Labor & Employment Legal Administrative Assistant

Barnes & Thornburg LLP; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

BARNES & THORNBURG LLP in Chicago, IL seeks an experienced Legal Administrative Assistant to support a senior partner team. The role requires handling client communications, drafting and proofreading legal documents, managing calendars, and ensuring accurate billing and file organization.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in a legal admin role, strong MS Word/Excel skills, PowerPoint familiarity, and iManage experience.

Qualifications

• Superior attention to detail with proofreading/editing to ensure polished client-ready materials.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience as legal administrative assistant or paralegal in a litigation field.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel; Microsoft PowerPoint is important.
• Experience with iManage or a comparable document management system; iManage a strong plus.
• Willingness to learn new skills and adapt in a fast-paced law office environment.
• Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks; strong organizational skills.
• Ability to transcribe legal documents, correspondence and reports at ~70 wpm.
• Experience working independently and in a team; discretion and independent judgment.
• May exceed 40 hours per week; flexibility as needed.
• Impeccable references.

Responsibilities

• Support senior partner team; manage client, attorney and staff contact.
• Prepare and edit correspondence, memoranda, and legal documents; draft standard correspondence.
• Maintain client and general files in iManage; organize and save documents.
• Manage mail, filings, and communications; route and follow up as needed.
• Open new files; run conflict checks; assist with file closures.
• Handle client reception and scheduling; maintain attorney calendars and reminders.
• Process bills and review invoices to ensure guidelines are met; assist billing.
• Assist travel arrangements and market-related tasks as requested.
• Track time entries and deadlines; coordinate with support teams.
• Assist with audits and marketing-related tasks as needed.
• Maintain professional communication and confidentiality at all times.
• Support overflow tasks as requested.

Skills

Attention to detail

Interpersonal skills

Analytical thinking

Independence

Time management

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

iManage

Job description

SUMMARY: Supports key senior partner team in helping to manage dynamic practice, including maintaining positive and routine contact with clients, attorneys and staff. Performs a variety of secretarial duties for attorney(s) to whom assigned according to established policies and procedures and observes confidentiality of client matters.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Excellent organizational and multitasking skills to support large legal practices, manage competing priorities, and meet deadlines.

2. Dynamic, outgoing personality for regular and repeated interaction with clients and fellow team members.

3. Excellent initiative and decision-making skills as well as confidence in working independently.

4. Favorable interpersonal or leadership skills given anticipated interactions with team members and facilitating the completion of projects.

5. Confidence in skills and experience. Operates a computer and other standard office equipment.

6. Prepares correspondence, memoranda and other legal documents from written and oral drafts; drafts standard correspondence and other documents. Proofreads and edits materials for accuracy, grammar, spelling and formatting to ensure documents are polished and client ready. Transcribes dictation as needed.

7. Answers telephone calls as needed.

8. Reads, sorts and dates incoming mail. Ensures that outgoing mail is timely delivered. If necessary, routes mail to specific delivery service and follows up on timely delivery.

9. Opens new files, requests conflict of interest checks with Accounting (and, if applicable, assists attorney(s) regarding clearing same). Maintains complete, accurate and organized client and general files, including promptly saving and organizing all incoming documents and relevant correspondence in iManage. Conducts periodic review for possible storage of older files and prepares files to be closed.

10. Receives clients and visitors; maintains good public relations with clients; observes confidentiality of attorney-client relationship.

11. Makes appointments for attorney(s) and maintains calendar and deadline reminders for attorney(s). Maintains familiarity with calendars to help support completion of tasks and ensure attorney(s) have what they need that day/week.

12. Assist attorney(s) with tracking various items to ensure smooth flow of work and meeting of internal/external deadlines (engagement letters, client contracts, billings, diary, etc.)

13. Process bills. Proof/edit billing sheets (both narrative and expenses; if applicable, ensure client billing guidelines are met); review and edit invoices to ensure Accounting properly made corrections.

14. Process expense reports and invoices (i.e. hearing transcripts, fees, etc.) to Accounting.

15. Work with travel agency to look up flight/car rental/hotel options; reserve and calendar same.

16. Assists attorney(s) and the Audit Team with collecting and organizing information for audit responses, as requested.

17. Assist attorney(s) with various marketing issues (tickets/gifts to clients, etc.)

18. Prioritizes accurate and timely entry of attorney time for assigned attorney(s) who require assistance, including processing daily time submissions and meeting firm deadlines. Works closely with administrative support teams, including word processing, accounting, reprographics and reception.

19. Performs overflow work as requested by other attorneys, the Human Resource Director or the Office Administrator.

20. Other duties as assigned.

The employee must be able to perform all essential job duties and responsibilities of this position satisfactorily and as outlined, with or without reasonable accommodations. Reasonable accommodation requests may be accommodated, absent undue firm hardship.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

1. Superior attention to detail, including strong proofreading and editing abilities to ensure materials are accurate, polished and client ready. Willingness to suggest additional modifications if believed to strengthen content.

2. Minimum of 5 years’ experience as legal administrative assistant or paralegal in a field involving litigation, with the following preferred but not necessary: (a) experience as executive assistant (helping to manage significant projects, practices and/or client relationships preferred; (b) specific job experience in Labor & Employment legal work is helpful in order to gain an understanding of law office policies and procedures and produce accurate legal documents with minimal supervision.

3. Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel is required. Experience with Microsoft PowerPoint is important.

4. Experience with iManage or a comparable document management system is preferred; prior iManage experience is a strong plus.

5. Genuine willingness / desire to learn new skills as needed.

6. Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced environment supporting important, dynamic legal practices.

7. Ability to transcribe legal documents, correspondence and reports from rough draft or dictation at a level of 70 wpm.

8. Strong organizational and multitasking abilities, with the ability to manage numerous assignments, maintain complete and accurate files, and adjust priorities while meeting deadlines.

9. Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate and follow instructions effectively from a diverse group of clients, attorneys and staff to provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact.

10. Experience working both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.

11. Requires discretion and independent judgment on items of significance.

12. Work occasionally requires a high level of mental effort while producing a high volume of information performing other essential duties.

13. Work occasionally requires more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position; may require irregular hours.

14. Impeccable references are a must.

This job description is intended to describe the general requirements of this position. As such, it is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of job duties or responsibilities required in this job. Subject to firm needs, duties and responsibilities of this position may change at any time, on a temporary or permanent basis, and with or without notice.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

1. Normal law office environment with little exposure to excessive noise, dust, temperature and the like.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of essential functions, responsibilities or requirements.

Equal Employment and Opportunity Statement:

Barnes & Thornburg is committed to equal employment opportunity in both principle and as a matter of policy. We will recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate and provide benefits to all applicants and employees without regard to ancestry, sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religion, religious creed, mental and/or physical disability, medical condition, military and/or veteran’s status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all recruiting, hiring, promotions, upgrades, layoffs, compensation, benefits, terminations and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. The firm complies fully with all federal, state and local equal employment opportunity laws.