Paralegal - Employment Law

Darden; Orlando (FL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Darden Restaurants, Inc. is seeking an experienced employment law paralegal to support the Employment Law and Litigation team in Orlando. The role handles mediations, arbitrations, and government inquiries while aligning with business needs and policies.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years of relevant experience, a Bachelor’s or ABA-certified paralegal credential, and strong MS Office skills. Excellent research, communication, and organizational abilities are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or ABA-accredited paralegal certificate, or substantial relevant experience.
• Five+ years in employment law in a large company or law firm.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) required.
• Ability to manage multiple projects with tight deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and professional demeanor.

Responsibilities

• Support mediations, arbitrations, government inquiries, and lawsuits with research and document preparation.
• Investigate and respond to government claims and audits; prepare position statements.
• Lead or assist in DRP matters; interview witnesses and assess risk.
• Coordinate with outside counsel and agencies; provide training on legal topics to other departments.
• Prepare government filings for federal and state agencies; manage case management system.

Skills

Legal terminology

Employment law concepts

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree or ABA-accredited paralegal certificate

Tools

MS Office

Legal Tracker

Job description

Darden Restaurants, Inc. has an opening for an experienced employment law paralegal to join the legal department’s Employment Law and Litigation team. The candidate selected will support the team and the business in general in all aspects related to employment law. This includes representing the interests of the Company by understanding the business and business needs, working to gain efficient resolution of issues, and mitigating risks by applying knowledge of the business, policies, laws, and regulations.

Role And Responsibilities

• Provide support to the Company in all aspects of employment mediations, arbitrations, governmental inquiries, and lawsuits, including conducting factual and legal research, gathering and analyzing documents, composing memos/summaries/timelines, interviewing relevant individuals, and effectively communicating information to attorneys and business partners;
• Paralegal will manage investigating and responding to government claims, charges, and audits, including analyzing facts, assessing risk, negotiating resolutions, representing the Company at mediations, and preparing positions statements on behalf of the Company.
• Paralegal will handle unrepresented matters brought through the Company’s DRP, including investigating allegations, interviewing and preparing witnesses, preparing risk assessments, advising on resolution strategy, negotiating resolutions, and acting as the lead Company representative at mediations and arbitrations.
• Work directly with outside counsel, governmental agencies, and other third parties by providing resources, documents, and information;
• Act as a Company representative in mediations in front of agencies such as the EEOC;
• Provide information and training on legal proceedings or issues to Company functions and departments outside of the legal team;
• Prepare applicable government filings for federal and state agencies;
• Utilize online case management system to open matters, prepare litigation holds, track progress, maintain electronic file, drive the matters to resolution, and close out the files.

Required Technical Skills

• Five or more years of relevant work experience, preferably in a large publicly-traded company and/or law firm;
• Knowledge of legal terminology, employment law concepts, and legal environments;
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite software including: Word, Excel, Power Point, and Outlook required.

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree or completion of a paralegal certification program from an ABA accredited program (will consider relevant work experience in lieu);

Other Key Qualifications

• Experience developing and maintaining effective working relationships with senior management, colleagues, and other business professionals;
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as part of a team effort;
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects/deadlines requiring the collaboration of multiple functional groups;
• Proven ability to perform under pressure of extremely tight schedules and multiple deadlines;
• Possession of a professional, positive, and service-oriented demeanor;
• Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing, and show strong organizational, prioritization, and problem solving skills.

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Bilingual (Spanish/English) abilities a plus
• Experience with Legal Tracker software

Hashtags

• State Benefits Overview