Commercial Litigation Paralegal
Johnston Clem Gifford
- Dallas, TX
- Permanent
- Full-time
Litigation Support
- Assist attorneys, clients, and colleagues through all phases of litigation: research, drafting, discovery, depositions, motions, trial prep, arbitration, appeal, and post-judgment collection.
- Draft petitions/complaints, initial disclosures, pleadings, motions, stipulations, releases, and dismissal papers.
- Conduct factual investigations; develop timelines of key events/players.
- Coordinate service of process and manage witness/expert scheduling and logistics.
- Prepare briefs (including TOC/TOA), cite-check, and Shepardize.
- Prepare trial notebooks/bench books; attend trial to support counsel (including presentation software), manage exhibits, and take trial notes.
- Maintain appellate timetables; assist with writs of execution/garnishment and post-judgment collection steps.
- Electronically file in state and federal courts, bankruptcy courts, appellate courts, JAMS, and AAA, complying with all local rules and protocols.
- Maintain accurate calendaring of all deadlines and appearances in Clio.
- Maintain matter files in NetDocuments with rigorous version control, metadata, and confidentiality practices.
- Support eDiscovery workflows; review client documents for responsiveness/privilege in designated platforms.
- Timekeeping & Billing Compliance: Record billable time contemporaneously and submit entries daily in accordance with firm policy and client-specific Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs), using correct UTBMS/LEDES codes and compliant narratives.
- Produce clear, well-formatted correspondence and memoranda; uphold firm style, grammar, and formatting conventions.
- eFiling expertise across Texas state and federal courts (bankruptcy and appellate included) with strong command of local rules.
- Hands-on proficiency with Clio (matter/case management) and NetDocuments (DMS).
- Advanced Microsoft Word skills (templates, styles, complex formatting); solid Outlook/Excel/PowerPoint.
- Bachelor’s degree with 5–9 years directly relevant experience (Paralegal Certificate preferred).
- Deep understanding of the litigation life cycle, including MDL and class actions.
- Working knowledge of procedural rules: Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, FRCP, Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and pertinent local rules.
- Ability to draft, proof, and edit with impeccable grammar and attention to detail.
- Strong organization, time management, and prioritization; calm under deadlines and interruptions.
- Discretion, judgment, and confidentiality in all matters.
- Ability to type 60+ WPM from rough draft.
- eDiscovery & research: DISCO, Relativity, Logikcull, Westlaw, Lex Machina.
- Docketing & court tools: PACER/PacerPro, CourtDrive.
- Trial & case tools: TrialDirector (or similar), Case Notebook.
- DMS/HR/Collab/Utilities: iManage (legacy familiarity), Slack, Zoom, Adobe Acrobat Pro, LastPass, Insperity.
- Bankruptcy: Best Case.
- Full-time, on-site in Uptown Dallas; occasional travel via private/public transportation.
- Occasional >40-hour weeks, with evening or weekend work as needed to meet deadlines.
- Operate standard office equipment (computer, photocopiers, scanners, etc.).