Legal Document Specialist

Smokeball - Legal Software; Chicago (IL); Hybride; USD 52 000 - 76 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

401(k) match

Wellness stipend

Birthday off

Volunteer time

Office snacks

Smokeball SWAG

Résumé du poste

Smokeball in Chicago, IL seeks a paralegal/legal assistant to craft polished document templates and solve complex formatting challenges. You will merge legal expertise with technology to help law firms build high-quality templates that meet client needs.

You’ll act as the final quality checkpoint, reviewing work by contractors before it reaches clients, and collaborate with Legal Engineering, Product, and client teams to refine tools and processes.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in a law firm (1–30 employees) in a legal support role, with hands-on experience drafting legal documents and/or court forms.
• Experience with document templates, document field code tools, or form building/configuration — strongly preferred.
• Confident working directly with clients: gathering requirements, managing follow-up, and setting realistic expectations.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a track record of highly accurate work in a detail-oriented environment.
• Strong ownership and judgment — able to work independently, act with urgency, and maintain high quality.
• Curious, adaptable, and eager to use AI tools to work more efficiently.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office — Word, Outlook, etc.

Responsabilités

• Consult with clients who purchase custom template packages, gathering requirements, translating them into build instructions, uploading templates into client accounts, testing, and driving improvements during post-completion feedback.
• Execute template building and template quality assurance based on established standards (court & authority forms, starter and custom templates).
• Troubleshoot complex technical issues and serve as the final decision-maker on template readiness before release to clients.
• Research, design, build, and maintain court captions across areas of law and jurisdictions using Smokeball’s configuration application, collaborating with clients to capture caption needs.
• Configure and deliver new-firm letterhead during onboarding, plus paid letterhead customizations, building reusable solutions for formatting control across templates.
• Work with the Legal Product Operations Manager to maintain Smokeball’s library of 20,000+ forms, using client data and jurisdiction changes to prioritize updates.
• Coordinate with template-building contractors, answer questions, review work, and provide feedback.
• Adopt AI and automation tools to accelerate template development and discern when to use traditional templates vs AI-assisted drafting.
• Partner with Legal Engineering, Product, and Client Success to resolve issues, improve tooling/workflows, and uphold quality standards.
• Define and evolve template quality standards, surface gaps/risks, and drive processes to reduce rework and scale over time.

Connaissances

Drafting documents

Client communication

Attention to detail

Independent work

AI tools usage

Outils

Microsoft Office Word

Outlook

Description du poste

Smokeball is one of the fastest-growing legal tech software companies, with teams across Australia, the US, and the UK. Our software is Powering People Law, giving professionals their time back so they can focus on what matters most. We're growing, building with AI, and looking for people who want to do great work somewhere that feels great too. We're passionate about what we do, and our clients know it!

About the Job

Are you a paralegal or legal assistant who loves creating polished document templates, solving tricky formatting challenges, and finding smarter ways to work? At Smokeball, you'll combine your legal expertise with technology to help law firms build better document templates.

As part of TemplateLab, one of Smokeball's premium document drafting solutions, you'll work directly with law firms to understand their document needs, transform those requirements into high-quality templates, and ensure every deliverable meets our high standards. You'll also be the final quality checkpoint, reviewing and signing off on work configured by our contractors before it reaches clients.

The best part? You’ll set the standard, not just follow one. You’ll shape how templates are built, delivered, and improved, and work closely with clients to determine whether traditional templates or AI-assisted drafting best serves their use case. As the technical expert your colleagues rely on, you’ll partner with Legal Engineering, Product, and our client teams to surface client needs, shape decisions, and sharpen the tools behind the work.

If you're excited about the role but don't tick every box below, we'd still love to hear from you. We care just as much about curiosity, potential, and a willingness to learn as we do about experience. In addition, our detailed, supportive, and immersive training will ensure you are ready for success in the role.

This is a hybrid role based in our office in Chicago, IL. All Chicagoland employees are required to be in the office on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Key Responsibilities

• Consult with clients who purchase custom template packages, gathering their requirements, translating them into clear build instructions, uploading templates into clients’ accounts and testing them, and owning improvements through the post-completion feedback period.
• Execute template building and template quality assurance based on standards set for all document template solutions (court & authority forms, starter templates, and custom templates).
• Troubleshoot complex technical issues and serve as the final decision-maker on template readiness before release to clients.
• Research, design, build, and maintain court captions across areas of law and jurisdictions using Smokeball’s configuration application, including collaborating with clients to capture caption needs.
• Configure and deliver new-firm letterhead during onboarding, along with paid letterhead customizations, building reusable solutions that control formatting and behavior across templates.
• Work closely with the Legal Product Operations Manager to maintain and evolve Smokeball’s library of 20,000+ court and agency forms, using client usage data and jurisdictional changes to prioritize what to add, update, or retire.
• Liase with our team of template-building contractors by answering questions, reviewing work, and providing feedback.
• Adopt emerging AI and automation tools to accelerate template development and help decide which documents are best kept as traditional templates versus AI-assisted drafting.
• Partner with Legal Engineering, Product, and Client Success to resolve issues, improve tooling and workflows, and reinforce quality standards.
• Define and evolve template quality standards, surfacing gaps and risks and driving process improvements that reduce rework and scale over time.

Skills & Experience

• 3+ years in a law firm (1–30 employees) in a legal support role (e.g., paralegal or legal assistant), with hands-on experience drafting legal documents and/or court forms.
• Experience with document templates, document field code tools, or form building/configuration — strongly preferred.
• Confident working directly with clients: gathering requirements, managing follow-up, and setting realistic expectations.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a track record of highly accurate work in a detail-oriented environment.
• Strong ownership and judgment — able to work independently, act with urgency, and hold a high bar for quality.
• Curious, adaptable, and excited to use AI tools to work more efficiently.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office — Word, Outlook, etc.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Smokeball or a similar legal practice management platform.
• Experience working with outsourcing teams or reviewing delegated work.
• Familiarity with multiple areas of law and their document workflows.
• Experience using AI in a work context, both for document drafting and to streamline day-to-day work.
• Experience with and understanding of Word document formatting.

What's in it for you?

• Work-Life Balance: 20 vacation days, 3 reboot days, birthday off, volunteer time, and more!
• Benefits: Excellent medical, dental, vision coverage. 401(k) match, & monthly wellness stipend
• Office lunch and loads of snacks
• And of course...the SWAG!

*Smokeball values diversity & inclusion and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Smokeball considers all individuals seeking employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.