Litigation Legal Secretary

Farella; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 118,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

PTO

Job summary

Farella Braun + Martel seeks a Litigation Legal Secretary – Secretarial Center in San Francisco, CA, with a flexible hybrid arrangement. The role provides complex administrative support to attorneys, manages secretarial duties during peak periods, and ensures timely completion of all tasks with teamwork.

Qualified candidates have 5+ years litigation secretarial experience, a California Notary, and strong typing (65 wpm) and MS Office skills.

Qualifications

• Experience: At least five years of litigation experience as a Legal Secretary.
• Education: High school diploma or GED required; BA preferred.
• Notary: Must be a commissioned California Notary Public or able to obtain commission following hire.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Knowledge of legal terminology and e-filing; accurate typing; strong MS Office and document management skills.

Responsibilities

• Files and files documents with local, state, federal and appellate courts, e-files and paper files.
• Prepares complex legal documents and correspondence with proper formatting and spelling.
• Maintains calendars for assigned attorneys and coordinates meetings and deadlines.
• Maintains client records and electronic filing in document management systems.
• Manages travel arrangements, expenses and client billing matters; supports reconciliation of bills.

Skills

Typing 65 wpm

MS Office

Communication skills

Billing and time entry

Notary knowledge

E-filing knowledge

Education

High school diploma or GED

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Adobe Acrobat

Document management

Billing software

Job description

The Opportunity

Litigation Legal Secretary – Secretarial Center (Flexible Hybrid in SF Bay Area; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) Legal Secretaries support the delivery of quality legal services to clients by providing secretarial and administrative assistance to attorneys, performing complex and specialized litigation and transactional secretarial tasks, and working collaboratively and cooperatively with others in a team-oriented environment. This position supports attorneys assigned to the Center as well as attorneys when their assigned secretaries are absent or have left for the day as well as overflow secretarial support. Works with other Secretarial Center secretaries as a team to ensure that all incoming jobs are prioritized and completed expeditiously. This position is based in San Francisco, CA but may be a flexible hybrid position working remotely and in the office. Working in the office will be required three days per week.

The Day-to-Day

Files Documents with Court: E-files (and paper files, when applicable) documents with local, state, federal and appellate courts. Researches local rules. Prepares documents for filing under seal. Prepares courtesy copies.

Prepares Documents: Using the firm’s word processing and document management software, types, prepares and processes correspondence, memoranda, presentations, tables and spreadsheets as well as complex legal documents according to the requirements set by each court and practice area requiring knowledge of legal terminology and advanced formatting skills. Prepares shell/template documents (including pleadings and discovery) for attorneys. Composes and drafts routine cover letters, emails and documents. Proofreads documents and reviews for appropriate formatting, spelling and grammar. Prepares revisions and redlines documents as directed. Coordinates lengthy and complex document preparation with the Word Processing staff as needed.

Processes Correspondence: Reviews, profiles and distributes incoming communications. Prepares and processes outgoing mail, arranges for specialized mail or messenger services as required. Ensures that all attachments, exhibits and enclosures are included. Coordinates activities with the copy center and mailroom personnel as needed.

Maintains Calendar: Maintains and updates the calendars for assigned attorneys, including meetings, appointments, due dates, and client-related activities. Coordinates specific dates with the Calendar Department as needed.

Maintains Files: Responsible for creating and maintaining client records, files and indexes electronically according to firm policies and procedures. Performs profiling of documents in document management system and retrieves hardcopy files as needed. Works with the Admin Resource Center and the Records Department to accomplish this task.

Coordinates Financial Functions: Enters attorney timesheets in a timely manner. Prepares expense reimbursement and disbursement requests. Edits bills in online billing system and coordinates client billing matters with the billing staff in the Accounting Department.

Provides Administrative Support: Prepares and processes conflicts requests and new matter forms. Coordinates travel arrangements, prepares itineraries, and prepares travel expense reports. Schedules meetings and arranges for conference rooms and meals with catering staff. Maintains and updates contact names and addresses in the firm’s contact database. Communicates effectively with clients and with others in the firm. Is proactive in anticipating the business needs of the attorneys; plans ahead and meets deadlines. Works proactively with the attorneys to move administrative tasks forward in accordance with firm requirements.

Maintains Records: Enters information on the Secretary Center Job Completion log.

Cooperates with Team Efforts: Demonstrates effective teamwork and communication. Follows Center protocol for marking jobs and copying secretary and Center. Provides assistance to other secretaries as time permits. Works cooperatively with other departments and individuals in the firm.

Other: Performs other related secretarial and administrative duties as assigned. Overtime work may be required and flexibility to cover as evening secretary may occasionally be required.

Requirements

Experience: At least five years of litigation experience as a Legal Secretary.

Education: High school diploma or GED required; BA preferred.

Notary: Must be a commissioned California Notary Public or able to obtain commission following hire.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Demonstrates knowledge of legal terminology, legal documents, and legal processes including thorough knowledge of e-filing legal documents with courts. Accurate typing at a net speed of at least 65 words per minute. Strong computer proficiency in the use of the MS Office Suite of software (Word, Outlook, and Excel), Zoom, Teams, pdf, document management, document sharing, document signing, time entry, presentation, billing and other software. Strong attention to detail. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal; demonstrates understanding of correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. Strong time management and organizational skills and the ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment; ability to work proactively, coordinate multiple tasks concurrently and to meet deadlines. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively within a team environment.

What We Provide

Farella supports all the members of our Farella family in achieving both personal satisfaction and professional accomplishment. Farella provides competitive salary and excellent benefits including comprehensive, medical, dental, vision, generous PTO, educational reimbursement and charitable contribution matching. The annual base compensation range for this California position is expected to be between $100,000 and $118,000. Placement within the salary range depends upon a number of factors including years of experience and professional skills required for this role. Additional compensation may include a discretionary bonus, health and welfare benefits, PTO, leave, paid holidays and retirement plan benefits. At Farella, we recognize that the contributions, individuality and diversity of all our professionals are key to the firm's success and meeting the needs of our clients. And like our clients, we value attributes such as enthusiasm, character, and high ethical standards. In fact, these are core qualities in all the individuals who come to work with us—and in all those with whom you will work! The longevity of those in all positions at the firm speaks to the warm, collegial, professional and rewarding environment at the firm. Farella has for many years been named one of the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times / Silicon Valley Business Journal. We are ranked on the Best Midsize Law Firm to Work For in the United States list by Vault.

Who We Are

Farella Braun + Martel is a leading Northern California law firm representing corporate and private clients in sophisticated business transactions and complex commercial, civil and criminal litigation. Clients seek our imaginative legal solutions and the dynamism and intellectual creativity of our lawyers. We are headquartered in San Francisco and maintain an office in the Napa Valley that is focused on the wine industry. Farella’s commitment to supporting the industries of Northern California and our entrepreneurial responsiveness to the regional demands have driven our growth and evolution. Nimbleness and opportunistic management have propelled our success for over 60 years. From trial prowess in high-stakes litigation to utility-scale renewable energy project development and complex transactional expertise, Farella’s clients rely on and appreciate our fierce focus on client service and high-quality work.

Commitment to Diversity, Equality + Inclusion

We strive to ensure that everyone working at Farella feels like they belong. To that end, our recruiting, retention and practice development programs welcome, support and promote the interests of women, families and people of all ethnicities and sexual orientations. At Farella, we are committed to diversity, both as an ethical ideal and as a business imperative.

Our Commitment to the Community in Which We Live and Work

Since our inception over 60 years ago, Farella Braun + Martel has actively participated in our local communities. Through pro bono work, charitable giving, and participation in charitable and civic organizations, we have strived to honor our core principle of giving back to the community. We annually participate in firmwide community service events including Rebuilding Together San Francisco, BASF’s Head Start Holiday Gift Program, BASF’s Food from the Bar Campaign benefiting the SF/Marin Food Bank, and Chapter One Online Literacy Tutoring Program with local elementary schools.

Recognition

Farella has received industry and peer recognition equal to any firm in the country. Our attorneys include fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, American College of Appellate Lawyers, American College of Environmental Lawyers, American College of Coverage Counsel, College of Labor & Employment Lawyers, and American College of Investment Counsel. Farella has been named among Law360’s California Powerhouses, featured on the National Law Journal’s Midsize Hot List and is named one of the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times / Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Green Business

Farella Braun + Martel became the first major law firm in San Francisco to obtain certification as a green business from the San Francisco Green Business Program in 2006. The program recognized the firm for meeting its stringent environmental standards. We received our fifth Green Business certification in 2024.