Legal Administrative Assistant

Description

At Jones Walker, we are driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, a deep sense of community, and a fierce determination to deliver exceptional service and value for our clients. Since its inception in 1937, the Firm has pursued intelligent, client-driven growth. Today, as one of the largest law firms in the United States, we serve local, regional, national, and international business interests in a wide range of markets and industries.

We are seeking a proactive, highly organized Legal Administrative Assistant (LAA) to provide comprehensive support to attorneys in our Miami office. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, is comfortable managing competing priorities, and takes ownership of assignments through completion. The successful candidate will support a busy and varied practice and must be able to anticipate attorney and client needs, monitor case activity, and help ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Essential Job Duties

• Open, close, and maintain client files, ensuring that electronic and hard-copy files are organized, current, and maintained in accordance with Firm procedures.
• Assist with new matter intake, including conflicts checks, engagement letters, retainer agreements, matter-opening documentation, and related follow-up.
• Create, edit, revise, format, and proofread pleadings, motions, discovery, correspondence, reports, and other legal documents for accuracy, consistency, grammar, formatting, and completeness.
• Prepare and file documents in state and federal courts using applicable electronic filing systems, including CM/ECF.
• Monitor court filings, notices, pleadings, correspondence, and case activity to identify deadlines and required follow-up.
• Download, save, organize, and appropriately circulate filed documents and court notices, ensuring that related deadlines and action items are calendared.
• Maintain attorney calendars, including deadlines, hearings, depositions, trial dates, scheduling-order requirements, meetings, and other critical dates.
• Apply relevant state and federal court rules when calculating and calendaring deadlines, including the ability to learn and follow jurisdiction-specific requirements.
• Provide timely reminders, track outstanding items, and follow up as necessary to keep matters and deadlines on track.
• Coordinate depositions, hearings, mediations, trials, meetings, and related logistics.
• Support document productions and trial preparation, including organizing exhibits, preparing binders, coordinating materials, and assisting with electronic document-sharing or production platforms.
• Organize and manage large volumes of electronic documents, email correspondence, and other case-related materials.
• Maintain attorney and client contact information in the Firm's contact-management system.
• Open, review, distribute, and follow up on incoming mail and electronic communications.
• Maintain attorney time records as needed and support billing and e-billing activities, including invoice preparation, submission, and follow-up.
• Prepare expense reports, reimbursements, and client-related administrative materials.
• Answer and direct telephone calls, take messages, and communicate professionally with clients, courts, opposing counsel, experts, vendors, and Firm personnel.
• Coordinate with attorneys, paralegals, LAAs, and other business professionals to ensure accurate and timely completion of assignments.
• Use available technology and Firm resources effectively, including secure file-sharing, document-management, electronic-filing, and litigation-support platforms.
• Handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Demonstrate reasonable flexibility when an urgent filing, client deadline, or trial requires support outside regular business hours.
• Perform other duties and assist with practice-related administrative projects as assigned.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent required; bachelor’s degree or equivalent related experience preferred.
• Three or more years of legal administrative experience, preferably supporting a litigation practice; criminal litigation experience preferred.
• Experience with state and federal court filings, including CM/ECF and other electronic filing platforms.
• Strong working knowledge of litigation calendaring and court deadlines.
• Familiarity with federal and state court rules, including the ability to learn jurisdiction-specific rules and procedures quickly.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Outlook, and experience with document-management and contact-management systems.
• Experience with secure file-sharing and litigation-support platforms such as ShareFile, Relativity, or similar systems preferred.
• Exceptional organizational, proofreading, document-formatting, and written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple active matters, competing priorities, and a high volume of documents and correspondence.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, anticipate needs, and follow assignments through to completion with minimal day-to-day direction.
• Strong attention to detail, a sense of urgency, and the ability to remain composed while managing deadlines and shifting priorities.
• Commitment to teamwork, confidentiality, professionalism, and exceptional client service.
• Regular and predictable in-office attendance.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The Human Resources department will conduct interviews of qualified individuals prior to requesting a criminal background check, and no job application submitted prior to such interview shall inquire into an applicant's criminal history. If this position is subject to a background check for any convictions related to its responsibilities and requirements, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history. Criminal history will not automatically disqualify a candidate.