Legal Secretary

With twelve offices across the United States, 450+ professionals and 350+ staff professionals, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm known for quality and an extraordinary commitment to clients. The Firm’s groundbreaking approach—bringing together legal services, advocacy and business strategy—differentiates Manatt from its competitors and positions the Firm to provide a unique and compelling value proposition.

Our prestigious national law firm has an immediate opportunity for an experienced Litigation Legal Secretary to join our New York office. The successful candidate will have at least three years of litigation experience supporting attorneys, including extensive knowledge of state and federal court filings, e-filing procedures, and litigation support processes. This position involves performing a broad range of administrative functions in support of lawyers and consultants while ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and exceptional client service.

The ideal candidate is a bright, detail-oriented professional with outstanding proofreading, spelling, and grammar skills. We are seeking someone who is positive, proactive, highly organized, and adaptable, with the ability to work independently while also contributing as a valued member of a collaborative team. The successful candidate will take ownership of their work, demonstrate sound judgment, and consistently deliver high-quality support in a fast-paced legal environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Daily interface with attorneys, visiting attorneys and teams to manage requested administrative support tasks and act as a liaison between billing partner and team members. 
• Extensive calendar management, scheduling and coordination of meetings, depositions, conference calls, travel arrangements and events.
• Occasionally duplicates, organizes and prepares documents for court filings when Office Services staff are not available.
• Organizes, prepares client documents obtained directly from the professionals during office hours and during client meetings.
• Management and tracking of expense reimbursements.
• Creates and maintains client records and files.
• Edit and proofread all legal documents.
• Organize all legal documents and ensure they are updated.
• Ensure all court documents are in order and filed before deadlines.
• Answer emails and phone calls, and when necessary, redirect calls.
• Research and authenticate important case information.
• Prepare different legal documents including appeals, motions, and petitions.
• Familiarity with, efilings and knowledge of state court rules and deadlines a plus.
• Provides back-up support to other administrative assistants when needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Candidate should have 3+ years of previous experience supporting multiple professionals, including ability to keep team members on track with processes, policies and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.  Reliable, friendly and positive, can-do attitude is essential.
• 3-5 years of previous Litigation experience.
• Must have knowledge of Federal, State court filing rules.
• Must have strong multi-tasking skills and the ability to prioritize activities and work under pressure to meet client deadline expectations in a fast-paced environment. 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Candidate should be a creative and independent thinker, but confident asking questions in order to complete tasks efficiently.
• This position will have extensive contact with others (including clients) requiring discretion and will need to maintain a professional and courteous when dealing with others.
• Must have strong writing and research skills.
• Must have exceptional organizational skills and strong attention to detail.
• The successful candidate will be someone with strong initiative and who is self-motivated and interested in taking ownership of the work and loves working as part of a team.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office, iManage and various legal software applications; heavy knowledge of Word, plus strong Outlook knowledge. Experience with legal billing software is also a plus.
• Writes clearly and informatively; edits work for spelling and grammar, varies writing style to meet needs, able to read and interpret written information.
• Must be skilled at typing correspondence and pleadings for attorneys.
• Has the ability to use diplomacy and maintain strict confidentiality.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• BA Degree highly preferred.

The base annual pay range for this role is between $75,000-$87,000. The base pay to be offered will vary and depend on skills and qualifications, experience, location and will also take into account internal equity.  A full range of medical, financial and/or other benefits dependent on the position will also be offered.

EEO/AA EMPLOYER/Veterans/Disabled

Manatt is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, color, physical or mental disability, religion, creed, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, sex or gender (including gender identity, gender expression, status as a transgender or transsexual individual, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), age (over 40), genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, sexual orientation, political activity or affiliation, genetic or and any other protected classes or characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Consistent with the American Disabilities Act, applicants may request accommodations needed to participate in the application process.

This employer will provide the Social Security Administration  (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security  (DHS), with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.

IMPORTANT: If the Government cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to provide you written instructions and an opportunity to contact SSA and/or DHS before taking  adverse action against you, including terminating your employment. 

Employers may not use E-Verify to pre-screen job applicants or  to re-verify current employees and may not limit or influence the  choice of documents presented for use on the Form I-9. In order to determine whether Form I-9 documentation is valid,  this employer uses E-Verify’s photo screening tool to match the photograph appearing on some permanent resident and employment authorization cards with the official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) photograph. If you believe that your employer has violated its responsibilities under this program or has discriminated against you during the verification process based upon your national origin or citizenship status, please call the Office of Special Counsel at 1-800-255-7688 (TDD: 1-800-237-2515).