Legal Secretary – Affordable Housing and Community Development (Austin, TX)
Coats Rose, P.C. is hiring a full-time (37.5 hours/week) Secretary within the firm’s Affordable Housing and Community Development Practice Group located in our Austin, Texas office.
Job Summary: Secretaries in this practice group support a mix of director-level and associate-level attorneys to provide skilled clerical work and a range of administrative assistance at the direction of each attorney while working collaboratively with attorneys and paralegals within the group to support the needs of the practice. The work often involves detailed assistance in accurately preparing, editing, formatting, filing, and assembling for transmission a variety of real estate and corporate documents for and to attorneys, clients, and governmental agencies.
The ideal candidate will have 3+ years of experience working as a legal secretary within a transactional commercial real estate practice. Strong preference will also be given to related legal practice areas such as corporate or finance transactions or executive-level administrative assistant experience from related industries. An excellent working knowledge of MS Word/Outlook, Workshare Compare, and Adobe is required; familiarity with commercial real estate closings or corporate formations is beneficial. Consideration may be given, however, to entry-level candidates with strong computer literacy skills with experience in electronic document preparation who also display excellent written and verbal communication abilities and editing skills.
Job Responsibilities and Duties: While working both independently and collaboratively to accomplish a dynamic set of tasks as may be assigned, day-to-day responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Scanning, copying, faxing, mailing, and filing/management of electronic and physical files and documents; scheduling and calendaring attorney meetings, event registration, travel; managing attorney compliance with continuing legal education requirements; and preparing attorney expense reports.
- Opening new client files; entering attorney time in firm’s client-billing system, assisting with monthly client invoicing in coordination with attorneys and firm’s accounting department clerks.
- Editing and formatting documents, with detailed attention to preparation of signature packages and closing binders for real estate and corporate transactions.
- Electronic recording or searching of documents with various governmental agencies, including Texas Secretary of State and Comptroller.
- Other duties as may be assigned for efficient attorney workflow and operation of the office
Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities:
- Required high-level proficiency in Workshare Compare, Adobe, and MSOffice suite of software applications and competency in preparing documents in Word using a networked document management system.
- Familiarity with NetDocuments, LMS+, and Texas Secretary of State and Comptroller website searches/filings a
- Excellent data processing and editing skills.
- Excellent organizational skills, with ability to attend to details and prioritize multiple deadlines.
- Excellent listening, verbal and written communication, and grammar skills with ability to work with a wide variety of professionals and clients.
- Must be able to lift/carry/move file boxes up to 30 pounds in weight.
- Must be able to maintain focus sitting at a desk and using a computer for extended periods of time.
Education Requirements:
- High school diploma or equivalent required.
- Some college coursework or college degree preferred.
Compensation, Benefits, Work-Life:
- Compensation is salary with overtime pay and is competitive based on experience or skill level; yearly, discretionary bonus possible.
- Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurances offered (with several no-cost options for employee-only coverage available); 401(k) retirement plan (with yearly employer matching and discretionary plan profit-sharing); Paid Holidays; Paid Time Off; Fully Paid Parking.
- Coats Rose is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in its workplace and to promoting a healthy work-life balance in a professional and friendly environment.
To Apply: Qualified candidates should submit cover letter and resume by email to Rex Zgarba, Director of Human Resources, at rzgarba@coatsrose.com and reference “Secretary – Affordable Housing – Austin” in the subject line.