Senior Litigation Paralegal

BMO U.S.; California; Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Life insurance

Retirement plan

Job summary

BMO Financial Group is seeking an experienced litigation paralegal in California to support attorneys across litigation, regulatory, and investigative matters. You will coordinate document collections, manage eDiscovery efforts, and maintain matter data within management systems.

The role requires 7+ years in litigation environments, strong civil procedure knowledge, and proficiency with Westlaw, PACER, and eDiscovery tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and Paralegal Certificate, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 7+ years of litigation paralegal experience in a law firm, financial institution, or sophisticated in-house legal department.
• Strong knowledge of civil litigation procedures, discovery processes, and court filings.
• Experience managing complex document collections and electronic discovery.
• Experience supporting outside counsel management, budgeting, and invoice review.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, legal matter management systems, PACER, Westlaw, and eDiscovery tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and project management abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• High degree of professionalism and ability to handle confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Support attorneys on all phases of litigation, arbitration, regulatory, and investigative matters.
• Coordinate and manage document collections, discovery responses, and productions.
• Administer legal holds, preservation notices, and related tracking processes.
• Maintain matter information within legal matter management systems and ensure data integrity.
• Manage litigation budgets, outside counsel invoices, accruals, and legal spend reporting.
• Assist with subpoena, garnishment, levy, and records requests across multiple jurisdictions.
• Conduct legal and factual research using Westlaw, PACER, court dockets, and internal systems.
• Review and summarize pleadings, discovery, deposition transcripts, and other case materials.
• Prepare matter status reports, dashboards, presentations, and executive-level reporting.
• Support trial, hearing, mediation, and deposition preparation.
• Coordinate with internal business partners and outside counsel to gather information and meet litigation deadlines.
• Develop and maintain templates, procedures, and best practices to improve operational efficiency.
• Mentor junior paralegals and contribute to litigation operations initiatives.

Skills

Excellent communication

Organizational skills

Project management

Confidential information handling

Microsoft Office

Westlaw & PACER

eDiscovery tools

Civil litigation knowledge

Budgeting & invoicing

Education

Bachelor's degree & Paralegal Certificate

Tools

PACER

Westlaw

eDiscovery tools

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Support attorneys on all phases of litigation, arbitration, regulatory, and investigative matters.
• Coordinate and manage document collections, discovery responses, and productions.
• Administer legal holds, preservation notices, and related tracking processes.
• Maintain matter information within legal matter management systems and ensure data integrity.
• Manage litigation budgets, outside counsel invoices, accruals, and legal spend reporting.
• Assist with subpoena, garnishment, levy, and records requests across multiple jurisdictions.
• Conduct legal and factual research using Westlaw, PACER, court dockets, and internal systems.
• Review and summarize pleadings, discovery, deposition transcripts, and other case materials.
• Prepare matter status reports, dashboards, presentations, and executive-level reporting.
• Support trial, hearing, mediation, and deposition preparation.
• Coordinate with internal business partners and outside counsel to gather information and meet litigation deadlines.
• Develop and maintain templates, procedures, and best practices to improve operational efficiency.
• Mentor junior paralegals and contribute to litigation operations initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and Paralegal Certificate, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 7+ years of litigation paralegal experience in a law firm, financial institution, or sophisticated in-house legal department.
• Strong knowledge of civil litigation procedures, discovery processes, and court filings.
• Experience managing complex document collections and electronic discovery.
• Experience supporting outside counsel management, budgeting, and invoice review.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, legal matter management systems, PACER, Westlaw, and eDiscovery tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and project management abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• High degree of professionalism and ability to handle confidential information.

Preferred Qualifications

• Financial services or banking litigation experience.
• Experience supporting complex commercial litigation, class actions, regulatory matters, or government investigations.
• Experience with legal operations, reporting, analytics, and process improvement initiatives.
• Familiarity with litigation hold platforms and eDiscovery applications.

Salary: $55,000.00 - $120,000.00 Pay Type: Salaried The above represents BMO Financial Group’s pay range and type. Salaries will vary based on factors such as location, skills, experience, education, and qualifications for the role, and may include a commission structure. Salaries for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on number of hours regularly worked. For commission roles, the salary listed above represents BMO Financial Group’s expected target for the first year in this position. BMO Financial Group’s total compensation package will vary based on the pay type of the position and may include performance-based incentives, discretionary bonuses, as well as other perks and rewards. BMO also offers health insurance, tuition reimbursement, accident and life insurance, and retirement savings plans. To view more details of our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.bmo.com/global/en/Total-Rewards

About Us

At BMO we are driven by a shared Purpose: Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. It calls on us to create lasting, positive change for our customers, our communities and our people. By working together, innovating and pushing boundaries, we transform lives and businesses, and power economic growth around the world. As a member of the BMO team you are valued, respected and heard, and you have more ways to grow and make an impact. We strive to help you make an impact from day one – for yourself and our customers. We’ll support you with the tools and resources you need to reach new milestones, as you help our customers reach theirs. From in-depth training and coaching, to manager support and network-building opportunities, we’ll help you gain valuable experience, and broaden your skillset. To find out more visit us at http://jobs.bmo.com/us/en

BMO is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. We evaluate applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or any other legally protected characteristics. We also consider applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. BMO is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e‑mail to [e-mail] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

BMO is a leading bank driven by a single purpose: to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. Everywhere we do business, we’re focused on building, investing and transforming how we work to drive performance and continue growing the good. Who we are We’re proud to be fueling growth and expanding possibilities for individuals, families and businesses. More than 12 million customers count on us for personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment services. As the 8th largest bank in North America by assets, we provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment services to more than 12 million customers. In Canada, the United States and across the globe, we’ll continue to build, invest and transform to drive performance that serves the good that grows.