DWTSurge Contract Litigation Paralegal (Remote)

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; California; Remote; USD 55,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Job summary

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP seeks an experienced litigation paralegal through its DWTSurge program to support complex class action matters with advanced case management, research, and discovery skills.

The role offers remote work with a 37.5‑hour week, PST business hours, and a six‑month term with renewal potential. Ideal candidates have 5+ years of paralegal experience in large-firm litigation and proficiency with Relativity, LexisNexis, Westlaw, and e-discovery tools.

Qualifications

• 5+ years paralegal experience in class action or complex commercial litigation.
• Bachelor’s degree and completion of paralegal program or equivalent.
• Strong knowledge of court rules, filing requirements, and legal research tools.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate case management, deadlines, and document repositories for large matters.
• Perform complex legal and factual research; prepare memoranda and summaries.
• Assist with discovery, productions, privilege logs, and document collections.
• Support trial preparation including exhibits, designations, and technology setup.
• Record billable time accurately and manage competing priorities under pressure.

Skills

Paralegal experience

Class action litigation

Case management

Research & discovery

Trial support

Education

Bachelor's degree

Paralegal program

Tools

MS Office

LexisNexis

Westlaw

PACER

Relativity

Trial Director

OnCue

Job description

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is seeking an experienced litigation paralegal through the firm’s alternative-track contract attorney and staffing program, DWTSurge. The selected paralegal will work with the firm’s Litigation practice to support medium- to large-scale litigation matters, primarily class action matters for the firm’s institutional clients. The role requires advanced skills in case management, legal and factual research, discovery, and trial preparation. for the firm’s institutional clients. The selected paralegal may work remotely but should be prepared to support West Coast business hours.

The selected paralegal will coordinate and collaborate with legal secretaries, legal assistants, administrative staff, clerks, and other professionals on client-related work. The selected paralegal will use modern legal technology to improve litigation workflows and deliver exceptional client service. Success in this role requires excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and case management skills, along with sound judgment, initiative, creativity, and exceptional attention to detail. Experience proposing and implementing process improvements is preferred.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Case Management

• Proactively serve as the central point for litigation team communications and centralized repository for information on assignments, deadlines, and status updates
• Review and analyze complex documents and evidence related to class action claims
• Collaborate with legal secretaries and docketing personnel to ensure that applicable calendar systems contain accurate and current information
• Oversee the creation, indexing, and ongoing maintenance of complex case files and document collections
• Proofread legal memoranda to identify and correct typographical and grammatical errors; verify citations to legal authorities and evidence for accuracy and compliance with The Bluebook and/or specific court requirements; verify history of cited cases
• Coordinate and manage court filings in paper or electronic form, as required by specific jurisdictional requirements

Research & Discovery

• Perform complex legal and fact research and analysis; retrieve and review materials from clients, opposing parties, public agencies, courts, libraries, and other sources; research case, statutory and/or regulatory law; prepare memoranda or summaries documenting research
• Create and maintain collections of documents, including witness files, subject and issue files, experts’ reliance documents, etc.
• Prepare initial drafts of discovery requests, discovery responses, pleadings, memoranda, and other legal documents, as appropriate
• Assist with the collection of documents from client and other parties’; maintain detailed tracking of document collections; work with practice support to ensure defensible collection of electronic documents and files
• Stay current on developments in class action law, rules, and procedures
• Assist with initial review of client documents to determine responsiveness and relevance and to identify confidential documents or documents protected by attorney-client privilege; prepare privilege logs
• Perform complex database searches to locate and retrieve documents
• Prepare exhibits for use at depositions and maintain a system to track marked exhibits
• Manage the collection and status of deposition transcripts; perform searches in the deposition full-text database; summarize deposition transcripts

Preparation for and Assistance at Trial or Other Proceedings

• Assist with trial, arbitration, mediation, or deposition proceedings (tasks include, but are not limited to: preparation of exhibit and witness lists, designations of deposition testimony, preparation of the trial brief)
• Coordinate logistics with court personnel and other counsel
• Work with trial support vendor and/or internal litigation support staff to select, prepare, and operate courtroom technology; coordinate set-up and use of technology with courtroom personnel and other counsel
• Provide on-site or remote support during trials, arbitrations, mediations, and depositions, including tracking and managing exhibits, coordinating witnesses, operating presentation technology, liaising with court personnel, and summarizing testimony

Administrative Tasks

• Accurately and completely record billable time spent and tasks performed in accordance with firm policy and client-imposed billing protocols; enter and release time promptly in compliance with the firm’s announced deadlines
• Accurately and promptly submit records of hours worked in compliance with the firm’s established deadlines
• Maintain regular and consistent attendance and punctuality. Adhere to schedule by being timely on breaks, lunches and meetings
• Accept and perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned

This contract position offers the flexibility of remote work and full-time hours; 37.5 hours per week is generally anticipated. The amount of work may vary from week to week and a minimum number of hours of work per week is not guaranteed. While work will be performed remotely, candidates must be willing to accommodate a West Coast business schedule. The initial engagement will be for a six-month term, but there is a strong potential for renewal for successful candidates, although any renewals are not guaranteed.

The ideal candidate will have:

• 5+ years of paralegal experience focused on class action or complex commercial litigation at a mid-sized or large law firm.
• Residency in one of the following states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, MD, MN, MT, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA*, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WDC, or WV. (*jurisdiction-specific)
• Bachelor’s degree and completion of paralegal program of study, or clear demonstration of equivalent knowledge and skill in accordance with state requirements.
• Strong knowledge of applicable court and agency rules, procedures, and filing requirements.
• Proficiency in MS Office Products (Word, Outlook, Excel), LexisNexis, Westlaw, PACER, and Relativity, and other legal research tools.
• Familiarity with trial support software, like Trial Director and OnCue, a plus.
• Experience in supporting complex commercial litigation matters across multiple offices in multiple jurisdictions preferred.
• Advanced time, project, and task management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines and a high attention to detail and sensitivity to confidential materials.
• Ability to work in a team-oriented, fast-paced, service focused environment and to handle stressful situations in a calm, composed manner. Excellent grammar, proofreading, and organizational skills.
• Availability to work remotely, an average of 37.5 hours/week, and support PST business hours.
• Flexibility for hours to potentially fluctuate from week to week.

Please note that this is a temporary contract position managed by DWT’s flexible attorney and professional staff program, DWTSurge. Compensation will be paid on an hourly basis, commensurate with experience and skill level (see below). This role is eligible for benefits. Due to the structure of the DWTSurge program, DWTSurge employees are not eligible for the firm’s pro bono, DEI, and other activities or opportunities outside of the above stated scope of work. We are interested in candidates electing to pursue a more flexible way of providing continuous, high-value legal services to the firm and our clients. If you are interested in a more traditional law firm position, please check the DWT careers page for lateral and staff opportunities.

Salary Range

The hourly range for this position in CA, IL, MD, MN, NY, OR, WA, and WDC is $40 to $60 per hour. Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.

Additional benefits include:

• First Stop Health Telemedicine: Speak with a licensed physician or mental health counselor 24/7, covered by the firm
• TELUS Health Employee Assistance Program: Receive support with mental, financial, physical, and emotional wellbeing
• Voluntary Pet Insurance
• Milk Stork: Virtual lactation consulting, breast milk shipping and nutritional testing covered by the firm
• Peloton App
• Headspace App

CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON STATE

Paid sick leave is accrued on a biweekly basis at a rate of 1 hour per 30 hours worked.

We are an AmLaw 100 law firm with nine offices nationwide. We are relentlessly committed to client service and look for candidates who share that commitment. At DWT, client service means having empathy for each client’s and each lawyer’s work and personal pressures, business objectives, and legal needs; anticipating their needs; and having the capabilities and commitment to deliver what matters most to them.

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP embraces diversity, equity and inclusion. It brings out the best of what each individual has to offer and inspires us to build strong and lasting connections with each other, our clients, and our communities.

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP fosters a culture where all talented individuals—including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession—can have, and can see, paths to success. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion sits on four pillars: Community, Growth, Education, and Engagement. Learn more about the firm’s commitment to DEI here: www.dwt.com/dei.

In order to support our effort to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive law firm, we request that you voluntarily provide demographic data. All self-reported demographic information is stored securely in a manner that is compliant with DWT’s privacy and security policies and is only accessible by authorized members of the Talent Acquisition and HR Departments; it is not shared with any of the hiring decision-makers.

It is our policy to hire, promote, transfer, terminate, and make all other employment-related decisions without regard to an employee’s sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical condition), race, color, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, religious creed, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, medical condition, military or veteran status or any other basis prohibited by applicable local, state, or federal laws. To review our Anti-Harassment Policy, click on this URL, https://www.dwt.com/-/media/files/policyagainstharassmentdiscrimination.pdf?la=en&hash=66A1B0095748A5E76B0B8A00773F5246.

As an equal opportunity employer, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP values the diversity of our work force and the knowledge of our personnel. Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) for specialty occupation petitions are displayed electronically in accordance with notice requirements pursuant to U.S. Department of Labor regulations, and public access files are available pursuant to regulation. See 20 CFR § 655.734, 655.760.

Davis Wright Tremaine provides reasonable accommodations for those who need them to complete the application or recruiting process and for employees who need reasonable accommodations to perform the essential functions of their positions due to a disability or for religious reasons. If you need to request accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please email [e-mail].