Litigation Paralegal

Wanta Thome PLC; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 39,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with firm contribution

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Paid time off

Remote/hybrid/in-office flexibility

Job summary

Wanta Thome PLC is seeking a Litigation Paralegal to drive case momentum on plaintiff-side employment matters. You will prepare pleadings, discovery, and case-development work, and keep clients informed through challenging times with empathy and clear boundaries.

This is not an entry-level role: 2+ years of litigation paralegal experience are required; a paralegal certificate or associate degree is required, bachelor's degree preferred.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of paralegal experience in litigation
• Paralegal certificate or associate degree required; bachelor's degree preferred
• Strong legal writing and attention to detail
• Project-management mindset; multitask and meet deadlines
• Warm and clear with clients; concise and clear with team
• Comfortable in Microsoft 365 and case-management systems

Responsibilities

• Draft complaints, routine motions, discovery requests and responses, and mediation statements that need light attorney revision
• Build the strategic core of each file: fact chronologies, deposition summaries, document indexes, and witness profiles
• Research procedural questions and deliver short, usable summaries with a recommendation
• Lead client fact-gathering calls and handle routine client questions with empathy and clear boundaries
• Watch each case for gaps, stalls, and approaching deadlines, and raise solutions
• Keep matter status current in our case systems so anyone on the team can see where a case stands

Skills

Litigation paralegal

Legal writing

Project management

Client communication

Microsoft 365

Education

Paralegal certificate or associate degree

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Case-management software

Microsoft 365

Job description

About this position

Wanta Thome is a plaintiff-side employment litigation firm built like a modern company. We represent workers who have been hit by discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, we work on contingency, and the firm gets paid only when our clients recover. That shapes how we work: preparation matters, speed matters, and every file is a person whose job, income, or reputation is on the line.

Most firms hand their paralegals legacy processes and call it support work. We have an in-house developer team that builds custom drafting and case tools, we run the firm on data-backed goals so priorities are never a mystery, and we build teams where paralegals do substantive litigation work, not administrative cleanup.

The Role

This is not a legal secretary position. As a Litigation Paralegal, you drive case momentum. You prepare the pleadings, discovery, and case-development work that attorneys build strategy on, you keep clients informed during a hard stretch of their lives, and you spot problems in a case before they become delays.

2+ years of litigation paralegal experience, required. Employment law experience is helpful but not required; we have resources for teaching the substantive law to paralegals who already know how litigation works. This is not an entry-level position.

What the Job Is Like

• Deadlines are real and often stacked. Litigation calendars do not move, and you will manage several active matters at once.
• Clients come to us at a low point. Many have just lost a job or are still working somewhere hostile. You need steady empathy and the judgment to keep conversations productive without stepping into legal advice.
• We give and expect direct feedback. We call it Radical Candor: say the true thing, kindly, early.

What You'll Do

• Draft complaints, routine motions, discovery requests and responses, and mediation statements that need light attorney revision, not a rewrite.
• Build the strategic core of each file: fact chronologies, deposition summaries, document indexes, and witness profiles.
• Research procedural questions and deliver short, usable summaries with a recommendation.
• Lead client fact-gathering calls and handle routine client questions with empathy and clear boundaries.
• Watch each case for gaps, stalls, and approaching deadlines, and raise solutions rather than waiting for instructions.
• Keep matter status current in our case systems so anyone on the team can see where a case stands.

What You Bring

• 2+ years of paralegal experience in litigation, required. Plaintiff-side employment experience is a plus.
• Paralegal certificate or associate's degree required; bachelor's degree preferred.
• Strong legal writing that is clean the first time, and an eye for the details others miss.
• A project-manager mindset: you juggle multiple cases, meet deadlines without being chased, and ask for help early when you are stuck.
• Warm and clear with clients; concise and clear with the team.
• Comfortable in Microsoft 365. Case-management experience is a plus; we will train.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base pay of $28.00–$39.00 per hour depending on experience and other factors.
• Performance bonuses tied to firm results.
• Medical, dental, and vision: the firm pays 80% of the single-plan premium.
• 401(k) with a 3% firm contribution.
• Firm-paid life insurance and long-term disability.
• Generous paid time off and commuter benefits.
• Schedule: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central, with occasional flexibility for case demands.
• Location: your choice of remote, hybrid, or in-office. The Minneapolis office includes a wellness room and fitness center. You must physically work in the United States; we are not able to support hiring in every state.

Why People Stay

• The work matters. Better-prepared cases produce better outcomes for clients whose livelihoods are at stake.
• The firm is growing, and we create new seats as we grow. People who perform here move into larger roles.
• You work directly with experienced attorneys and get mentorship, training, and custom-built tools rather than legacy processes.
• We work hard and we mark the wins, with regular team events and an office built for collaboration.

Our values are simple: Teamwork, Impactful Agility, Relentless Excellence, Results-Driven, and Radical Candor. In practice that means no egos, honest feedback in both directions, and a shared commitment to fast outcomes for clients.

Hiring Process

• Prevue strengths assessment.
• Phone interview.
• Kolbe assessment.
• Final interview.
• Offer, references, and background check.

Wanta Thome PLC is an equal opportunity employer. We make employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need an accommodation during the hiring process, let us know.