Research Specialist

King & Spalding LLP; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 104,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness plan

Life and disability insurance

FSA/HSA

401(k) plan

Profit sharing

PTO

Job summary

King & Spalding LLP in Chicago seeks a Research Specialist to provide timely, cost-conscious legal, business, and general research services to attorneys and firm leadership. This full-time role supports practice, client development and strategic initiatives by delivering accurate research, actionable analysis, current awareness, and guidance on research resources.

You will deliver practical insights, train colleagues, and help evaluate new tools and workflows in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in law or library science preferred.
• Minimum two years of legal or professional services research experience; law firm experience preferred.
• Proficiency with Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law and other major research platforms.
• Strong analytical, writing, and client-service skills.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal, business, legislative, docket, public records and general reference research.
• Respond to routine and complex research requests with timely, accurate results.
• Prepare company profiles, market intelligence, litigation history, transaction research, and competitive reports.
• Create current awareness alerts and tracking services for developments.
• Train attorneys and staff on research strategies and tools.
• Assess new research and AI tools, and recommend workflow improvements.
• Track and close research requests using management systems.
• Regular computer-based work and communication by phone, email, and video.
• Overtime may be required; on-call rotation may be needed.

Skills

Research skills

Analytical writing

Client service

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Law degree/MLS preferred

Tools

Westlaw

Lexis

Bloomberg Law

PACER

Capital IQ

FactSet

Intelligize

Job description

King & Spalding is a leading global law firm with a commitment to excellence, innovation, and the seamless delivery of legal services. We harness innovative technology and exceptional talent to meet the complex needs of our clients in a fast-paced and dynamic legal landscape. The Research Specialist provides timely, cost-effective legal, business, and general research services to attorneys, paralegals, administrative departments, and firm leadership. This role supports practice, client development, and strategic initiatives by delivering accurate research, actionable analysis, current awareness, and guidance on the effective use of research resources.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct legal, business, legislative, docket, public records, and general reference research using appropriate electronic and print resources.
• Respond to routine and complex research requests from attorneys, paralegals, administrative staff, and firm leadership with timely, accurate, and cost-conscious results.
• Support business development and client-service initiatives by preparing company profiles, market and industry research, litigation history, transaction research, and competitive intelligence reports.
• Create and maintain current awareness alerts and tracking services for legal, business, regulatory, litigation, client, and market developments.
• Train attorneys and staff on research strategy, source selection, tool functionality, best practices, and emerging technologies.
• Assess new legal research, business intelligence, data analytics, and generative AI tools, and recommend practical improvements to workflows and deliverables.
• Track, document, and close research requests using request-management and time-keeping systems.
• Regular computer-based work using online research platforms and communication by phone, email, and video.
• Pre-approved overtime may occasionally be required.
• Will be expected to serve on-call on a rotating basis, to support research requests after normal business hours and on weekends and holidays.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required; a combination of relevant education and professional experience may be considered.
• Law degree, Master of Library/Information Science degree, or equivalent advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of two years of legal, business, corporate, academic, special library, or professional services research experience preferred; law firm experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated proficiency with major legal, business, news, docket, public records, and financial research resources, including platforms such as Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, VitalLaw, PACER, CourtLink, Capital IQ, FactSet, and Intelligize.
• Excellent analytical, writing, editing, communication, and client service skills, with the ability to convert complex information into practical insights.
• Sound professional judgment, discretion, attention to detail, and ability to manage competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with research colleagues, attorneys, practice groups, administrative departments, and other stakeholders.
• Technical proficiency with Microsoft Office, collaboration tools, workflow systems, and approved emerging technologies, including responsible use and validation of generative AI tools.
• Commitment to staying current with legal industry trends, research best practices and information-resource developments.

All full-time Business Services employees may participate in King & Spalding's comprehensive benefit program including health and wellness plan, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts and a health savings account, a 401(k) plan, profit sharing plan, and a substantial Paid Time Off (PTO) program.

The salary offer will be contingent upon various factors, including but not limited to, relevant experience, internal equity, market data, job location, and other job-related factors permitted by law.

Pay Transparency Range: Chicago, Denver and Sacramento: The anticipated full-time annualized salary range is $82,987 - $103,734

Pay Transparency Range: New York, San Francisco and Silicon Valley: The anticipated full-time annualized salary range is $90,530 - $113,163

Pay Transparency Range: Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles: The anticipated full-time annualized salary range is $86,758 - $108,448

Qualified candidates with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the following laws if applicable: City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act.

King & Spalding LLP (K&S) is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees in full compliance with all state, federal, and local laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, age, disability or any other status protected by applicable law.

We are proud of our remarkably cohesive culture, which now encompasses more than 2,500 lawyers and business professionals worldwide. We seek to attract and develop the very best talent to work with us. King & Spalding advances leading companies’ complex legal and business interests in more than 160 countries. Collaborating across an integrated platform of transactional, litigation and regulatory talent in 24 offices globally, we work to understand and achieve our clients’ business objectives.