Litigation Paralegal (San Diego)

Best Best & Krieger LLP is a nationally recognized law firm focused on delivering effective and client-service oriented solutions to complex legal issues facing public agencies, businesses and individuals across the U.S. BBK is proud to trace the firm's success back to the groundwork of professionalism and community service laid by its founders 135 years ago. Today, with nearly 250 attorneys in offices throughout California and in Oregon and Washington, D.C., we efficiently and meaningfully assist our clients with complex, multi-disciplinary issues and provide creative solutions.

At BBK, we place a high degree of value in creating and nurturing a work environment that attracts the best talent and reflects our commitment to culture, community and equal opportunity. We are proud of our workplace culture, where we respect and value our colleagues for their unique perspectives and experiences.

SUMMARY:

The Litigation Paralegal II provides advanced litigation, case management, discovery, trial, and project support for the Firm's Special District, Municipal, and Civil Litigation practices. This role works collaboratively with attorneys, clients, litigation support professionals, vendors, court personnel, and opposing counsel throughout all phases of litigation, from case inception through trial and post-judgment proceedings.

The Litigation Paralegal is expected to independently manage significant case responsibilities, anticipate attorney and client needs, and leverage technology to improve efficiency, accuracy, and case outcomes. This includes proficiency with litigation support applications, eDiscovery platforms, document review technologies, and emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools utilized in legal practice.

The Litigation Paralegal is expected to utilize AI-assisted workflows responsibly and in accordance with Firm policies, client requirements, court rules, and applicable ethical obligations. This includes the use of generative AI tools for drafting, summarization, analysis, and workflow automation, as well as AI-enabled review technologies within eDiscovery platforms to improve the efficiency and defensibility of document review processes.

The Litigation Paralegal is expected to meet the Firm's annual billable hour requirements (1500 hours), maintain regular business hours, and work additional hours, including evenings and weekends, as required by litigation deadlines, trial schedules, and client needs. This position will be required to come into the office on occasion as litigation and/or working attorney may request.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

• Independently manage cases and proactively monitor and anticipate the needs of attorneys throughout the progression of cases (inception to close).
• Knowledge of, ability to interpret and institute in practice various laws, statutes and regulations including civil procedure, rules of court, appellate procedure, discovery act and local rules. 
• Perform eDiscovery tasks using document review platforms including review for relevance, privilege, redacting as necessary, creating privilege logs with speed and efficiency.
• Research various subject matter using IT and library resources available including Westlaw, Hein Online, CEB and Rutter Guides, other commercial databases and on-line databases including the internet.
• Perform cite checking, shepardizing and proofreading of briefs and other legal documents using various guides such as style manuals and Bluebook.
• Assist in pleading and discovery processes including drafting documents, research for service of process, ensuring proper service is completed timely,  drafting notices and subpoenas, preparing for deposition, propounding and responding to written discovery, preparing for expert discovery, and drafting discovery motions, drafting witness and attorney declarations. 
• Perform analytical tasks, which may include preparing witness interview memoranda, reviewing and summarizing documents such as deposition and court transcripts and preparing and maintaining privilege logs as needed.
• Assist with law and motion practice, which may include drafting motion papers, assembling motion papers and exhibits, assisting with filings of pleadings and briefs and ensuring proper service.
• Organize and maintain case-related materials.
• Attend and assist, as needed, during meetings, hearings, depositions, arbitrations, mediations, and communicate with opposing counsel and court staff.
• Calculate and review docketing dates for each matter and ensure proper maintenance of any required case calendars.
• Assist with trial preparation, including preparing trial subpoenas and on-call agreements, determining applicable jury instructions and jury research, participation in the voir dire process, creating trial notebooks, identifying and organizing exhibits, preparing witness lists and coordinating witness schedules, drafting various pre-trial and trial pleadings, maintaining trial calendars and communicating effectively with opposing counsel and courtroom staff.
• Prepare and/or supervise vendor preparation of graphs and demonstrative exhibits.
• Assist attorneys at trial to operate and maintain trial software  or other similar technology.
• Attend trial, hearings, depositions or mediations, as requested.
• Liaison with practice support teams including directing of data collections, productions, and other data driven projects.  
• Utilize advanced eDiscovery platforms and technology-assisted review (TAR), continuous active learning (CAL), email threading, near-duplicate identification, conceptual analytics, and AI-assisted review workflows to efficiently identify responsive, privileged, and key documents.
• Assist attorneys and litigation support teams in developing and implementing defensible discovery strategies, including document collection, processing, review, production, quality control, privilege review, and data management.
• Employ approved generative AI tools to assist with document summarization, deposition and transcript analysis, chronology creation, issue identification, fact development, witness preparation materials, discovery analysis, and first-draft preparation of litigation support documents, subject to attorney review and Firm policies.
• Perform quality control and validation of AI-generated work product and AI-assisted document review results to ensure accuracy, completeness, confidentiality, and compliance with applicable legal and ethical standards.
• Collaborate with attorneys and litigation support personnel to evaluate emerging legal technologies, AI-enabled workflows, and process improvements that enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve client service.
• Prepare detailed chronologies, case assessments, factual investigations, damages analyses, and litigation support materials utilizing both traditional and technology-assisted methodologies.
• Manage large-scale document repositories, structured data, and electronically stored information (ESI), including data tracking, reporting, and production management.
• Provide guidance to attorneys, paralegals, and support staff regarding litigation technologies, eDiscovery best practices, and approved AI tools and workflows.
• Prepare post litigation documents including judgments, entry of judgments, memorandum of costs and attorney fees motions, abstracts of judgment and collecting on judgments.
• Familiarity with appeals and writs is a plus.
• Assemble administrative records and appendices in various courts.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Advanced knowledge of litigation technology, eDiscovery platforms, and electronic document review systems (e.g., Relativity, Everlaw, DISCO, Logikcull, Reveal, or similar platforms).
• Experience utilizing AI-assisted review technologies, technology-assisted review (TAR), predictive coding, analytics, and workflow automation tools within e-discovery environments.
• Familiarity with generative AI platforms and legal AI applications used for summarization, document analysis, drafting assistance, research support, and workflow efficiency, with demonstrated ability to evaluate and validate AI-generated content.
• Understanding of ethical, confidentiality, privilege, cybersecurity, and client-specific considerations associated with the use of artificial intelligence in legal practice.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to coordinate complex discovery matters involving large volumes of electronically stored information (ESI).
• Demonstrated ability to identify process improvements and implement technology-driven solutions to enhance litigation support services.
• Experience and satisfactory skill levels in all areas of Responsibility and Duties, above, with excellent skills in at least several of those areas.  
• Strong organizational, analytical and research skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
• Attention to detail and initiative.
• Flexibility, composure and the ability to prioritize and handle many urgent tasks and requests simultaneously with a high level of competence and accuracy.
• The ability to remain composed and professional under stressful circumstances.
• Sensitivity to ethical and confidentiality requirements.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
• Ability to work independently, with little supervision.
• Display initiative and leadership in analyzing and resolving problems and issues as they arise.
• As necessary, supervise other paralegals, including managing workflow, assisting in the training of Paralegal I and delegating responsibilities, as authorized or requested by Firm administration.
• Observe assigned secretarial support in order to meaningfully contribute and complete an annual performance evaluation, as requested by Firm administration.
• Other tasks, as required by Firm attorneys or Firm Administrators.

REQUIRED EDUCATION:

• B.A. or B.S. degree from an accredited college or university, or equivalent experience.
• Paralegal certificate from an ABA approved program or an affidavit rework experience sufficient to comply with California Business and Professions Code Sections 6450-6456.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of seven (7) years’ of experience as a litigation paralegal

FIRM TRAVEL:

• Must have flexibility to travel on short notice for and on behalf of the Firm.

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The reasonably expected pay scale for this position seeking a Paralegal with 7 or more years of experience is $90,000 to $95,000 annually ($46.16 - $48.72/hour), non-exempt. The actual salary within that range will depend on the selected candidate’s years of experience.  We encourage all interested candidates to apply.   

Best Best & Krieger is an equal opportunity employer.