Litigation Practice Assistant

The ONeil Search Group; Washington, Baltimore (District of Columbia, MD); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The DC office of a leading international law firm seeks a Legal Practice Assistant for its Litigation Department to support attorneys with a wide range of confidential administrative tasks.

Open new matters, manage filings, coordinate travel, prepare documents, and maintain calendars; strong typing and MS Office skills required. Three to ten years of experience preferred; 65 WPM typing speed noted.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Three to ten years’ experience as a legal practice assistant or similar role.
• Typing speed of at least 65 WPM preferred.
• Ability to manage changing priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills with proficiency in Excel, styles, and proofreading.

Responsibilities

• Open new matters following firm guidelines; prepare engagement letters and conflicts waivers.
• Perform routine admin duties and support other departments (Office Services, Finance, Records).
• Manage client and lawyer filings; prepare files using FileTrail for records.
• Coordinate domestic and foreign travel; arrange hotels, flights, and itineraries.
• Maintain lawyers’ calendars and Outlook contacts; respond to calls and messages.
• Create, format, edit, and proofread Word documents, Excel sheets, and PowerPoint decks.
• Assist with Marketing/BD activities; research, meeting materials, and bios.
• Process expense reports and reimbursements via Chrome River; track CLE records.

Skills

Typing 65 wpm

MS Office proficiency

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Adaptability

Education

High school diploma

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Outlook

FileTrail

Chrome River

BD Hub

Job description

The DC office of a top international law firm is seeking a Legal Practice Assistant for their Litigation Department.

Three to ten years of experience as a legal practice assistant and typing proficiency of at least 65 words per minute preferred.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Open new matters following the Firm’s guidelines and procedures, including preparation of engagement letters and conflicts waivers.
• Perform routine administrative duties and work with other administrative departments such as Office Services, Finance, and Records.
• Maintain client, administrative, and personal filing for lawyers following established procedures. Prepare files using FileTrail procedures to maintain appropriate records for on- and off-site storage.
• Coordinate domestic and foreign travel including hotel, flights, car rentals; prepare travel itineraries and materials for meetings during travel, important numbers, locations and contact names for events/meetings.
• Maintain lawyers’ contacts in Outlook and BD Hub with accurate contact information and notes.
• Answer and screen calls, field inquiries, relay messages, respond promptly to client needs; respond to email and voicemail as soon as possible.
• Create, format, edit, proofread and manage Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.
• Assist lawyers with Marketing and Business Development functions, access marketing materials, internet research, prepare materials for meetings and proposals, and coordinate lawyers’ biographies.
• Track, organize, and process expense reports, reimbursements and check requests using Chrome River.
• Maintain CLE records for lawyers.
• Manage and maintain lawyers’ schedules and calendars.
• Work with various departments within the Firm to schedule and organize meetings and events.
• Interface and establish ongoing positive business relationships with clients in person, by phone and/or email. Observe confidentiality of lawyer-client relationship.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma required; bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Three to ten years of experience as a legal practice assistant, executive assistant, or project assistant preferred.
• Typing proficiency of at least 65 words per minute preferred.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and manage competing demands in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong technical, organizational, and administrative skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, make timely decisions, explain reasoning clearly, and involve appropriate stakeholders when needed.
• Well‑developed Microsoft Office skills, including intermediate proficiency in Excel; ability to format documents using Styles and proofread for grammatical, typographical, and spelling errors.