Contracts Paralegal

Summary

Provides administrative and paralegal assistance to attorneys, mainly within the Contracts, Licensing and Environmental unit of the Law Department within Legal Affairs. Responsibilities include conducting legal research, reviewing legal documents, clerical and administrative support, maintaining databases and systems to collect, store and retrieve data. on litigation, union contracts, patent management, etc. Collaborates with other business units within NYPA and Canals to support the resolution of legal issues. Efficiently uses technology to manage, organize, and complete assignments, including fluency in Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Identifies, monitors, and addresses issues of legal risk. Informs and contributes to the structuring, drafting, negotiating contracts, letters of agreement, policies and other documents. A strong candidate is someone who has excellent research and writing skills, attention to detail, high-level organization and communication skills. #LI-CJ1

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and paralegal support to the attorneys in the law department and related functions supporting the Corporate Secretary’s Office and the office of Ethics and Compliance, among others
• Perform a wide variety of legal, factual and administrative tasks and other confidential duties, including, but not limited to electronic file organization and document control
• Conduct basic legal research on behalf of attorneys
• Researches and analyzes a variety of legal sources such as statutes, court decisions, legal documents and articles for use in preparing legal documents, opinions,  contracts, briefs and pleadings
• Drafts and reviews correspondence, briefs, memoranda of law, etc., including proofreading and cite checking
• Performs investigations, organization and research and background work as needed for claims and lawsuits from inception through discovery and trial
• Organizes and summarizes a wide variety of material and information, sets priorities, and meets critical deadlines

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Practical knowledge of concepts, terminology, principles and procedures of American law and functions and jurisdictions of local, state and federal courts and related agencies
• Practical knowledgeable of various other authority policies and governance as to how those policies will impact on the varied legal cases
• Practical knowledge of methods and techniques of legal research and the use of statutes, codes and other legal resources
• Skill in using technology to manage, organize and prioritize assignments
• Skill in conducting factual research regarding any matter
• Skill in extracting and utilizing information from statutes, court decisions, legal documents, policies and related records
• Thorough understanding the necessity and the ability to preserve and maintain confidential communications and legally privileged information
• Excellent oral and written communication skill
• Good analytical and problem-solving techniques
• Ability to prioritize the assignments from multi-tasking environment and abilities to complete the tasks within deadlines
• Ability to work with minimal supervision

Education, Experience and Certifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent is required
• Minimum 2 years relevant experience

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift and carry items weighing up to 15 lbs
• Minimal travel within NY State