Junior Paralegal - IP Litigation

About Kirkland & Ellis

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a preeminent, full-service law firm with offices around the world and a staff as diverse as the practice areas we support. Our clients range from Fortune 100 companies to medium and small corporations, financial institutions, and private equity firms.  Known for our commitment to excellence, Kirkland strives to provide superior service to our clients as well as our fellow employees. From Information Technology to Human Resources, Paralegal Services to Business Development, Kirkland offers non-attorney professionals challenging careers in a variety of functional areas. Whether starting or growing your career, Kirkland can offer a performance-driven culture filled with bright and innovative teams of co-workers.

Essential Job Functions

POSITION OVERVIEW

A Junior Paralegal, under the supervision and direction of a Paralegal, helps to manage and organize the materials and information relating to particular matters and transactions.  These duties allow them the opportunity to work with and assist our legal staff in preparing for depositions, due diligence investigations, document productions, and trials.  The projects typically involve clerical duties and basic file organization tasks, and may require long hours and travel.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (This list is not exhaustive and may be supplemented and changed as necessary.)

Provide legal and administrative support to paralegals and attorneys in the IP Litigation Department.

• Become thoroughly familiar with each assigned active case by understanding the nature of the documents and their relationship to the case in order to be responsive to document requests and establish responsibilities and protocols.
• Understand the IP Litigation process in order to anticipate what types of documents attorneys will need so that documents are prepared ahead of time and requests are filled promptly; facilitate communication between paralegals and attorneys; work directly with paralegals and attorneys in coordinating and executing their requests.
• Act as a custodian of any and all documents, media, and databases relevant to the active cases.
• Organize and update case files, pleadings and correspondence files.  Assist paralegals and attorneys with deposition witness files, document productions, briefs and other various tasks as they are assigned in preparation for depositions and arbitrations; create many of the witness preparation materials such as deposition preparation binders, direct testimony materials and cross examination materials.
• Adequately compile and organize case materials and fill in missing document gaps for current assigned case litigations and arbitrations; compile relevant documents in databases and network drives to maintain an accessible case file.
• Employ various Firm resources, e.g., Westlaw, Livenote, Concordance, LegalKey, Relativity, Compulaw, Sharepoint and shared network drives.
• Commitment to work overtime as needed, which maybe be heavy at times, and may include weekends or holidays with potential to be for extended periods of time.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education, Work Experience, Skills

• The ideal Junior Paralegal candidate is a college graduate with a strong interest in the legal profession and IP Litigation law with the ability to commit to the position for at least two years.  
• Excellent oral and written communication skills are necessary with the ability to interact professionally with staff, attorneys, paralegals, clients and vendors.
• The successful candidate must be able to work independently as well as with a team, have an acute attention to detail and be able to multi-task and prioritize while working in a high pressure, deadline-driven environment. 
• Overtime availability is a must and a college degree is required.

Technologies/Software

• Strong technical skills are required, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat and a Document Management System.
• Knowledge of Carpe Diem, Westlaw, Livenote, Concordance, LegalKey, Relativity, Compulaw and Sharepoint is a plus.

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP.  To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Closing Statement

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