Trust and Estates Paralegal

Russell Tobin; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits package

Comprehensive health insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

A reputable legal firm in Boston seeks an experienced paralegal with at least five years in estate planning and probate administration. The role involves managing complex estate matters, assisting with tax returns, and communicating with clients and advisors. Strong organizational skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office, and attention to detail are essential. The firm offers a competitive benefits package including health insurance and a 401(k) plan.

Qualifications

• At least five years of experience as a paralegal in a law firm with a focus on estate planning and trust administration.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Outstanding organizational skills and the ability to prioritize tasks.
• Willingness to learn new skills and adapt.

Responsibilities

• Managing trust and estate administration matters.
• Assisting attorneys with estate and gift tax returns.
• Communicating with clients and third parties.
• Supporting attorneys with estate planning matters.
• Drafting and proofreading estate planning documents.
• Maintaining calendars and tracking key deadlines.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Proficiency with Microsoft Office

Attention to detail

Ability to prioritize tasks

Tools

NetDocs

PDF documents

GEMS

MassTaxConnect

PDF handling

Job description

Overview

This role provides support to attorneys within the trusts and estates practice. The successful candidate will bring a minimum of five (5) years of recent experience in a comparable position. The paralegal must demonstrate strong organizational and case-management skills, the ability to support multiple attorneys at once, and the capacity to manage varied and competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Managing trust and estate administration matters for complex and taxable estates, including preparation and filing of Massachusetts probate forms.
• Assisting attorneys with the preparation of Massachusetts and federal estate tax returns and gift tax returns (familiarity with MassTaxConnect and GEMS software is a plus).
• Communicating directly with clients, fiduciaries, financial advisors, accountants, and other third parties (including requests for date-of-death valuations and appraisals, and correspondence with probate courts).
• Supporting attorneys with estate planning matters, including client intake, preparation of engagement letters, explanatory correspondence, and funding instructions.
• Drafting and proofreading related estate planning documents such as durable powers of attorney, health care proxies, living wills, HIPAA authorizations, and basic funding documents.
• Retrieving deeds from online registries and preparing deeds, trustee certificates, and homestead declarations in connection with estate planning.
• Maintaining calendars and tracking key deadlines, including probate filings, tax filing and payment deadlines for estates and trusts, and estate plan execution dates.

Qualifications

• At least five (5) years of experience as a paralegal in a law firm, with a focus on estate planning and/or probate and trust administration.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, excellent proofreading abilities, and close attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Outlook, Excel), document management systems such as NetDocs, and working with PDF documents.
• Outstanding organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Professional and courteous demeanor when interacting with clients, families, and advisors.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive information.
• Willingness to learn new skills and adapt to changing processes and workflows.

Competitive benefits package, including comprehensive health insurance coverage and a 401(k) retirement plan.