Litigation Paralegal

General Summary

The Litigation Paralegal will be primarily responsible for supporting in-house attorneys in their management of litigation and will process, review and respond to consumer and commercial litigation and complaints involving Kia America. Key responsibilities include intake, tracking, reporting, investigation and analysis of litigation and pre-litigation matters; preparation of responses to and negotiation with adverse parties; coordinating with in-house and outside counsel and preparing discovery; management of subpoenas and records requests; communication of legal requests and issues to business units; and other duties as assigned. Ability to adjust to changing circumstances and willingness to cross-train into different litigation practice areas within the Legal Department preferred.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1st Priority - 40%

Investigating facts, coordinating collection of discovery materials, conducting research and reviewing and revising draft discovery responses

2nd Priority - 30%

Collecting, organizing and archiving pleadings and documents related to pending and completed cases 

3rd Priority - 15%

Summarizing cases and providing reporting to the legal dept., other internal depts., and insurers 

4th Priority - 10%

Review and revise Standard Operating Procedures for the litigation team, and complete other projects within the legal department as needed

5th Priority - 5%

Support in-house attorneys during trials, including by managing certain trial materials and logistics

PERSONALLY PERFORMED DUTIES

• Communicate with in-house and outside counsel to help manage litigation.
• Communicate with internal business units, dealers, affiliates, outside/opposing counsel, and others to obtain all necessary documentation and information.
• Provide assistance and conduct discovery (document, electronic and media-based), as needed.
• Review and revise draft objections and responses to discovery demands.
• Review and respond to pre-litigation demands and indemnification requests.
• Provide assistance to in-house attorneys during trials, including by working with outside counsel and their paralegals on trial support and reporting, and by managing trial logistics for the Legal Department.
• Review and manage case closure activities to ensure timely resolutions and payment of settlements in pre-litigation and litigation matters, including working with internal business units, outside counsel, and opposing counsel.
• Maintain and manage litigation reporting.
• Maintain an efficient and organized work environment to effectively meet the daily needs and changing requests of in-house litigation attorneys.

Qualifications/Education

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Paralegal certificate or equivalent

Job Requirement

Overall Experience:

• 3-5 years top tier law firm and/or in-house experience  

Directly Related Experience:

• Prior experience with single plaintiff and class action litigation
• Prior experience with automotive litigation helpful

Specialized Skills and Knowledge Required

• Ability to create timely and insightful executive reports and analysis
• Ability to work quickly and independently
• Mastery of standard office software (Microsoft Office) and ability to learn other company software systems
• Requires prior demonstrated managerial, organizational, and interpersonal communications (verbal and written) skills
• Strong legal and factual analytical abilities
• Strong understanding of legal calendaring
• Thorough working knowledge of state and federal rules of civil procedure