Paralegal - Business (Cleveland)
At Taft, we work as one team, driven and committed to helping our clients succeed. A full-service law firm with more than 1,000 attorneys and approximately 1,775 on our team, we have the collaborative approach, advanced technological resources, and depth of services that make us a preeminent law firm.
Taft is seeking a paralegal to serve our Business team in Taft’s Cleveland office.
We are seeking a paralegal to support our Business team in the Cleveland office, who would perform work of a substantial legal nature under the supervision of a lawyer. All Taft employees operate under a “Client First” philosophy—in all things, we seek to provide exceptional services to our clients.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Follow the ethical requirements set forth by the Rules of Professional Conduct of the applicable jurisdiction
- Clearly communicate in a concise (oral and written), professional manner
- Proactively provide support to attorneys as assigned
- Draft routine legal documents and correspondence specific to the Business and Finance practice groups
- Conduct factual legal research and analysis relevant to practice area using all available resources including print and electronic sources
- At the direction of the assigning attorney, correspond with outside counsel, filing agents, and clients
- Organize and maintain internal files and closing materials for assigned practice group
- Prioritize work, monitor deadlines, and communicate the same to the assigned team
- Timely enter, reviews, and correct time entries
- Arrange for procurement of outside services such as statutory agent services, lien searches, state filings, securities filings, etc.
- Perform reviews of various legal documents
- Assist with diligence matters for various deal work
- Process invoices for client disbursements and firm expenses for payment
- File various documents with appropriate governmental bodies, including states, FINRA, and the SEC
- Act as liaison between attorneys and practice support teams
- Manage DocuSign signature process and compile signature pages
- Prepare closing binders/files for transactions
- Assist in the formation of business entities, including corporations and limited liability companies
- Draft and revise documents for filing with state and county offices
- Draft and revise Articles of Incorporation/Formation
- Prepare Simple Deeds and stock certificates
- Draft loan and/or general transactional documents
- Review Letters of Intent, contracts, Loan Commitments, and UCC’s
- Familiarity with Secretary of State websites, particularly for the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky
- Prepare and maintain/update corporate minute books, including ownership certificates and ledgers
- Organize, participate, and assist in business transactions and prepare and update closing and other checklists
- Update and maintain electronic data rooms
- Run lien searches and litigation reports
Requirements:
- Corporate legal department paralegal experience preferred.
- ABA approved paralegal degree/certificate, or equivalent combination of experience.
- Maintain client confidentiality
- Demonstrated strong attention to detail
- Proficient in Microsoft Office 2010 – Word, Outlook and Excel
- Proficient in computerized legal research programs including WestLaw, Lexis/Nexis, PACER and proficiency with electronic data rooms and secure file transfer systems and programs
- Proficient in case management software and/or specialty practice area software where applicable
- Proficient in Adobe Acrobat and other PDF software such as Power PDF
- Proficient in CARTA – ability to submit materials to CARTA, review CARTA files, and update capitalization tables.
- Adept at using DocuSign and creating multiple-choice forms
- Proficient in iManage Desksite preferred. Must have experience in some large-scale document management system. Previous experience in performing searches and finding documents for references preferred.
- Notary Public preferred.
Interested candidates should apply here.