Center Legal Secretary

Farella Braun + Martel LLP • San Francisco, CA

1d • $90,000 - $110,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Legal Secretaries support the delivery of quality legal services to clients by providing secretarial and administrative assistance to attorneys, performing complex and specialized litigation and transactional secretarial tasks, and working collaboratively and cooperatively with others in a team-oriented environment. This position supports attorneys assigned to the Center as well as attorneys when their assigned secretaries are absent or have left for the day as well as overflow secretarial support. Works with other Secretarial Center secretaries as a team to ensure that all incoming jobs are prioritized and completed expeditiously.
This position is based in San Francisco, CA but may be a flexible hybrid position working remotely and two days per week in the office. For the first six months, working in the office will be required three days per week.

Requirements

• At least three to five years of litigation experience as a Legal Secretary.
• High school diploma or GED required; BA preferred.
• Must be a commissioned California Notary Public or able to obtain commission following hire.
• Demonstrates knowledge of legal terminology, legal documents, and legal processes including thorough knowledge of e-filing legal documents with courts.
• Accurate typing at a net speed of at least 65 words per minute.
• Strong computer proficiency in the use of the MS Office Suite of software (Word, Outlook, and Excel), Zoom, Teams, pdf, document management, document sharing, document signing, time entry, presentation, billing and other software.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal; demonstrates understanding of correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Strong time management and organizational skills and the ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment; ability to work proactively, coordinate multiple tasks concurrently and to meet deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively within a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Files Documents with Court: E-files (and paper files, when applicable) documents with local, state, federal and appellate courts. Researches local rules. Prepares documents for filing under seal. Prepares courtesy copies.
• Prepares Documents: Using the firm’s word processing and document management software, types, prepares and processes correspondence, memoranda, presentations, tables and spreadsheets as well as complex legal documents according to the requirements set by each court and practice area requiring knowledge of legal terminology and advanced formatting skills. Prepares shell/template documents (including pleadings and discovery) for attorneys. Composes and drafts routine cover letters, emails and documents. Proofreads documents and reviews for appropriate formatting, spelling and grammar. Prepares revisions and redlines documents as directed. Coordinates lengthy and complex document preparation with the Word Processing staff as needed.
• Processes Correspondence: Reviews, profiles and distributes incoming communications. Prepares and processes outgoing mail, arranges for specialized mail or messenger services as required. Ensures that all attachments, exhibits and enclosures are included. Coordinates activities with the copy center and mailroom personnel as needed.
• Maintains Calendar: Maintains and updates the calendars for assigned attorneys, including meetings, appointments, due dates, and client-related activities. Coordinates specific dates with the Calendar Department as needed.
• Maintains Files: Responsible for creating and maintaining client records, files and indexes electronically according to firm policies and procedures. Performs profiling of documents in document management system and retrieves hardcopy files as needed. Works with the Admin Resource Center and the Records Department to accomplish this task.
• Coordinates Financial Functions: Enters attorney timesheets in a timely manner. Prepares expense reimbursement and disbursement requests. Edits bills in online billing system and coordinates client billing matters with the billing staff in the Accounting Department.
• Provides Administrative Support: Prepares and processes conflicts requests and new matter forms. Coordinates travel arrangements, prepares itineraries, and prepares travel expense reports. Schedules meetings and arranges for conference rooms and meals with catering staff. Maintains and updates contact names and addresses in the firm’s contact database. Communicates effectively with clients and with others in the firm. Is proactive in anticipating the business needs of the attorneys; plans ahead and meets deadlines. Works proactively with the attorneys to move administrative tasks forward in accordance with firm requirements.
• Maintains Records: Enters information on the Secretary Center Job Completion log.
• Cooperates with Team Efforts: Demonstrates effective teamwork and communication. Follows Center protocol for marking jobs and copying secretary and Center. Provides assistance to other secretaries as time permits. Works cooperatively with other departments and individuals in the firm.
• Other: Performs other related secretarial and administrative duties as assigned. Overtime work may be required and flexibility to cover as evening secretary may occasionally be required.

Benefits

• Farella provides competitive salary and excellent benefits including comprehensive, medical, dental, vision, generous PTO, educational reimbursement and charitable contribution matching.
• The annual base compensation range for this California position is expected to be between $90,000 and $110,000.
• Additional compensation may include a discretionary bonus, health and welfare benefits, PTO, leave, paid holidays and retirement plan benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED