Job Description

THE FIRM

As a leading international law firm, we are dedicated to excellence through impactful communication, collaboration, and community involvement. Our company culture has earned us the designation as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for 27 consecutive years. This honor, along with many others, highlights our commitment to innovation and professional development. At Alston & Bird LLP, our foundation is made of trust, reliability, and compassion.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Alston & Bird is seeking an experienced Litigation Paralegal to work in our Intellectual Property - Litigation practice group in one of our east coast offices. Qualified candidates will have at least 5-10+ years’ experience in all stages of litigation as a paralegal to include pretrial and trial experience, extensive knowledge of Intellectual Property Rights, knowledge of federal court & the USPTO post-grant filing procedures. Patent experience, and experience working with the International Trade Commission are a plus. Candidates should be self-starters, highly organized, and team players. Overtime is often needed to meet client deadlines. This position is an in-office role with hybrid flexibility, and will require travel to Washington D.C.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Organizes and maintains document files including, but not limited to, correspondence, court papers, case records, and materials produced in the discovery process.
• Reviews and analyzes matters for the purpose of preparing evaluations and status reports for internal use and for clients.
• Drafts shells for complaints and answers, routine notices, affidavits, motions and petitions as well as detailed letters and memorandum.
• Ability to read and understand technical/scientific papers including those to include patents, copyrights, mark and trade secrets.
• Prior experience with large case management and E-Discovery.
• Proofreads and revises legal documents for contextual, grammatical, typographical, or spelling errors.
• Reviews and outlines depositions, indexes and summarizes documents.
• Prepares materials for, and assists with compilation of, mailings to clients and other interested parties.
• Conducts research and locates cases, depositions, opinions, reports and information related to the matter using all available resources including libraries and computer data systems.
• Compiles, analyzes, and reports on data from reference materials such as digests, legal encyclopedias, regulations, legislative decisions and practice manuals, and materials produced in the discovery process.
• Contacts and interviews parties, witnesses and experts, including the obtaining of written statements from witnesses.
• Assists in preparation of a case for trial by drafting and preparing: Pretrial Orders, Form instructions to the Jury, Requested Voir Dire of Jurors, Conduct Jury Investigation, Prepare Witness and Exhibit Lists, Motions In Limine and Subpoena and contacts witnesses.
• Assists in the trial of a case including scheduling of witnesses and tracking exhibits.
• Establishes, organizes, and maintains pleadings, attorney trial notebooks, expert witness notebooks, and document indices and lists.
• Utilizes computer databases to organize and store information; maintain document retention systems for large cases; and conduct research on Westlaw, LEXIS and other computer research databases.
• Maintains current and accurate daily time record.
• Promotes positive working relationships between legal administrative assistants, paralegals, other support staff and lawyers.
• Follows the ethical requirements as set forth by the Rules of Professional Conduct of the state.
• Performs special projects as assigned.

SKILLS NEEDED TO BE SUCCESSFUL

• Knowledge of the US Patent and Trademark Office post-grant filing procedures.
• Knowledge of federal court filing procedures, electronic discovery, cite checking and the ability to conduct database searches utilizing Westlaw, Lexis/Nexis, PACER, Relativity, the USPTO website, and other search engines as needed.
• Extensive experience with Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).
• Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints.
• Interpersonal skills necessary in order to communicate and follow instructions effectively from a diverse group of clients, attorneys and staff and provide information with ordinary courtesy and tact.
• Work typically requires more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position; may require irregular hours.
• Ability to travel to private and public buildings, locally and statewide, via private or public conveyance to assist attorney in attending to client needs on legal matters. Position may entail domestic travel.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Completion of a four-year college degree is required, paralegal certificate optional.
• 5-10+ Years of experience as a Litigation paralegal.

The salary range for this position is $115,000 - $185,000 and represents the Firm's good faith minimum and maximum range for this role at this time of posting. The actual compensation offered to a candidate will be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate's experience, qualifications, and locations. This range is specific to our New York City and Washington, D.C. offices and may not be applicable to other locations.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Alston & Bird LLP is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and prohibit discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

This commitment applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, training, promotion, transfer, discipline, and termination.

Alston & Bird also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities and to individuals who require an accommodation based on religion, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, as required by applicable law. Applicants who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or hiring process may contact donavan.mclean@alston.com.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING

Employment may be contingent upon the successful completion of applicable pre-employment screening, which may include professional references and a background screening, consistent with applicable law.

SEARCH FIRMS AND EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES

Alston & Bird does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate referrals from recruiters, search firms, or employment agencies. Any resume or candidate information submitted without a prior written agreement with Alston & Bird will be considered unsolicited, and no fee will be paid if the candidate is hired.