Municipal Paralegal – Litigation & Records Specialist

City of Cambridge; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Cambridge Law Department is seeking a Paralegal to support attorneys in a wide range of civil, administrative and transactional matters. The role involves drafting documents, managing records, and assisting in litigation and public records requests.

Ideal candidates have a bachelor’s degree, 3+ years paralegal experience, and familiarity with municipal or government work. Knowledge of MA eFileMA/CM-ECF is a plus, and confidentiality is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field or equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience.
• At least three (3) years of paralegal or similar experience assisting in review, research and compliance with laws, rules, and regulations under attorney supervision, either in a law firm or a corporate or public entity’s law department.
• Paralegal Certificate preferred.
• Municipal or other government background preferred.

Responsibilities

• Investigate, analyze, evaluate and make recommendations regarding damages claims and complaints filed against the City and/or City officials.
• Drafts pleadings, motions, discovery requests/responses, releases, contracts and real estate documents for attorney review.
• Assist with discovery, electronic discovery, and organization, case management, collection, review and production of documents.
• Perform legal research and draft research memoranda as requested.
• Prepare and file proof of claim in taxpayer bankruptcy cases.
• Coordinate the gathering of documents from other City departments for cases.
• Process subpoenas for records and coordinate attendance of City employees at depositions and court proceedings.
• Assist with appeals, including assembling the record and checking citations in legal briefs.
• Assist with drafting and implementing litigation holds across City departments.
• Prepares filing documents and ensures compliance with Superior Court Rule 9A.
• Assist in case preparation, pretrial and trial preparation, including locating witnesses and exhibits.
• Assist the Public Records Access Officers in responding to requests.
• Maintain legal opinion and contract files/databases.
• Provide backup answering phones and interfacing with public visitors.
• Assist with invoice tracking, vendor coordination, and outside counsel documentation.

Skills

Attention to detail

Team collaboration

Communication

Time management

Confidentiality

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent

Paralegal Certificate preferred

Municipal or government background preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Westlaw/Lexis Nexis

e-file systems (MA eFileMA, CM/ECF)

Job description

The City of Cambridge Law Department is seeking a Paralegal to support attorneys in a wide range of civil, administrative and transactional matters. The role involves drafting documents, managing records, and assisting in litigation and public records requests.

Ideal candidates have a bachelor’s degree, 3+ years paralegal experience, and familiarity with municipal or government work. Knowledge of MA eFileMA/CM-ECF is a plus, and confidentiality is essential.