Legal Assistant

Job Summary

WEC is seeking a Litigation Specialist to provide diligent support to the Legal Services team’s activities.  Primary responsibilities include organizing, scheduling and coordinating a wide variety of work assignments which routinely involve confidential matters and time-sensitive deadlines. The Litigation Specialist is expected to be highly self-motivated and responsive and to both respond to requests for assistance from Legal Services team members, and to proactively monitor and ensure timely response to matters that come in to the organization to the Litigation Specialist’s attention directly.  

The position will offer the right candidate a dynamic role as a key contributor to the Legal Services team, and interaction with departments across the organization as well as with external contacts. The ideal applicant will be an experienced and enthusiastic self-starter who is customer-focused, has strong interpersonal skills, is familiar with legal and/or regulatory documents and proceedings, and prioritizes attention to detail and timely response.

Job Responsibilities

• Reviews, analyzes and coordinates responses to subpoenas, complaints, and other legal actions.
• Assists in the development and maintenance of on-line document repositories, reports and tools including the quarterly litigation report.
• Coordinates updates to, maintains, ensures accuracy and appropriate confidentiality of, and distributes spreadsheets and other databases tracking legal matters and associated accounting or other data. Coordinates information gathering by legal and business unit team members involved in various legal actions.
• Provides document support to attorneys, including word processing and spreadsheet support for correspondence, legal proceedings, and budgeting functions. Support would also include document version management, editing, using compare software and performing other functions to support Legal Services team attorneys.
• Creates and sends timely forms to comply with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Analyzes and verifies accuracy of information to determine if legal action is appropriate and if or when a response may be required.
• Assists in the preparation of materials for hearings, negotiations and regulatory proceedings.
• Provides timely and accurate information and status updates to project sponsors, end users and management.
• Reviews, audits and/or organizes and submits summaries of vendor and agency bills, including external attorneys, Westlaw and other subscription services, consultants, experts and other vendors retained by or on behalf of Legal Services.
• Oversees and coordinates work performed by outside contractors and vendors when appropriate and requested.
• Assists in the investigation and response to governmental agency and executive complaints, customer disputes and subpoena requests from various legal and governmental agencies, entities or individuals.
• Maintains legal team files, ensures judgment liens are docketed with the court, and responds to escalated customer and supervisor calls.
• Performs administrative functions including processing expenses, procurement of office supplies, meeting coordination and scheduling, periodic reporting of data, mail handling, processing invoices and requesting and dispatching checks.
• Provides back up support to the team’s Executive Assistant, as needed. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate degree in Business, Finance, Paralegal or related field with a minimum of three years of work experience in a legal environment or similar field.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and a wide variety of assignments with tight deadlines.  
• Experience in the appropriate handling of discreet and highly confidential matters.  
• Demonstrated ability to analyze records.
• Strong organizational, communication and conflict management skills; strong writing skills.
• Ability to work closely with internal attorneys and outside counsel, as well as all business units.
• Demonstrated ability to perform tasks in a timely manner with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.  

Preferred Qualifications

• Additional familiarity with legal process, courtroom proceedings and regulatory proceedings, as well as experience with corporate transactions, is desirable.