Litigation Legal Secretary - Teams

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP; Fort Lauderdale (FL); On-site; USD 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is seeking a litigation secretary to support a group of attorneys across multiple Florida offices, including Miami, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. The role emphasizes civil defense litigation, trials, arbitrations, and mediations with a strong focus on confidentiality and client service.

The ideal candidate will bring five years of civil defense litigation secretarial experience, top organizational skills, and proficiency with Outlook, Word, Excel, iManage, InTapp, Chrome

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of five years of civil defense litigation legal secretarial experience.
• Strong organizational skills, efficiency and detail orientation.
• Knowledge of state and federal court rules, including e-filing, where applicable.

Responsibilities

• Prepares, edits, files and may compose legal documents such as pleadings and motions; e-files where required.
• Communicates with clients, counsel, court personnel and external parties; coordinates with office resources.
• Reviews mail, opens new files, checks conflicts of interest, maintains files and storage.
• Maintains confidentiality and professional conduct; supports calendars and deadlines.
• Schedules depositions, meetings and court dates; coordinates travel and reminders.
• Works collaboratively in a team; participates in meetings and shares workflow tips.
• Uses team software to log and manage workflow; performs other duties as assigned.

Skills

Civil defense litigation

Office software

Communication skills

Time management

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

Outlook

Microsoft Word

Excel

iManage

InTapp

Chrome River

Adobe

Job description

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is a national law firm with over 500 attorneys across the United States. Founded in 1934 and headquartered in Chicago, we provide sophisticated legal counsel to clients in highly regulated industries, including insurance, financial services, healthcare, and professional services. We also offer strategic business and transactional advice to a wide range of for-profit and nonprofit organizations, including government agencies and educational institutions. Learn more at hinshawlaw.com.

We are seeking a litigation secretary to work with a support team in providing comprehensive legal and administrative support to a group of attorneys. The position may be located in our Miami, Tampa or Ft. Lauderdale office.

The ideal candidate will have experience in civil defense litigation, including trials/arbitrations/mediations. The candidate will also have demonstrated excellence in dependability, pro-activity and the ability to work independently and within a team. Experience in insurance defense and personal injury litigation, as well as multi-state knowledge of court procedures and practices would be ideal.

Responsibilities

• Prepares, edits, files and may compose legal documents, including but not limited to, letters, memoranda, pleadings, motions, discovery, agreements, subpoenas and other legal documents as required by the practice area. Files documents with the courts, including e-filing.
• Communicates with clients, counsel, court personnel, and other external parties. Communicates and coordinates with local and other office administrative resources to ensure tasks are completed accordingly.
• Reviews and processes all incoming mail. Opens new files, checks conflicts of interest, maintains client and general files. Conducts periodic review of files for possible closure/off-site storage.
• Interacts with clients, counsel, court personnel and others. Maintains professional appearance and demeanor. Maintains good public relations and customer service with clients. Maintains confidentiality of attorney-client relationship.
• Establishes and maintains calendar and deadline reminder/follow-up systems. Schedule depositions, meetings, medical examinations, inspections. Calendar court dates, deposition dates, etc. Works with attorneys, secretaries and docketing personnel to ensure accuracy of calendar. Communicates with administrative support by apprising of deadlines, attorney travel plans, etc.
• Works collaboratively in a team: Proactively demonstrates effective teamwork and communication with attorneys, team members and all Firm personnel. Actively participates in regular team meetings to discuss current projects and workflow. Takes ownership of assignments and regularly exchanging information and training tips with team members for maximum job effectiveness.
• Effectively uses team software to log, manage and handle workflow.
• Other related duties and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of five years of civil defense litigation legal secretarial experience.
• Strong organizational skills, efficiency and detail-orientation; ability to prioritize high volume workload and manage numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints.
• Knowledge and application of State and Federal court rules (including e-filing) and local rules, where applicable, pertaining to litigation procedures, requirements and practices (including trial, mediation and arbitration).
• Knowledge of or ability to learn office procedures, rules and regulations.
• Demonstrated competency and proficiency in computer programs and relevant software applications including Outlook, Word, Excel, iManage, InTapp, Chrome River and Adobe. Knowledge of BigHand Now or similar workflow platform preferred.
• Ability to effectively and accurately communicate orally and in writing; correctly apply departmental rules, complex regulations and procedures; maintain a high degree of confidentiality and attention to detail; work well under pressure and time sensitive situations; proofread and perform editing of routine and complex law office documents; transcribe legal documents, correspondence and reports from written drafts or dictation at a level of 70 wpm; identify and resolve issues; work well within a team environment; incur overtime in order to perform the essential duties of the position - may require irregular hours.
• Interpersonal and customer service skills necessary to professionally communicate with and effectively follow instructions from a diverse group of clients, external entities, attorneys, management and staff.

Why Join Hinshaw?

At Hinshaw, we foster a collaborative and inclusive work culture. We offer competitive compensation, a flexible benefits program, and a generous 401(k) plan. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Joining our team means being part of a firm that values innovation and professional growth in its technology operations, all while maintaining a supportive environment that encourages work-life balance and career development.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace and providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications

As an EEO/AA employer, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran or disability status or any other factor prohibited by law.