Legal Specialist, Copy Editor

DLA Piper is a bold, exceptional, collaborative, and supportive firm where our people are the backbone, heart, and soul. This role offers the opportunity to engage in meaningful work and grow your career in a dynamic environment.

About the role

The Legal Specialist, Copy Editor supports the firm’s strategic initiatives by reviewing, editing, and refining pre-bill narrative content to ensure client invoices accurately reflect legal services performed. This role partners closely with attorneys, billing professionals, and finance teams to enhance the quality, consistency, clarity, and professionalism of billing narratives prior to invoice submission. The successful candidate combines legal knowledge, billing process experience, and exceptional proofreading and copyediting skills.

Location

This hybrid position can be based in our Palo Alto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego office.

Responsibilities

• Review and edit pre-bill narratives for accuracy, clarity, grammar, punctuation, style, and consistency prior to client invoice generation.
• Partner with partners, attorneys, legal support professionals, and billing teams to revise and refine time entry descriptions to accurately reflect legal work performed.
• Ensure billing narratives comply with firm billing standards, client billing guidelines, and best practices for invoice presentation.
• Identify unclear, incomplete, duplicative, inconsistent, or non-compliant narrative entries and coordinate appropriate revisions.
• Standardize billing language and formatting across matters while preserving the substantive description of legal services provided.
• Conduct detailed quality assurance reviews of invoices to ensure content accurately reflects attorney work product and client engagement requirements.
• Assist in developing and maintaining style guides, editing standards, and narrative best practices for billing descriptions.
• Provide guidance and recommendations to attorneys and business professionals regarding effective billing narrative drafting.
• Collaborate with Finance, Billing, Pricing, and Practice Group teams to support billing quality initiatives and process improvements.
• Maintain confidentiality of client, matter, financial, and attorney information in accordance with firm policies and professional obligations.
• Track recurring editing issues and recommend solutions to improve overall billing quality, consistency, and efficiency.
• Support special projects related to billing compliance, client requirements, and invoicing process enhancements.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED (Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Journalism, Legal Studies, Business, Finance, or a related field preferred).
• Paralegal Certificate or equivalent legal training preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a law firm, legal services environment, professional services firm, legal billing, legal operations, paralegal, proofreading, copyediting, or related role.
• Experience reviewing detailed written content for accuracy, grammar, consistency, and compliance.
• Experience working with legal terminology, legal documents, or attorney-generated or professional services-related content.
• Experience supporting attorney billing processes or client invoicing in a law firm environment.
• Experience interpreting and applying outside counsel guidelines and client billing requirements.
• Working knowledge of legal terminology, legal services, and law firm operations.
• Understanding of legal billing practices, invoicing processes, and client billing expectations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and legal or financial technology platforms.

Skills

• Exceptional proofreading, copyediting, and written communication skills.
• Advanced knowledge of grammar, punctuation, style, and editorial standards.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify nuanced errors and inconsistencies.
• Excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment when editing sensitive attorney-client content.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with attorneys, finance professionals, and business support teams.
• Customer service orientation with the ability to communicate professionally and diplomatically.
• High degree of discretion and commitment to confidentiality.

Essential Job Expectations

• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with clients, lawyers, business professionals, and external audiences.
• Produce high-quality work and respond to correspondence in an efficient, timely, and professional manner.
• Meet deadlines, manage competing priorities, and commit to meeting high standards.
• Comply with firm policies and procedures.
• Maintain confidences as required in a law firm environment.

Physical Demands

This is primarily sedentary work, requiring occasional exertion of up to 10 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, pull, or move objects. The role involves sitting for extended periods, with occasional walking and standing, and occasional travel, both domestic and international.

Pay

The expected hiring range for this position is $98,990 - $143,088 per year, depending on the candidate’s geographic market location, experience, skills, educational and professional background, and overall qualifications.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.