Transfer Paralegal 1

Forest Lawn Mortuary; Glendale (AZ); On-site; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Benefits

Job summary

Forest Lawn Mortuary is seeking a Transfer Paralegal I to guide families through cemetery ownership transfers with accuracy and compassion, under CA laws and Forest Lawn policies.

You will identify owners, build Heirs-at-Law trees, prepare documents, verify signatures, and coordinate with Legal and Memorial Counseling teams while maintaining strict timelines.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years paralegal or related experience
• Real estate property transaction experience is a plus
• ABA-approved paralegal certification
• High school diploma or GED required
• Notary Public preferred
• Proficient in completing tasks independently and with a team
• MS Office proficiency (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Responsibilities

• Explain the transfer process to all parties by answering questions via phone, email, or face-to-face
• Identify cemetery property owners from Forest Lawn records and communicate with owners/families
• Construct detailed family trees to identify Heirs-at-Law
• Enter data and verify in the internal records database
• Prepare legal documents (name changes, affidavits, transfer agreements, certifications) and obtain notarized signatures
• Interface with Legal department as needed
• Support Memorial Counseling with Advance Health Care Directives review
• Gather notes and information for attorney review
• Multi-task as needed with customer service and clerical duties under timelines

Skills

Communication

MS Office

Customer service

Attention to detail

Organization

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor or ABA-paralegal certification

High school diploma or GED

Paralegal certification (ABA)

Notary Public preferred

Professional CADL license

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

PowerPoint

Job description

Forest Lawn has always attracted unique and exceptional individuals; those who aren’t satisfied with simply building a career, but want to go home at the end of the day knowing they’ve made a profound and positive difference in people’s lives.

Under general supervision, the Transfer Paralegal I will be a trusted resource for both our internal teams and the families we serve by providing clear guidance on how to transfer cemetery property at all Forest Lawn locations. You’ll help ensure every transfer is handled accurately, compassionately, and in full compliance with California cemetery laws and Forest Lawn’s established policies and procedures.

What You'll Be Doing

• Explain the transfer process to all parties by answering all questions related to the transfer of ownership; either via telephone, email, or by meeting face-to-face
• Identify current cemetery property owners based upon Forest Lawn’s records of ownership and speaking with the owner(s) and/or family of the owner(s).
• Obtain detailed and legal information to initiate the transfer of ownership; including constructing detailed family trees to identify the Heir(s)-at-Law of deceased property owners.
• Perform data entry and verifies data entry in our Association’s internal record database pertaining to transfers of ownership.
• Provide and have careful consideration for individual circumstances.
• Identify, review, analyze, and resolve issues to make sound recommendations to all parties involved.
• Assist the Memorial Counseling department’s to review and validate Advance Health Care Directives.
• Gather notes and detailed information to prepare legal documents; such as Name Changes, Affidavits, Transfer Agreements, Certifications, etc.
• Obtain and verify notarized signatures to execute the transfer of ownership.
• Obtain complete documents for review by an attorney; such as Living wills, Trust Certifications, Trusts, Powers of Attorney’s, Certified Court Orders.
• Interface with the Legal department as necessary, to perform functions.
• Paralegals will also multi-task and perform a broad variety of customer service and clerical functions, all under strict timelines.

• Minimum of 1-3 years’ experience as a paralegal or related experience. Real estate property transaction experience is a plus.
• Four-year degree preferred.
• High school diploma/G.E.D required.
• Paralegal Certification from an ABA approved institution.
• Valid CADL required, including state required levels of active auto insurance.
• Notary Public preferred.
• Proficient and effective written and oral communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint.
• Strong customer service and detail oriented.
• Proficient in completing tasks independently and with a team.
• Excellent organizational skills and a proactive approach to work.

Competitive Benefits

Forest Lawn takes pride in offering an excellent benefits package to our employees, which taken as a whole, leads our industry and is competitive with the benefits in just about any other industry.

Drug Testing Policy

Prior to beginning employment, all job applicants who receive a job offer will be required to voluntarily submit to a drug screening test conducted by a laboratory designated by Forest Lawn. The drug screening method is a hair collection test that will detect the use of illegal drugs within the past 90 days. A positive drug test may result in the withdrawal of the job offer.

E-Verify Statement

Forest Lawn has registered to participate in the federal government's E-Verify program. With E-Verify we are able to confirm the employment authorization of all newly hired employees through an electronic database maintained by the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security. With respect to new hires, the E-Verify process is completed in conjunction with a new hire's completion of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification upon commencement of employment. E-Verify is not used as a tool to pre-screen candidates.

For up-to-date information on E-Verify, go to https://www.e-verify.gov/employees/e-verify-overview

Fair Change Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Forest Lawn will consider for employment all qualified Applicants, including those with Criminal Histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.