Senior Paralegal

Merz Therapeutics; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Merz Therapeutics seeks a Senior Paralegal to provide advanced paralegal support to the Legal and Compliance Department. The role oversees outside counsel engagement, tracks legal spend, and supports corporate governance, licensing, and litigation matters.

Responsibilities include drafting contracts, managing a contracts system migration, and coordinating with Finance and business partners. A minimum of ten years of relevant experience and a bachelor's or paralegal degree are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or graduation from an accredited paralegal program.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible, related work experience.
• Experience in legal contract drafting, review, and negotiation.
• Experience implementing and managing a contracts management system.

Responsibilities

• Draft standard template contracts and exhibits; analyze existing agreements.
• Coordinate with Sourcing, Finance and business partners on timelines.
• Manage transition from current to global contracting system; train users.
• Lead contract management for NA Legal/Compliance; track milestones.

Skills

Legal contracts

SharePoint

MS Word

MS Excel

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree or paralegal program

Tools

Global contracting system

Job description

Step into the future with us at Merz Therapeutics, where our family roots meet a bold new vision. Together, we're embarking on a transformative journey, blending time-honored traditions with exciting new products.

As a private, family-owned company, we have the liberty and support to make decisions for ourselves, our customers and the patients we serve. We pride ourselves on building an inclusive culture where there is room to celebrate individual growth with the ability to contribute to a common good as a collaborative team. Our mission is grounded in a long-term view of making a difference for the common good, while growing together as a family.

If you're looking to immerse yourself in a passionate team rooted in community, connection and camaraderie, then we're looking for YOU! #IAmMerz

Are you ready to galvanize a team around a culture of care, putting patients first to spark change?

The Senior Paralegal provides comprehensive, advanced level, paralegal skills and services in support of the Legal and Compliance Department's objectives. The Sr Paralegal has overall responsibility for ongoing outside counsel engagement and will monitor/track and report legal spend to Department Controller and the Merz Therapeutics Legal Department. The Sr Paralegal collaborates with Corporate Counsel and outside counsel on contract development and commercial issues as they arise, and assists the Legal Department with corporate governance for Merz Therapeutics, including Board activities and state licensing submissions and requirements. Additionally, the Sr Paralegal will prepare and negotiate contracts for Merz Therapeutics and track approvals and archiving in the contract management database and manage the transition to a global contracts system over the coming months. As needed, the Sr Paralegal will manage document retention, production, submissions and engagement with outside counsel for litigation matters.

• Contracts
  
  • Draft standard template contracts and exhibits and analysis of existing agreements.
  • Coordinate with Sourcing, Finance and business partners regarding requested timelines and vendor deliverables.
  • Update Legal Department Attorneys in meetings on contract status and system matters.
  • Manage transition from current contracting system to global contracting system, establishing a metrics tracker and training users on the system.
  • Maintain and serve as the primary business owner of contract management for the NA Legal/Compliance team.
• Law Firm Engagements & Legal Spend
  • Intake, review and submit for approval and signature all outside counsel engagement letters and prepare purchase orders.
  • Circulate legal vendors invoices for approval and submit for payment all Department invoices.
  • Interface with outside counsel on billing issues.
  • Gather, record and tally all outside counsel monthly accruals.
  • Monitor legal spend in keeping with purchase orders.
• Legal Budget Management
  • Responsible for the overall management of costs and expenses to ensure the Department operates within budget.
  • Serve as the key liaison between the Legal Department and Finance.
  • Make recommendations regarding expenditures, continuously monitor spending and formulate solutions to improve expense profile of the Legal Department.
  • Overall management of relationships with legal vendors and outside counsel as they relate to policy and financial objectives.
• Corporate Governance
  • Assist in preparation of corporate minutes, resolutions, and other company governance documents.
  • Update corporate books and Global SharePoint site.
  • Complete/prepare forms required for state filings.
  • Serve as primary contact with registered agent for all Merz entities.
• Litigation Management
  • Provide litigation support as needed for cost-effective case management, implementation and dispute resolution and prevention practices.
• Legal Operations Administration
  
  • Assess and oversee the technological needs and resources of the Legal Department, namely for discovery, records management and matter management.
  • Interface with IT Department, particularly for e-discovery and internal investigations.
  • Analyze and improve processes within the Legal/Compliance Department, driving increases in efficiency and ensuring quality of administrative function and litigation support services.
  • Provide leadership, consultation, and analysis to Legal Department regarding process improvements and new procedures.
  • Interface with insurance broker and proactively report and consult with broker on liability issues as needed.
  • Interface with internal/external auditors.
  • Oversee and manage state licensing for Merz Therapeutics NA.
• Compliance
  • Assist with compliance matters as needed.
• Other duties
  • Independently draft correspondence and other documents as needed by Department attorneys.
  • Coordinate with Facilities Management regarding departmental operations.
  • Support with day-to-day operations, as well as special litigation and diligence projects.
  • Assist with company-wide meetings, as well as Legal Department monthly meetings and bi-annual professional development retreat.
  • Coordinate all outside counsel, Global executive and vendor meetings hosted by Department.

Job Related Qualifications/Skills

Education

Bachelors degree and/or graduation from an accredited paralegal program.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible and directly related work experience or equivalent education/experience required.
• Experience in legal contract drafting, review and negotiation preferred.
• Experience implementing, managing, and trouble-shooting a contracts management system required.
• Experience in pharmaceutical industry preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Excellent understanding of legal and contracting processes and corresponding documentation required.
• High level of proficiency with business systems (Sharepoint, MS Word, Powerpoint; MS Excel required.
• Ability to understand complex regulations and apply that understanding to healthcare organizations preferred.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to deal with ambiguity in a fast-paced environment required.
• Ability to multitask and manage a large workload while maintaining attention to detail required.

Knowledge of Methods

• Understanding of litigation process, eDiscovery model and judicial system preferred.

Personal Skills

• Excellent time management and organization skills required.
• Strong attention to detail required.
• Strong verbal and written communication/interpersonal skills required.
• Ability to work independently required.

Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Merz Therapeutics we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.