Litigation & Employment Paralegal

Overview

We are seeking a Paralegal to join Dana-Farber’s mission-driven team of legal professionals. As a member of the Office of General Counsel, the Paralegal will assist with litigation, employment, labor, and general corporate matters under the supervision of licensed attorneys. Responsibilities include assisting attorneys in all phases of the pre-litigation and litigation process, including but not limited to document collection, organization, and management, and management of the Institute’s subpoena intake process. Corporate responsibilities include updating organizational policies, agreement review and drafting, and related transactional support. The Paralegal regularly interfaces with faculty and staff members, administrative departments (e.g., Health Information Services, Human Resources, Information Services, Supply Chain, Finance, Tax, Philanthropy, Facilities and Real Estate Management), law firms and third parties. The Paralegal reports directly to a Senior Counsel or Associate General Counsel.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Responsibilities

With direct supervision, provides litigation, employment, and corporate support as follows, but not limited to:

• Oversee new matter intake, subpoena intake, and document requests while managing case information, litigation support services, and employment workflows within the Institute’s matter management system.
• Support the Institute’s litigation discovery and document collection functions, by coordinating with internal stakeholders and outside counsel, and performing eDiscovery and database management using recognized review platforms.
• Draft, review, and revise memoranda, legal documents, pleadings, and discovery materials, while also summarizing documents and drafting chronologies.
• Conduct legal research and public records searches on Westlaw, PACER, MassCourts, and other various online resources; analyze statutes, regulations, legal articles, and judicial decisions, and provide written summaries to attorneys.
• Assist with conducting factual and internal investigation by utilizing client files, public records searches, web searches, and phone calls, and managing key documents.
• Assist in drafting and updating institutional policies, support OGC attorneys with contract drafting and redlining, and review agreements to draft necessary amendments and addenda for various types of agreements, such as vendor, supplier, and software licensing.
• Regularly coordinate with outside counsel on corporate, transactional, litigation or labor and employment matters.
• Provide project management support for department-led programs and initiatives, perform administrative duties such as calendaring hearings, organizing case files, and managing logistics, and assist with other special projects as required. May perform other legal and operational tasks as required.

Qualifications

• Associate degree in Paralegal Studies or related field, or equivalent on-the-job training and experience, required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 3 years of relevant paralegal experience required, preferably in a law firm or an in-house legal department or comparable business environment.
• Experience with matter management platforms required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of basic litigation or employment legal principles.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to understand, organize and present organizational materials.
• Experience in nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations engaged in academic, research and patient care operations strongly preferred.
• Paralegal certificate preferred.
• Experience with e-discovery preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, a demonstrated ability to draft correspondence and communicate effectively with a variety of contacts, including outside attorneys, senior management, and third parties.
• Excellent attention to detail and research abilities.
• Proficient in legal research platforms (Westlaw, LexisNexis, Practical Law, and other state or local court/county records searches).
• Exceptional organizational skills and adeptness at multitasking / prioritizing tasks.
• Strong customer service skills and professionalism.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to anticipate support needs of attorneys across a variety of legal matters.
• Ability to identify and resolve or escalate issues in a timely manner.
• Respect for and willingness to protect confidentiality, and to exercise discretion and good judgment.
• A certain degree of creativity and flexibility as well as reliance on experience and judgment to solve problems and plan and accomplish goals.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint), Adobe, and other computer applications.
• Working knowledge of litigation procedure before federal and state courts.
• Ability to interact with people at all levels of the corporate structure, prioritize and handle numerous competing demands in a high-volume, fast-paced working environment.

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.