Supervising Paralegal - Now Hiring at Natural Resources Defense Council

Supervising Paralegal

Job Locations

US-NY-New York | US-CA-San Francisco | US-IL-Chicago | US-CA-Santa Monica | US-DC-Washington

Job ID

2022-4952

# of Openings

1

Group

Litigation [103000]

Overview

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.
Position Summary

NRDC is seeking a Supervising Paralegal to work with the Litigation Team out of one of the following office locations: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, DC, or Santa Monica. The Supervising Paralegal is responsible for providing supervision, training, and mentoring of the Team's Litigation Assistant cohort.

The Litigation Team is a group of approximately 40 lawyers, litigation assistants and other operations staff who pursue litigation across a broad range of environmental and public health issues and in collaboration with and on behalf of communities most impacted by environmental injustices (including Black, indigenous, and people of color, and low-income and rural communities). Over the past five years, we have litigated cases against the federal government to prevent climate pollution, challenge agency approvals of toxic chemicals and pesticides, resist the suspension of clean water safeguards, oppose offshore drilling and seismic exploration for oil and gas, defend national monuments, and protect energy efficiency standards, among other matters. We also bring enforcement cases against corporate and governmental entities whose violations harm health and the environment-including recent cases to protect the people of Newark, New Jersey and Flint, Michigan, from lead in drinking water; to remediate toxic pollution in the Penobscot River in Maine; to abate mold in New York City public housing for residents with asthma; and to halt air pollution from a coal-fired power plant in Illinois.

Responsibilities

Litigation Support (50%)

Formatting, proofreading, and fact-checking documents to be filed in court, including generating tables of contents and authorities, assembling exhibits, etc.
• Arranging service of court filings.
• Researching and summarizing court rules.
• Drafting and proofreading legal correspondence (cover letters, notices, etc.).
• Managing and maintaining up-to-date case files.
• Computing and calendaring court deadlines.
• Conducting independent factual research to advance case development and summarizing findings in written memoranda.
• Reviewing documents and evidence produced by other parties in litigation, and analyzing and summarizing relevant documents.
• Interviewing NRDC members to support anticipated and pending litigation, and drafting affidavits.
• Assisting attorneys with hearing preparation and depositions, including preparing document binders, printing exhibits, creating exhibit lists, etc.
• Generating research notes, memoranda, tables, graphs, and other visuals.
• Tracking media outlets, websites, and relevant dockets and issues relating to the Team's litigation.
• Participating in and taking notes during conference calls and meetings.

Supervision and Management (50%)
• Overseeing Litigation Assistant cohort by ensuring adequate staffing, supervision, quality of work.
• Providing direct management and supervision of the day-to-day work of junior Litigation Assistants.
• Training, coaching and providing oversight for Litigation Assistants in paralegal and litigation support skills, editing, proofing, best practices, and more.
• Actively working with litigators and Team managers to identify and meet case-support staffing needs.
• Assigning litigation-support work to Litigation Assistants based on their capacity, development needs, and skills.
• Providing teamwide leadership to identify, create and maintain accurate and updated team-wide litigation support resources, including:
• Templates for commonly used legal documents for the courts in which we litigate most frequently
• Memos on court filing rules and guidelines on service procedures
• Assisting with implementing litigation holds, in collaboration with Team attorneys and Corporate Counsel.
• Drafting Board Development updates with attorney supervision and other status reports for the institution.
• Drafting website copy, including blogs, relating to Team's practice areas, as needed.
• Maintaining active oversight over litigation trackers, bar admissions, and other resources to respond to litigation requests from the institution.
• Participating in institutional committees related to litigation and litigation practice.
• From time-to-time and as needed, along with other Litigation Team members, support institutional work, including but not limited to helping to organize team retreats, assist with hiring and orienting interns, and managing financial processes.

Qualifications

Required
• Commitment to NRDC's mission and values.
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work, practice, and philosophies.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• A minimum of five years of paralegal experience or equivalent.
• At least one year of supervision experience.
• Strong self-management skills and the ability to identify, set, and meet priorities with high levels of independence and detail.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and work discreetly with sensitive information.
• Ability to communicate effectively with external parties, including clients, co-counsel, opposing counsel, government officials, and other stakeholders for purposes of scheduling meetings, coordinating discovery, etc.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Superior editing, research, and data synthesis skills.
• Comfortable with learning new programs, skills, and tasks under the guidance of others.
• Commitment to accuracy and thoroughness.
• Strong leadership skills and interest in coaching and mentoring staff.
• Highly collaborative and open mindset.
• Sense of humor and grace in the face of deadline-driven pressure.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, especially Outlook and Excel.

Preferred
• Familiarity with GIS software, statistical software, or other data analysis skills.
• Trial experience.
• Paralegal certification or equivalent.

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. For this position, the salary is $95,000 to $110,000. Internal equity considerations will be reviewed before making a final offer.

Since March 2020, NRDC's offices have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You will be associated with one of our offices, but until circumstances allow us to re-open, we will continue to support NRDCers with remote working arrangements.

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your resume and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person resume drop-offs.

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422.

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.

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