Legal Assistant

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.; Florham Park (NJ); Hybrid; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. is seeking a Legal Assistant to provide administrative, operational, and substantive support to the Legal Department.

The role coordinates recurring legal processes, maintains department records, and supports attorneys with contracts, privacy, compliance, and governance matters, with opportunities to expand into more complex contributions with proper training. The position is hybrid, requiring in-office attendance at our Florham Park, NJ headquarters three days per

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent; related experience preferred.
• 1-3 years in legal/corporate/administrative environment preferred.
• Familiarity with legal terminology, documents, and workflows; interested in broader substantive support.
• Strong written and verbal communication; professional interaction across organization.
• Strong organizational skills; ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to follow processes and escalate substantive matters appropriately.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; template and tracker creation.
• Experience with document management or contract lifecycle systems is a plus; OneTrust is a plus.
• Curiosity to learn and leverage AI tools for efficiency, while maintaining accuracy and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day Legal Department administration and tracking.
• Monitor privacy mailboxes; route requests to attorneys; maintain records.
• Handle routine service of process, subpoenas, and other legal notices; maintain matter files.
• Support compliance and public records activities; assist with FOIA requests and related tasks.
• Assist with NDA preparation and contract drafting using approved templates.
• Coordinate cross-functional legal activities and governance documents.
• Conduct defined legal research and data gathering under attorney direction.
• Develop templates, forms, and workflows with attorney guidance; leverage AI tools.
• Support broader initiatives in privacy, trademark, and copyright maintenance.

Skills

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Legal terminology

Written and verbal communication

Organizational skills

Process adherence

Microsoft Word / Excel / PowerPoint

Notary knowledge (plus)

AI tools literacy

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience

Tools

OneTrust

Document management systems

Job description

Education - It's in Our DNA

At Barnes & Noble Education (“BNED”) and across our family of brands, we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education.

Education - It's in Our DNA

At Barnes & Noble Education (“BNED”) and across our family of brands, we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education.

The Legal Assistant provides administrative, operational, and developing substantive support to the Legal Department. This role coordinates recurring legal processes, maintains department records and tracking systems, supports attorneys with contracts, claims, privacy, compliance, and corporate governance matters, and serves as a key point of coordination for internal and external legal requests. The position offers the opportunity to expand into more substantive legal responsibilities over time, including legal research, contract administration, privacy, intellectual property, corporate governance, and legal technology, with appropriate training and attorney guidance.

How You'll Make An Impact

• Coordinate day-to-day Legal Department administration, including legal invoice intake and coding, calendars and deadlines, department files and trackers, notarization, and organization of legal records and materials.
• Monitor designated Legal and privacy mailboxes, including general privacy and COPPA inquiries; manage initial intake, route requests to the appropriate attorney or business partner, track follow-up, and maintain organized records of requests and responses.
• Coordinate routine legal intake and response processes involving service of process, BBB complaints, subpoenas, garnishments, litigation holds, and threatened claims. Gather relevant information, maintain matter files and trackers, monitor deadlines, and elevate substantive issues to counsel as appropriate.
• Support recurring compliance and public records activities, including government contracting requirements, FOIA and other public records requests, related-party and insider information requests, and other Legal Department compliance matters.
• Assist with the preparation and administration of NDAs and other routine legal documents using approved templates. Support document formatting, contract intake, preparation of initial drafts from approved forms, signature coordination, electronic signatures, follow-up on outstanding documents, and maintenance of final executed agreements.
• Coordinate recurring Legal Department and cross-functional activities, including subsidiary quarterly meetings, preparation and organization of meeting materials, tracking of follow-up items, and maintenance of corporate governance documents, Company policies, legal forms, and templates.
• Conduct defined legal and factual research and assist with information gathering, document review, FOIA research, and redaction projects under attorney direction.
• As knowledge and experience develop, support additional Legal Department initiatives, including privacy compliance, trademark and copyright maintenance, contract review projects, and development of legal templates, forms, and workflows.
• Leverage approved AI and other technology tools to enhance document preparation, research support, contract and workflow administration, and process efficiency, while exercising appropriate judgment and adhering to Company policies and attorney direction
• Additional responsibilities as required

What You'll Need To Succeed

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience preferred.
• One to three years of experience in a legal, corporate, administrative, or similarly professional environment preferred.
• Familiarity with legal terminology, document structures, and legal or business workflows preferred, with an interest in developing broader substantive legal support skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally and effectively with employees across the organization and external stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain accurate records, monitor deadlines, and follow matters through completion.
• Ability to follow established processes, identify missing information or required follow-up, exercise sound judgment within the scope of the role, and elevate questions or substantive legal matters appropriately.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, including the ability to create and maintain professional documents, editable templates, forms, trackers, and presentations.
• Familiarity with document management, electronic signature, contract lifecycle management, privacy management, or similar systems is a plus. Experience with OneTrust is also a plus.
• Demonstrated curiosity and ability to learn and leverage AI and other technology tools to improve efficiency, research, document preparation, and workflows, with an understanding of the importance of accuracy, confidentiality, and responsible use.
• Current New Jersey Notary Public commission is a plus, or willingness and ability to obtain and maintain a Notary Public commission following hire.

Please Note: This is a hybrid role requiring in-office attendance three (3) days per week at our Florham Park, NJ headquarters. Applicants must be within a commutable distance, as relocation assistance will not be provided.

How We Elevate Our Employees

We believe your success is our success, so our benefits package is designed specifically to support you in every aspect of your life. At BNED, we offer a variety of programs and resources to support the physical, mental, and financial well-being of our employees by offering a competitive total rewards package for full-time employees, which includes medical, dental, and vision plans, 401k with an annual discretionary match, life insurance, commuter benefits, paid time off with paid holidays, and a broad range of other benefits.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

At Barnes & Noble Education, we empower everyone. Our mission is to support students, faculty, and schools, serving as a catalyst to meet the evolving needs of the education system and a new generation of students. That starts with fostering an environment for our employees where diversity and individuality is celebrated.

Barnes & Noble Education is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Aff… All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Barnes & Noble Education provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete an application or participate in the interview process, please contact [e-mail].