Litigation Legal Assistant

de la Pena & Holiday, LLP; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans (PPO/HMO)

Life insurance $50,000

Pre-tax transit benefits

Paid holidays & PTO

No employee contribution for benefits

Job summary

de la Pena & Holiday, LLP is seeking a proactive Civil Litigation Legal Assistant / Legal Secretary to provide comprehensive administrative support across civil litigation matters. You will assist with document preparation, service of discovery, court filings, trial prep, and client coordination from our San Francisco office.

The role offers a sustainable hybrid work arrangement with optional in-office collaboration and remote flexibility, prioritizing a supportive environment and efficient

Qualifications

• 3+ years of legal secretarial or litigation assistant experience in California civil litigation.
• Experience with California court filings (CM/ECF) and Federal courts.
• Strong proofreading and formatting skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Acrobat.
• Experience with iManage and CompuLaw a plus.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and format pleadings, motions, and discovery shells per CA Rules.
• Handle state and federal court filings and service.
• Manage calendaring with CompuLaw.
• Coordinate client and attorney communications; schedule depositions and mediations.
• Maintain electronic client files in iManage.
• Assemble trial and hearing binders.

Skills

Detail-oriented

Communication skills

Tools

iManage

CompuLaw

Microsoft Office 365

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Job Title: Civil Litigation Legal Assistant / Legal Secretary (Multiparty & High-Stakes Defense)

Location: San Francisco, CA | Hybrid or In-Office Flexible

Employment Type: Full-Time Permanent

Experience Level: At Least 3 Years of Experience

Base Compensation: Salary Range Starting at $80,000, commensurate with experience

About Our Firm

Our firm is an established, growing full-service law firm headquartered in Downtown San Francisco, specializing in high-stakes litigation and transactional law. Company culture is central to who we are, and we are deeply committed to maintaining a workplace where our team genuinely enjoys working. We strive to just be a nice place to work, free of the firm politics that can easily arise in law firms. We value operational efficiency and mutual professional respect over micromanagement, providing our team with a supportive, sustainable environment to execute top-tier work. We pride ourselves on our technology and see it as an incredibly useful asset that makes the job easier for everyone. Our tech stack includes software used by larger firms, such as Coyote Analytics, iManage, and CompuLaw.

The Position & The Workspace

We are seeking a proactive, detail-oriented Legal Assistant to provide comprehensive administrative and operational support across our civil litigation docket. In this role, you will be an integral part of our case teams, supporting attorneys with document preparation, service of discovery, court filings, trial prep, and day-to-day client and counsel coordination.

This position offers a sustainable hybrid work schedule based out of our Downtown San Francisco office, combining hands-on collaboration with remote flexibility.

Key Responsibilities

• Pleading Preparation & Formatting: Format, proofread, and finalize pleadings, motions, and discovery shells in compliance with California Rules of Court and local court rules. Generate Tables of Contents and Tables of Authorities.
• Filing & Service: Handle state and federal court filings (electronic and physical when required) and coordinate service of discovery, motions, and correspondence with opposing counsel, clients, and vendors.
• Calendaring Support: Serve as backup to our dedicated calendaring clerk during absences, entering case deadlines, hearings, depositions, and cutoffs accurately into CompuLaw.
• Client & Case Coordination: Transmit client status reports, coordinate attorney meetings, handle incoming/outgoing correspondence with opposing counsel, and schedule depositions and mediations.
• Records & Subpoenas: Order, track, and follow up on medical, employment, and business records subpoenas.
• Trial & Hearing Preparation: Assemble and organize physical and electronic trial binders, hearing bundles, exhibit lists, and witness files.
• File Management: Maintain organized electronic client files, correspondence, and case documentation within iManage.

Why This Role is Different: A Supportive Team Culture

Legal support staff often bear the brunt of administrative friction, disjointed communication, and outdated software. We structure our firm to ensure you have what you need to thrive:

• True Team Integration: You work alongside dedicated paralegals and attorneys who operate collaboratively on high-stakes cases.
• Enterprise Technology: We give you the right tools—including iManage, CompuLaw, and modern PDF/formatting utilities—to eliminate repetitive manual workarounds.
• Accessibility & Mutual Respect: Our partners maintain a true open-door approach. We value your time, your operational judgment, and a low-stress, collegial environment.
• Health & Wellness: Full firm-sponsored PPO/HMO health plans with buy-up options (Kaiser & Blue Shield of California), dental, and vision. NO EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION FOR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.
• Financial Protection: The firm provides a fully sponsored $50,000 life insurance policy to all employees, a benefit we proudly established to ensure our team has continuous peace of mind.
• Commute & Time Off: Pre-tax transit commuter benefits, paid firm holidays, and paid time off (PTO).

Requirements

• 3+ years of legal secretarial or litigation assistant experience in California civil litigation.
• Demonstrated experience with electronic and physical court filing in California Superior Courts and federal courts (CM/ECF, One Legal, File & ServeXpress).
• Strong working knowledge of California discovery deadlines, motion service procedures, and proof of service requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 (advanced Word formatting, Outlook scheduling, Excel) and Adobe Acrobat.
• Experience with legal document management systems (iManage preferred) and automated legal calendaring systems (CompuLaw preferred).
• Sharp proofreading skills, high attention to detail, and professional written/verbal communication skills.

Our Interview Process

We respect your time and your career. Our streamlined hiring process consists of: