Legal Assistant (Business & Tax)

Legal Assistant (Business & Tax)

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is seeking a Legal Assistant (Business and Tax) for their Portland office. This role offers a hybrid work arrangement, with two days remote and three days in-office.

The position provides and coordinates administrative and clerical support to attorneys and paralegals in the Business and Tax practice group, ensuring efficient use of their time. This role requires a high degree of independence and teamwork, supporting a dynamic practice group. The ideal candidate is a strong organizer and communicator, maintaining professionalism, efficiency, and courtesy with clients, firm members, and other business contacts.

At Davis Wright Tremaine, you will find challenging assignments, opportunities for professional growth, community involvement, and a culture of inclusion where everyone has a voice and unparalleled support.

On a typical day you will:

• Effectively partner with attorneys and maintain strong working relationships with clients, staff, attorneys, and other contacts (agencies, vendors, etc.).
• Sustain a high degree of attorney confidence, minimal backlog, and minimal overtime.
• Engage extensively with clients, acting as an intermediary and responding to their requests.
• Type, proofread, run comparisons, and edit correspondence, memoranda, agreements, and other legal and business documents from notes, templates, drafts, or dictated text under time-sensitive deadlines.
• Set up, organize, and maintain data rooms for transactions.
• Maintain due diligence/document production checklists.
• Identify and organize documents for closings of complex financing or acquisition transactions.
• Prepare initial checklists, manage formats, and ensure uniformity across documents.
• Monitor and update checklists, organize signature packets, and review documents for completeness.
• Maintain electronic records of final executed documents and produce/distribute closing transcripts.
• File relevant documents in client minute books.
• Maintain equity ownership information.
• Docket reminders for annual corporate filings (e.g., stock plan registration).
• Manage the client billing process, including entering attorney time and processing/reviewing monthly prebills and invoices.
• Monitor and calendar deadlines.
• Maintain attorney and client records, including email and other electronic records.
• Run conflicts checks; manage client intake and open new client and new matter files.
• Prepare, submit, and track expense reimbursement reports and third-party vendor check requests.
• Make travel arrangements.
• Schedule conference rooms using Resource Scheduler and arrange for food service and audio visual equipment as needed.
• Schedule and coordinate appointments, meetings, and conference calls, and maintain calendars.
• Maintain and track continuing legal education (CLE) records for attorneys.
• Maintain up-to-date forms, collaborating with word processing on templates.
• Answer, screen, and respond to phone calls.
• Open and route mail, attaching appropriate files and documents.
• Maintain a deep understanding of attorneys' practices and goals, as well as firm objectives, policies, and procedures; proactively seek development opportunities and collaborate with supervisors to meet them; raise concerns or ideas with supervisors and collaborate on solutions that support team and firm success.
• Check in regularly with attorneys to ensure all aspects of projects are on track. Prompt as needed. Exercise careful judgment about when to ask for guidance.
• Take initiative to understand attorneys' client service needs; identify opportunities to contribute to client relationship success by raising concerns and/or opportunities to improve; offer potential solutions and be willing to participate in the agreed-upon course of action to reach desired goals.

Join us if you have:

• 6+ years of experience as a legal assistant in a law firm environment is required.
• GED or High School Diploma.
• Ability to read and write English.
• Ability to understand and follow work directions, manage multiple priorities, and respond to urgent requests with minimal supervision.
• Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects, following them through to completion, regardless of who is doing the work.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with strong word processing and computer skills. Experience with MS365 is a plus. Proofreading, Adobe/Kofax, DocuSign, NetDocs, Excel, and PowerPoint skills are desired.
• Excellent keyboarding, grammar, spelling, and proofreading skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with clients, firm members, and other business contacts.
• Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills, with the ability to handle stressful situations in a calm, composed manner.
• Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented, service environment.
• Demonstrated growth mindset; participate in innovation initiatives.
• Ability to pay close attention to detail and be highly organized and accurate.
• Strong time management skills.
• A highly professional demeanor and appearance, adhering to the dress code.
• Availability and willingness to work overtime as needed or requested.

Who We Are

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with 9 offices nationwide, relentlessly committed to client service. At DWT, client service means having empathy for each client's and each lawyer's work and personal pressures, business objectives, and legal needs; anticipating their needs; and having the capabilities and commitment to deliver what matters most to them.

What's in It For You?

DWT offers competitive compensation and ample benefits, including:

• Choice of health and vision insurance plans.
• 2 paid volunteer days for qualifying community service work.
• Dental plan.
• Fertility and adoption benefit.
• Paid sabbatical after 13 years of service.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Commuter benefits.
• Retirement contribution.

This job description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities.

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP fosters a culture where all talented individuals—including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession—can have, and can see, paths to success. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion sits on four pillars: Community, Growth, Education, and Engagement. Learn more about the firm's commitment to DEI here: www.dwt.com/dei.

Davis Wright Tremaine provides reasonable accommodations for those who need them to complete the application or recruiting process and for employees who need reasonable accommodations to perform the essential functions of their positions due to a disability or for religious reasons. If you need to request accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please email [email protected]. #LI-AF1