Paralegal – Litigation and Legal Operations

Job Description

Paralegal | Westlake

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at Westlake, a company dedicated to enhancing people’s lives through its products and community engagement. As a key member of the legal team, you will be instrumental in supporting critical litigation matters and driving legal operations projects. Your work will directly contribute to the company’s continuous improvement goals and overall success, working collaboratively within the department. This position requires a team-oriented mindset, strong work ethic, and meticulous attention to detail.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: Full-time

• Team: Legal Team
• Mission: Primarily supporting litigation matters and legal operations projects.
• Tech Stack: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Sharepoint, Adobe Acrobat, e-discovery software, Practical Law Connect, Westlaw, Serengeti/Legal Tracker, hCue

What You’ll Actually Do
• Litigation Management: Actively assist in-house attorneys by managing company litigation, specifically maintaining the company’s litigation docket, issuing and tracking critical document preservation notices, and organizing and producing necessary documents for e-discovery processes.
• Document Systems: Oversee the meticulous maintenance and organization of both electronic and physical litigation documents. Provide essential assistance with the preparation and accurate filing of court submissions, and manage the preparation and ongoing maintenance of engagement letters for outside counsel.
• Financial Support: Provide direct assistance with legal settlements and ensure accurate processing of periodic accruals, supporting the financial aspects of the legal department.
• Interdepartmental Collaboration: Offer broad general corporate assistance to in-house attorneys and various corporate functions, including finance, credit, and accounts payable departments, ensuring smooth legal operations across the company.
• Project Contributions: Contribute to a diverse range of legal department projects, which encompass conducting legal research, supporting investigations, handling audit requests, managing intellectual property matters, processing invoices, and assisting with mergers and acquisitions.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Hold a high school diploma complemented by a paralegal certification. While not required, additional college or business school education is preferred.
• Experience: Bring a minimum of five years of professional experience working directly with lawyers. This experience is preferably gained within a major law firm or a corporate legal department, with a strong emphasis on handling complex litigation and managing e-discovery processes.
• Skills: Demonstrate advanced proficiency across the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and Sharepoint, with the ability to utilize advanced features like pivot tables and charts. Possess expertise in Adobe Acrobat, be proficient with e-discovery software, and have working knowledge of Practical Law Connect and Westlaw.
• Bonus: Prior experience with matter management systems, such as Serengeti or Legal Tracker, and entity management systems, like hCue, is strongly preferred and will be a significant advantage.