Executive Legal Assistant / Office Administrator

PUGNO TRUST & ESTATES, P.C.

Fair Oaks, CA Job Details Part-time | Full-time $26 - $30 an hour 3 hours ago Benefits Profit sharing Paid holidays Health insurance 401(k) Paid time off Vision insurance 401(k) matching Paid sick time Qualifications Microsoft Word Spanish Customer communication Microsoft Outlook Executive administrative support English Legal administrative experience Law office experience Full Job Description About the Position Pugno Trust is an established solo law practice (22+ years) in Fair Oaks focusing on estate planning, trust administration, probate, and related matters. We are seeking an experienced Executive Legal Assistant / Office Administrator to work directly with the attorney and take primary responsibility for the day-to-day administrative operation of the office. This is not primarily a paralegal position. Although the position includes substantial legal-assistant responsibilities, we are particularly interested in someone who is exceptionally organized, takes initiative, anticipates needs, follows matters through to completion, and is comfortable taking ownership of the attorney's calendar, communications, administrative needs, and the operation of a small professional office. The successful candidate will become the principal administrative and client-service person in the office and will have substantial independence. The attorney is periodically out of the office, so we need someone who can keep the office organized and functioning without requiring constant direction. Our clients include many older adults, retirees, trustees, executors, and families dealing with the death of a loved one. Patience, professionalism, judgment, and excellent client communication are therefore particularly important. Schedule This is a regular 32-hour-per-week, in-office position :

Monday-Thursday:

8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Lunch:

12:00-12:30 p.m. unpaid

Friday:

9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. There is no evening or weekend work, and Friday afternoons are off. The position is based at our Fair Oaks office and requires reliable in-person attendance. Executive and Administrative Support A major part of this position is helping the attorney stay organized, focused, and productive.

Responsibilities include:

Managing the attorney's calendar, appointments, deadlines, and schedule. Scheduling and confirming client meetings, telephone calls, professional appointments, and other commitments. Coordinating travel arrangements and related scheduling. Anticipating scheduling conflicts and administrative needs and resolving them whenever possible. Monitoring tasks and commitments and following up to make sure things do not fall through the cracks. Organizing information and materials the attorney will need for meetings, appointments, travel, and other commitments. Helping prioritize incoming communications and identifying matters requiring the attorney's attention. Handling routine administrative matters independently rather than simply forwarding every question to the attorney. Keeping the attorney informed of matters requiring attention without creating unnecessary interruptions. Taking ownership of assignments and following them through to completion. Client Service and Office Administration The person in this position will also serve as the principal administrative contact for many clients and will help keep the office operating smoothly.

Responsibilities include:

Answering and returning telephone calls and responding to routine client communications. Greeting clients and other visitors. Receiving documents, payments, mail, deliveries, and other materials. Reviewing files to respond to routine administrative status inquiries. Determining what information or documents are outstanding and following up to obtain them. Identifying questions that require attorney attention and making sure they are followed through. Managing the office calendar and scheduling. Maintaining organized electronic and physical client files. Opening and maintaining new matters. Scanning, saving, organizing, and distributing documents. Maintaining task lists and following up on outstanding items. Preparing invoices, receiving payments, and assisting with basic billing and administrative records. Coordinating as necessary with courts, financial institutions, title companies, accountants, fiduciaries, and other professionals. Keeping the office functioning and responsive when the attorney is away from the office.

New-Client Intake Responsibilities include:

Receiving and responding to prospective-client inquiries. Gathering basic information regarding potential new matters. Conducting preliminary intake and collecting information needed for conflict checking. Explaining consultation procedures and scheduling consultations. Sending and following up on intake forms and questionnaires. Helping screen inquiries according to established office procedures. Maintaining prospective-client information and following up as appropriate. Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Administration Support The position also includes traditional legal-assistant responsibilities, including: Assisting with the administrative workflow for estate-planning matters. Sending and following up on estate-planning questionnaires and requests for information. Organizing information concerning clients, beneficiaries, assets, and estate-planning documents. Preparing files and materials for client meetings and estate-plan signings. Coordinating execution of documents, including witnesses and notaries when necessary. Scanning, organizing, saving, and distributing executed documents. Assisting with probate and post-death trust-administration workflows. Maintaining checklists, deadlines, and follow-up items. Obtaining death certificates, asset information, statements, and other necessary records. Preparing routine correspondence, forms, and documents for attorney review. Communicating with clients and third parties regarding routine administrative matters. Helping ensure that matters continue moving forward and that outstanding items are followed up on. Prior estate-planning, probate, trust-administration, or elder-law experience is particularly valuable, but we are willing to train the right experienced legal-office professional in our specific practice areas. The Person We Are Looking For We are looking for someone who takes ownership rather than simply passes messages or waits for instructions. For example, when a client calls asking for the status of a matter, the ideal candidate does not merely write down the client's telephone number and place a message on the attorney's desk. Instead, the candidate reviews the file, determines what has occurred and what remains outstanding, answers routine administrative questions when appropriate, obtains any missing information, identifies anything requiring attorney attention, and makes sure the matter is followed through. Similarly, when the attorney has a busy schedule or upcoming travel, the successful candidate looks ahead, identifies conflicts and administrative needs, organizes the schedule and necessary arrangements, and helps make sure the attorney has what is needed without having to personally manage every detail. The position is likely to be a good fit for someone who enjoys being the person who keeps things organized, solves administrative problems, follows up, and makes sure things get done.

Qualifications Strongly preferred:

At least 3 years of experience working in a law office or comparable professional office. Significant experience with scheduling, calendar management, client or customer communications, and day-to-day office administration. Experience supporting an attorney, executive, business owner, or other professional with substantial scheduling and administrative demands. Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. Strong follow-through and the ability to keep track of multiple outstanding matters. Excellent telephone and client-service skills. Strong written English, grammar, proofreading, and professional communication skills. Good judgment regarding what can be handled independently and what requires attorney attention. Ability to work independently without constant supervision. Patience and professionalism in working with elderly clients and people dealing with sensitive family circumstances. Discretion and respect for confidential information. Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat/PDF documents, and ordinary office technology. Reliable attendance and punctuality.

Helpful but not required:

Estate planning, probate, trust administration, elder law, or related legal experience. Experience with law-practice management, billing, or document-management software. California Notary Public commission. Paralegal certificate or other legal education. A paralegal certificate is not required. Practical experience, judgment, initiative, organization, reliability, and client-service ability are more important to us than credentials alone. Compensation and Benefits $26-$30 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications.

Benefits include:

Employer payment of 50% of the employee premium for our Sutter Health Gold HMO group medical plan. Vision insurance. Automatic employer contribution equal to 3% of compensation to the employee's 401(k). Paid vacation increasing with length of service. Paid sick leave. Six paid holidays. Consistent 32-hour workweek. Friday afternoons off. No evening or weekend work. How to Apply Please submit your resume and briefly answer the following questions: How many years have you worked in a law office or comparable professional office, and what types of work did the office perform? Please describe any experience you have supporting an attorney, executive, business owner, or other professional with calendar management, scheduling, travel, communications, or other administrative responsibilities. Please describe any experience you have with estate planning, probate, trust administration, or related legal work. Please describe your experience communicating directly with clients or customers and helping manage the day-to-day operation of an office. We are particularly interested in candidates who can provide examples of situations in which they independently identified what needed to be done and took responsibility for getting it done.

Pay:

$26.00 - $30.00 per hour Expected hours: 32.0 per week

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Health insurance Paid sick time Paid time off Profit sharing Vision insurance Application Question(s): Please briefly describe your experience managing calendars, appointments, scheduling, and travel arrangements. Please describe any experience you have with estate planning, probate, trust administration, or elder law.

Experience:

law office: 3 years (Preferred) supporting an attorney, executive, or other professional: 2 years (Preferred)

Language:

English (Required) Spanish (Preferred)

Work Location:

In person