Estate Planning Legal Assistant/Paralegal

An established law firm is seeking an experienced and motivated Paralegal to join our team of estate planning professionals in our Portland, Oregon office.

In this role, our Legal Assistants/Paralegals: handle potential new client calls, including conflict checks and entry, and coordinate meeting for consultations; draft estate planning documents;  assist attorneys by maintaining working knowledge of the client file in order to track the progress of the file; coordinate document signings with our clients; and provide additional administrative and attorney support as needed. Client relationship management skills are a big plus, as we put our clients’ needs and experience first!

This position is full-time, non-exempt. 

The firm offers competitive compensation, commensurate with experience and other bona-fide factors. Benefits include: paid vacation and personal leave allowance, paid holidays, a comprehensive health care plan that includes coverage for acupuncture and chiropractic services and dental and vision coverage, employer-paid long-term and short-term disability, 401k retirement plan and more! We also offer a hybrid work environment, use of our on-site gym and fun firm events! 

If you are a highly motivated and organized individual with a passion for estate planning, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.

We welcome all applicants and strive to provide a workplace in which all employees feel included, respected and valued.

Subject-Matter Experience: 

· At least two years of practical experience supporting attorneys who practice estate planning in Oregon. Washington, a plus.

· Demonstrate, knowledge, experience and proficiency in:   

- Estate planning processes that would allow you to effectively communicate information to clients;   

-Tracking the estate planning processes, including tracking deadlines, reminders, and other necessary dates using electronic systems;  

- Assisting with case management;  

- Reviewing estate planning documents to determine certain information;  

- Communicating with clients to keep them apprised of the status of their file or to obtain additional information necessary to prepare their documents; and  

- Terms that are used in the estate planning practice.

· Demonstrate an understanding of standard estate planning documents and the purpose of the documents.

· Demonstrate a general understanding of the probate/trust administration process.

Technical Experience: 

· Demonstrate proficiency:  

- using Microsoft Office 365 programs, including Word for purposes of formatting and preparing documents.   

- Managing attorney calendars using cloud-based software.   

- Demonstrate proficiency using Adobe Acrobat to convert Word documents in .pdf format.   

- Ability to learn and use cloud-based document-management and case-management software.

Administrative Experience: 

Demonstrate experience with the following:

· Taking calls from potential new clients and obtaining necessary information to be able to process the call and schedule the potential new client. 

· Calendar management, including coordinating and calendaring appointments.

· Maintain working knowledge of the client file.

Communication and Public Relations Skills:

· Accurately and clearly communicate with clients and internal team members by relaying information verbally and in writing.

· Provide information regarding procedures and explain processes.

· Meet with clients to review and sign documents as needed.

· Clearly communicate directly with clients to obtain information necessary to complete documents. 

Miscellaneous: 

· Demonstrate experience and willingness to work in a team environment.

· Demonstrate experience in being a self-starter and staying organized.

· Demonstrate experience where you have to ask clarifying questions in order to obtain the information needed to complete tasks and/or projects.

· Demonstrate application of high attention to detail. 

· Ability to demonstrate experience in being able to quickly shift priorities.

Physical Requirements:

· Ability to sit for long periods of time.

· Ability to walk to other locations within the building (some areas located on different floors).

· Ability to lift no more than 20 pounds, on occasion.