Litigation Paralegal

Job Summary

Our New Orleans office is seeking an experienced Litigation Paralegal to support attorneys handling complex civil litigation in state, federal and administrative venues.

Essential Functions

• Manage all aspects of civil litigation cases, including proactive tracking of case progress and strict attention to deadlines.
• Draft initial versions of a variety of pleadings for matters in federal, state, and administrative forums.
• Prepare initial discovery documents for federal, state, and administrative proceedings.
• Draft initial discovery requests to plaintiff.
• Create detailed chronologies and timelines to highlight key events in case.
• Collaborate with attorneys and clients to gather materials necessary for discovery responses, motion practice, depositions, and other litigation tasks.
• Identify, organize and prepare documents for production, including applying Bates numbering, performing redactions, and maintaining production and privilege logs.
• Collaborate with the e-discovery team on large-scale document productions and use Relativity or similar software as needed.
• Absorb and prepare for witness interviews and prepare concise interview summaries.
• Prepare deposition documents and subpoenas in compliance with state and federal requirements, monitor responses, coordinate third-party records production, and develop deposition outlines and summaries.
• Support trial and arbitration preparation, including organizing and managing trial exhibits, preparing initial drafts of witness and exhibit lists, and providing additional trial-related assistance as needed.
• Conduct cite-checking and Shepardizing as needed.
• Perform legal research using tools such as Lexis and PACER as required.
• Conduct background, litigation and social media searches as required.

Qualifications/Skills Required

• Proficiency in the Windows environment, including Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel.
• Solid understanding of state and federal rules of civil procedure.
• Law firm experience in civil defense work; employment law background preferred.
• Familiarity with insurance carrier guidelines is a plus.
• Experience using timekeeping and billing software; knowledge of Intapp is a plus.
• Experience with document management systems required; familiarity with NetDocuments is a plus.
• Experience in e-discovery platforms including Relativity is a plus.
• Experience with trial/mediation/arbitration preparation, class actions, and wage and hour matters is a plus.
• Proven track record of meeting billable hour targets.
• Demonstrated exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple matters and deadlines simultaneously.
• Ability to apply confidentiality, sound judgment, professionalism, and strong teamwork skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively toward delivering outstanding client service.

Qualifications/Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.
• 5 years minimum litigation defense experience in a law firm setting, preferably in employment law but not mandatory.

Company Information

Founded in 1958, Jackson Lewis P.C. is a leading employment and labor law firm with over 1,000 attorneys located in major cities nationwide. The Firm is ranked in the First Tier nationally in the category of Labor and Employment Litigation, as well as in both Employment Law and Labor Law on behalf of Management, in the U.S. News - Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms.”