Paralegal

Spelman College Portal; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Spelman College seeks a highly organized Paralegal to support the Office of the General Counsel. The role covers contract review, litigation support, policy administration, compliance tracking, and records management, with coordination of outside counsel.

Reporting to the General Counsel, you will maintain confidential documents, track deadlines, assist with risk management and regulatory inquiries, and collaborate with campus stakeholders to safeguard the College's legal interests.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience supporting contract administration.
• Strong written, verbal, analytical, and interpersonal communication skills, including excellent attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day support to the General Counsel in managing legal, regulatory, and administrative matters affecting the College.
• Draft, review, edit, proofread, and format legal correspondence, memoranda, agreements, summaries, and other legal documents.
• Maintain legal files, contract records, case materials, and confidential institutional documents in an organized and secure manner.
• Track legal requests, deadlines, renewals, filings, and follow-up actions to support timely responses and resolution.
• Serve as a liaison with internal departments, outside counsel, government agencies, and other external parties on routine legal and administrative matters.
• Assist with the preparation, review, routing, tracking, and retention of contracts, memoranda of understanding, affiliation agreements, vendor agreements, and other institutional legal documents.
• Maintain logs and status reports for contracts and agreements to support timely review, approval, and execution.
• Support policy development and revision by coordinating edits, managing version control, and gathering feedback from campus stakeholders.
• Help ensure executed agreements and policies are properly filed and retained in accordance with college records practices.
• Assist with the setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance of a contract lifecycle management system.
• Conduct legal and regulatory research on matters affecting higher education, including employment, student affairs, privacy, risk management, governance, accreditation, and regulatory compliance.
• Monitor changes in federal, state, and local laws and regulations relevant to colleges and universities and summarize findings for the General Counsel.
• Assist in maintaining compliance calendars, reporting schedules, and documentation related to institutional legal and regulatory obligations.
• Support responses to audits, investigations, public records requests, subpoenas, and other regulatory or legal inquiries as needed.
• Assist with document collection, organization, and production for litigation, claims, administrative charges, investigations, and other legal proceedings.
• Maintain case files and related materials, including pleadings, correspondence, discovery documents, and summaries.
• Support employment-related and student-related legal matters by gathering records, organizing files, and coordinating documentation requests.
• Coordinate with outside counsel regarding case materials, deadlines, invoices, and follow-up items.
• Help maintain legal templates, forms, standard contract language, and internal process guides for the Office of the General Counsel.
• Prepare reports, status updates, and summaries regarding legal operations, contract activity, compliance matters, and outstanding issues.
• Support institutional risk management efforts by organizing documentation and assisting with issue tracking and follow-up.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in handling sensitive legal, personnel, student, and institutional information.
• Develop and enhance processes for tracking intake to the Office of General Counsel

Skills

Contract administration

Legal research

Litigation support

Compliance tracking

Project management

Records management

Attention to detail

Written & verbal communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Position Summary

Spelman College seeks a highly organized and detail-oriented Paralegal to support the Office of the General Counsel. Reporting to the General Counsel, this position provides legal and administrative support across a wide range of institutional matters, including contract review, litigation support, policy administration, compliance tracking, records management, and coordination with outside counsel. The Paralegal plays an important role in helping safeguard the College's legal interests by supporting efficient legal operations, maintaining documentation, and assisting with risk management and compliance efforts.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

In addition to providing direct support to the General Counsel and assisting with a wide variety of legal and compliance matters, other areas of responsibility include collaboration with internal stakeholders and outside counsel regarding legal documentation, case management, contract administration, and policy coordination.

Legal and Administrative Support : Provide day-to-day support to the General Counsel in managing legal, regulatory, and administrative matters affecting the College.

Draft, review, edit, proofread, and format legal correspondence, memoranda, agreements, summaries, and other legal documents.

Maintain legal files, contract records, case materials, and confidential institutional documents in an organized and secure manner.

Track legal requests, deadlines, renewals, filings, and follow-up actions to support timely responses and resolution.

Serve as a liaison with internal departments, outside counsel, government agencies, and other external parties on routine legal and administrative matters.

Contract and Document Management: Assist with the preparation, review, routing, tracking, and retention of contracts, memoranda of understanding, affiliation agreements, vendor agreements, and other institutional legal documents.

Maintain logs and status reports for contracts and agreements to support timely review, approval, and execution.

Support policy development and revision by coordinating edits, managing version control, and gathering feedback from campus stakeholders.

Help ensure executed agreements and policies are properly filed and retained in accordance with college records practices.

Assist with the setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance of a contract lifecycle management system Higher Education Compliance and Research Support: Conduct legal and regulatory research on matters affecting higher education, including employment, student affairs, privacy, risk management, governance, accreditation, and regulatory compliance.

Monitor changes in federal, state, and local laws and regulations relevant to colleges and universities and summarize findings for the General Counsel.

Assist in maintaining compliance calendars, reporting schedules, and documentation related to institutional legal and regulatory obligations.

Support responses to audits, investigations, public records requests, subpoenas, and other regulatory or legal inquiries as needed.

Litigation and Case Management Support: Assist with document collection, organization, and production for litigation, claims, administrative charges, investigations, and other legal proceedings.

Maintain case files and related materials, including pleadings, correspondence, discovery documents, and summaries.

Support employment-related and student-related legal matters by gathering records, organizing files, and coordinating documentation requests.

Coordinate with outside counsel regarding case materials, deadlines, invoices, and follow-up items.

Records, Risk, and Operational Support: Help maintain legal templates, forms, standard contract language, and internal process guides for the Office of the General Counsel.

Prepare reports, status updates, and summaries regarding legal operations, contract activity, compliance matters, and outstanding issues.

Support institutional risk management efforts by organizing documentation and assisting with issue tracking and follow-up.

Maintain strict confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in handling sensitive legal, personnel, student, and institutional information.

Develop and enhance processes for tracking intake to the Office of General Counsel

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: sit, use hands to handle office supplies, operate computer and other office equipment, talk, and hear.

The employee is frequently required to: reach with hands and arms.

The employee is occasionally required to: stand, walk, stoop, climb, taste and smell, and lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree required Experience supporting contract administration, legal research, litigation support, compliance tracking, project management, and records management Strong written, verbal, analytical, and interpersonal communication skills, including excellent attention to detail

Preferred Qualifications

Paralegal certification strongly preferred Experience working at an institution of higher education, law firm, or in-house legal department