Legal Operations Specialist

Rice University•Houston, TX

5h•$56,000 - $65,500•Hybrid

About The Position

Rice is a preeminent research university whose excellence is established and whose ambitions, under President Reginald DesRoches [https://news.rice.edu/news/2022/rice-president-reginald-desroches-inaugurated-historic-investiture], are courageous, transformational, and global. To help the Board serve Rice’s bright future, we seek a Legal Operations Specialist to provide critical support by managing administrative tasks, maintaining departmental records, and ensuring the smooth execution of daily legal operations. Reporting directly to the Director of Legal Operations, this role serves as a key coordinator for the department’s technology, finances, and office logistics. The Specialist is responsible for maintaining accurate data in legal systems, processing financial transactions, coordinating with various university departments to ensure timely task completion, and supporting special projects. Strong communication and organizational skills are essential for success in this role. The ideal candidate has excellent time management and organizational skills and is proactive and service-oriented.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
Two or more years of related experience in a legal administrative office, business operations, or paralegal role
Ability to quickly learn and support legal-specific applications (e.g., enterprise accounting, billing management, contract management, and document management systems)
Ability to exercise sound judgment and the highest level of discretion
Excellent customer service skills and the ability to establish cooperative relationships with diverse stakeholders
Exceptional attention to detail and success in follow-through on routine and complex tasks.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to create slide decks, trainings, spreadsheets, and charts for data retrieval, presentations, and budget tracking
Advanced computer skills and demonstrated experience with office software and email applications

Nice To Haves

Paralegal certification
Experience using Oracle
Experience with cloud applications (Adobe Sign, Google Docs, Google Forms)
Experience using LexisNexis CounselLink or other e-billing platforms
Experience using financial business systems for purchasing, payment processing, or expense reports

Responsibilities

Under the general direction of the Director of Legal Operations, resolves operational challenges and ensures office efficiency
Collaborates with leadership to enhance departmental procedures, tools, and training
Serves as a point of contact for legal matter intake, contract intake, delegations of authority, billing management, fee offers, and document management systems; assists staff with data entry and basic troubleshooting
Processes financial transactions, reviews legal invoices, prepares expense reports and correspondence, performs reconciliations, and assists with budget-to-actual analysis and forecasting
Generates routine communications; schedules meetings; assists with data entry and intake processes
Plans and schedules calendars, resolves complex scheduling conflicts, and coordinates travel and event logistics for the legal team
Maintains office supplies and equipment; obtains vendor quotes for major purchases and processes purchase orders
Serves as the point of contact for facility concerns; reports incidents or safety problems to the appropriate representatives
Performs other duties as assigned
Provides front desk coverage, answers phones, manages occasional client inquiries, and directs visitors to specific resources
Provides administrative coverage during staff absences and assists other staff members as assigned
Attends training workshops to remain current on legal operations trends and university policies
Assists other staff members, as assigned