Paralegal

Company Overview:

Come grow with us! We are One Rayonier, a team that works together to create value by prioritizing safety, challenging the status quo, giving back to our communities, and driving innovation through continuous learning. With nearly 100 years of experience, we’re still discovering new ways to make lives better with our trees, our land, and — our most important resource — our people.

At Rayonier, we strive to create an employee experience where you feel valued and proud to be part of our team. We foster a respectful, inclusive and collaborative environment that celebrates your unique talents and perspectives.  Experience the Rayonier difference: We’re big enough to offer exciting career paths, but small enough for you to know your colleagues by name. Come join a team that empowers you to make a difference!

The Paralegal will support four attorneys in connection with forestry matters (e.g., timber contracts, non-timber business transactions, easements, boundary line issues), rural real estate (e.g., purchase and sale transactions, agreements, title issues, closings, leasing), environmental matters (e.g., permitting, compliance), litigation support, contract management, and records management. This position also serves as back-up administrative support to the Law Department (e.g., mail, files, scanning/copying, notary support).

Primary Responsibilities

General Forestry Matters: Assist counsel with managing forestry matters throughout the company’s land base, including timber harvesting contracts and related matters, fiber sales agreements, boundary line disputes, acquiring and selling a variety of easements (e.g., access, pipeline, and utility easements), condemnation proceedings, cell tower leases, and commercial contracts related to non-timber sales transactions.

Rural Real Estate Transactions: Assist with the drafting and management of real estate contracts (e.g., using the correct forms, version control, redlining documents), resolving title issues (e.g., reviewing commitments, resolving issues, responding to title objections), and management of closings (e.g., drafting closing documents, reviewing closing statements, coordinating with outside title/escrow agents).  Keeps all stakeholders informed of the status of closings.

Document Drafting & Contract Management: Provide independent analysis and preparation of legal documents (for review by counsel) for use in all aspects of general real estate and business transactions and litigation matters (e.g., real estate documentation, service and purchase contracts, financial reports, correspondence, etc.).  Work closely with the company’s contract administration team to maintain form agreements and ensure efficient administration of contracting process, including requisite approvals and authorizations.  Demonstrated interest in, and experience with, using available artificial intelligence tools (e.g., Claude, Copilot, Gemini) to increase efficiency and quality of drafting and other legal work.

Legal Records Administration: Maintain legal files for Law Department and business units.  Assists with implementing and enforcing the company’s Records Retention policy.

Secretarial Support: Responsible for composition of coherent internal and external correspondence, and internal legal reports, involving moderately complex legal material, in draft form, as well as independently authors correspondence for distribution internally and externally.

General Administration: Responsible for maintaining and processing law department budget documents and maintaining the Legal Tracker billing system.

Litigation Support: Assist counsel in litigation matters, including locating and organizing documents for production, and identifying document custodians required by litigation, coordinating activities with outside counsel, and initiating and closing litigation holds.

Strict Confidentiality: Works well within the confines of a strict confidential environment, requiring frequent substantive interface with senior corporate management, and with comparable level managers and attorneys, both internal and external, in a general business environment.

Required Qualifications

Education Level Required:  Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in a major relevant to this position (e.g., Paralegal Studies, Business, Accounting, Finance, Real Estate, Communications, English, Pre-Law or similar) or equivalent work experience.

Experience Required: At least 5 years’ paralegal experience supporting transactions either in a law firm or in-house law department.  Experience supporting real estate transactions either as a paralegal in a law firm or working for a title company (e.g., escrow agent, closer, underwriter, etc.) preferred.

Knowledge/Skills Required: 

• Must have working knowledge of legal terms, real estate laws, and real estate transactions (e.g., contracts, surveys/plats, title commitments, closing documents, and closing processes). 
• Must be a Georgia notary or capable of obtaining a Georgia notary commission within three months of employment.
• Must have the ability to review and interpret real estate and business contracts and related documents and ability to draft the same for review by attorneys.
• Must have strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, be detail oriented, able to prioritize work and multi-task in a busy legal office, meet deadlines, be an excellent communicator (both verbal and written), and be capable of working independently with little direct supervision.
• Must have a strong work ethic, show initiative (i.e., a self-starter), be a team player with excellent interpersonal skills, demonstrate flexibility to handle a wide variety of maters with competing deadlines, have a positive mental “can-do” attitude, and act professionally.
• Be capable of working independently on a daily basis and on special projects assigned.
• Must have a keen sense of confidentiality and the ability to work within a strictly confidential environment.
• Must be an expert with Microsoft Word, familiar with Microsoft Excel, and ready, willing and able to learn new or unfamiliar technology resources (e.g., Claude, Gemini, Landfolio, Malbek contract management, Zendesk, and Legal Tracker).

Preferred Qualifications

• Registered or Certified Paralegal
• Real estate transaction experience
• Experience using contract management software systems
• Experience using Legal Tracker

Working Conditions/Physical Requirements

• Work is performed in an office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment and keyboards. 
• Ability to lift and carry small parcels, packages and other items, to walk short distances, and drive a vehicle to deliver and pick up materials. 
• Travel is required, but not frequently (e.g., 1 week a year). 
• Must be willing to work in the office in Atlanta, Georgia, at least 4 days per week (may be allowed to work from home most Fridays).

What We Offer

• We offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, accident, disability, identity theft protection, and paid parental and caregiver leave. We also offer a health savings account, a dependent care spending account, and an employee assistance plan. We provide wellness reimbursements, employee discount programs, annual health screenings, wellness incentives, wellness seminars, and financial counseling and planning tools.
• Our 401(k) retirement savings plan includes company matching contributions (60% match on the first 6% of base and bonus deferrals) as well as a 3% enhanced retirement contribution that does not require an employee contribution.
• We recognize the importance of work-life integration and offer flexible work schedules and hybrid work from home options (for most positions), along with a minimum of three weeks paid vacation, five paid personal days, 11 paid holidays and paid sick leave each year.
• We provide a comprehensive employee development program which provides career planning tools and resources, mentoring program, leadership development, training programs, and an 80% tuition reimbursement.