Litigation Paralegal - American Technology Consulting

Purpose of position/summary:The Litigation Paralegal provides paralegal, office and administrative supportto attorneys and staff on the Litigation Team for issues involving any or all ofINDOT’s Districts/offices.Essential duties/responsibilities:• Serves as a contact in Central Office for the Litigation Team, answeringphones, scheduling attorney meetings and other logistical arrangements andhandling any litigation-related mail in Central Office.• Serves as a resource and screener for legal/litigation issues and questionsarising in all the Districts and Central Office, and when necessary, directslegal issues to the appropriate resources within the Legal Division.• Serves as a principal Litigation Team contact with outside counsel for mattersin litigation or pre-litigation.• Responsible for creation and maintenance of Litigation Team files in casemanagement system, including directing intake of new matters, opening files incase management system, tracking down additional information needed by attorneysto process requests for legal assistance, maintenance of any paper working filesas needed and uploading/organizing pleadings/notices/discovery/correspondence/etc. in each matter in the case management system.• Responsible for paralegal functions including drafting, editing and finalizingsimple pleadings, correspondence, and other various legal documents requested bythe attorneys.• Locating and gathering information and documents responsive to discoveryrequests for review by attorneys, INDOT and outside counsel.• Managing, responding to and tracking tort claim notices for the LitigationTeam, including coordinating notices with the Office of the Attorney General.• Assist attorneys in follow-up and tracking status of litigation, discovery,non-party requests for production and other matters for all Districts andCentral Office, including assisting with gathering signatures and reviewingdocuments to be disclosed depending on responsiveness and confidentialty.• File and document organization and retention in accordance with Legal Divisionguidance for Central Office.• Reviewing online court dockets for all litigation of the Team.• Evaluate all new online court docket entries, uploading and distributing toour Team recent pleadings and court orders.• Calendar all new critical dates for all litigation of the Team, providingnotice to our Team attorneys.• File/serve documents and pleadings.• Update the Team’s case management system with information/deadlines.• Other duties as assigned.Our case management system is called ActionStep. A successful candidate shouldbe familiar with and comfortable using DoxPop and MyCase to locate and uploadpleadings.Job requirements:• Adapts readily to new situations and changes in the workplace; works wellunder pressure; learns and functions well under widely different situations andcircumstances.• Demonstrates knowledge of internal and external customers; is sensitive tocustomer needs and expectations; anticipates needs and responds promptly andwillingly to provide information, services and/or products as needed.• Understands importance of achieving results; makes effort necessary to achievegoals/objectives; achieves results requested or agreed upon.• Establishes effective working relationships with co-workers, supervisors &managers, clients and/or the public; gets along well with others.• Strong writing skills; possesses adequate knowledge skills and experience toperform the duties of the job; understands the purpose of the work unit and howposition contributes to the overall mission of the agency; maintains competencyin essential areas.• Proficiency with the civil discovery process, including knowledge of thevarious forms of discovery.• Ability to comprehend, analyze, develop and evaluate administrativeprocedures, while providing attention to details and meeting deadlines.• Establishes priorities and work sequences to coordinate efforts, maintain workflow and meet deadlines; ensures sufficient functioning through smooth interfacewith related processes.• Ability to plan and conduct work with minimal supervision and direction forroutine and everyday tasks; judgment to identify when attorney or supervisorinput is needed.• Excellent organizational skills and attention to details.• Recognizes and defines problems; thoroughly obtains and analyzes facts; takesimmediate corrective action; uses resources and techniques to develop soundsolutions while foreseeing possible consequences.• Ability to develop and implement new policies, provide deliverables and meetestablished deadlines.• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and other basic computer skills.• Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust and group identity;fosters commitment and team spirit; works cooperatively with others to achieveoverall goals.• Prefer at least 5-7 years of paralegal experience (including but not limitedto experience in preparing discovery responses, drafting pleadings, etc.).Supervisory responsibilities/direct reports:This position has no direct reports.Difficulty of work:The work is broad in scope, varing from routine to very complex challenges whichrequires the Litigation Paralegal to exercise judgment and decision-makingabilities in formulating potential solutions and in interpreting and applyingpolicies, rules, and laws, and propose recommendations to the Litigation Teamattorneys.Responsibility:The Litigation Paralegal makes a major contribution to the office and theagency. General goals and objectives are discussed with the supervisor in orderto provide program continuity. This position works independently, possessessufficient technical authority for the work and makes a substantial contributionin the development and implementation of significant programs.Personal work relationships:The Litigation Paralegal works with and must establish and maintain effectiveand cooperative working relationships with a wide variety of individuals,including INDOT staff, INDOT management, representatives from other stateagencies, and federal government agencies for the purpose of providinginformation, and to review, discuss and solve problems relating to projectdevelopment and disseminating program information. The Litigation Paralegalmakes a substantial contribution in the development of the Legal Division.Physical effort:Work is performed in an office environment. This position works seated most ofthe time, with minimal lifting or other physical effort required.Working conditions:Standard desk work in an office environment.