Legal Assistant / Secretary

Stone Legal Recruitment; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, and Vision insurance (

HSA option

401(k) – Traditional and Roth options

Life Insurance

Disability coverage

Employee Assistance Program

Pet Insurance

Job summary

Stone Legal Recruitment in San Diego seeks an experienced Legal Assistant to support a fast-paced civil litigation practice in our San Diego office. The role focuses on keeping matters moving, deadlines met, and documents filed accurately in state and federal courts.

The ideal candidate has 2+ years in civil litigation, experience in insurance defense or complex matters, strong Word formatting skills, and familiarity with case management systems (Clio a plus).

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience as a legal assistant or legal secretary in civil litigation.
• Experience in insurance defense or complex litigation is required.
• Strong knowledge of state and federal e-filing procedures.
• Excellent document formatting and proofreading skills (Microsoft Word).
• Familiarity with case management systems; Clio experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, format, proofread, and file legal documents in state and federal courts
• Manage daily matter calendars and proactively track deadlines
• Assist with opening new matters, maintaining organized digital case files, and applying firm naming conventions
• Coordinate service of pleadings, discovery, correspondence, and subpoenas as directed
• Draft and maintain basic litigation templates (pleadings shells, certificates of service, notices)
• Download, save, rename, and distribute court filings and correspondence to legal teams and clients
• Schedule depositions, hearings, meetings, and conference rooms
• Maintain organized electronic and physical files throughout the life of a case
• Provide general administrative support to attorneys, paralegals, and office operations as needed

Skills

Civil litigation support

E-filing procedures

Microsoft Word

Tech-savvy

Case management software (Clio)

Tools

Clio

Case management system

Microsoft Word

Job description

A growing national insurance defense practice is seeking a Legal Assistant / Legal Secretary to join its San Diego office.

We are moving efficiently and can take candidates from initial conversation to decision within approximately two weeks.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Legal Assistant to join our San Diego office and support a fast-paced litigation practice. This role is critical to keeping matters moving efficiently and requires strong attention to detail, comfort with litigation workflows, and the ability to stay ahead of deadlines. The ideal candidate is highly organized, proactive, and experienced in supporting attorneys and paralegals in complex civil litigation matters.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, format, proofread, and file legal documents in state and federal courts
• Manage daily matter calendars and proactively track deadlines
• Assist with opening new matters, maintaining organized digital case files, and applying firm naming conventions
• Coordinate service of pleadings, discovery, correspondence, and subpoenas as directed
• Draft and maintain basic litigation templates (pleadings shells, certificates of service, notices)
• Download, save, rename, and distribute court filings and correspondence to legal teams and clients
• Schedule depositions, hearings, meetings, and conference rooms
• Maintain organized electronic and physical files throughout the life of a case
• Provide general administrative support to attorneys, paralegals, and office operations as needed

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience as a legal assistant or legal secretary in civil litigation
• Prior experience in insurance defense or complex litigation required
• Strong knowledge of state and federal e-filing procedures
• Excellent document formatting and proofreading skills (Microsoft Word required)
• Tech-savvy and quick to learn new applications, with strong technical acumen and comfort adopting new systems and workflows
• Experience working in a case management system required; prior Clio experience is a strong plus
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and reliable under deadline pressure
• Professional communicator with a collaborative, team-first mindset

Work Structure

• Standard hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., with occasional overtime as needed based on case demands
• Competitive base salary (based on experience)
• Health, Dental, and Vision insurance (including an HSA option)
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• 401(k) – Traditional and Roth options with employer contribution
• Company-paid Life Insurance, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, and Employee Assistance Program
• Optional Accident, Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness, and Pet Insurance