals in a collaborative, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating environment. We value teamwork, excellence, and innovation while providing opportunities for professional growth and development. Your contributions will have a direct impact on the success of our attorneys, our clients, and our firm.

The anticipated base salary for this position is $70,000 to $100,000. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

For benefits information, please click here https://www.arnoldporter.com/en/careers/professional-staff/benefits .

As a nonexempt position, this position is eligible for overtime.

The firm may provide a discretionary bonus annually.

Arnold & Porter is an equal opportunityemployer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy and childbirth (including breastfeeding and related medical conditions), age, marital or partnership status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family leave status, citizenship status, immigration status, ancestry, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations. Our Firm's equal opportunity policy applies to all employment practices and terms and conditions, including, without limitation, recruitment, employment, assignment, training, compensation, benefits, promotions, disciplinary action and terminations. For purposes of the firm's Anti-discrimination and Anti-harassment Policies, the term "race" includes, without limitation, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks, and twists.

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP endeavors to make www.arnoldporter.com accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Director of Support Staff Stephanie Denmark at +1 202.942.6068. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

For our EEO Policy Statement, please click here . If you would like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please click Know Your Rights .

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP uses E-Verify, which is a web-based system, to confirm the eligibility of our employees to work in the United States. As an E-Verify employer, we verify the identity and employment eligibility of newly hired employees by electronically matching information provided by employees on the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, against records available to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We use E-Verify because we are a federal contractor containing the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause. Please see the posters for details regarding E-Verify or contact Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP’s Human Resources Department for more information. E-Verify Participation Poster and Right-to-work Poster .