Senior Florida Family Law Paralegal
hace 1 día
Orlando
Job Description Location: Tampa, Florida — Remote Schedule: Full-time, Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Experience Level: Senior Employment Classification: To be determined based on the selected candidate We are hiring for a client seeking an experienced Senior Florida Family Law Paralegal to become the primary paralegal supporting the managing attorney of a growing Florida law firm. This is not an entry-level or primarily administrative position. The firm needs a seasoned family-law paralegal who can take ownership of cases, independently prepare advanced pleadings, respond quickly to urgent matters, and proactively move cases forward without waiting for the attorney to request every update or next step. The right candidate should be able to receive a call regarding an urgent family-law situation, identify the required procedural response, and promptly prepare a strong first draft for attorney review. About the Firm The firm primarily represents clients in Florida family-law matters, with a strong commitment to protecting children and helping families navigate difficult transitions. Its matters include: • Divorce and dissolution of marriage, • Contested and uncontested family-law cases, • Child custody and timesharing, • Emergency and expedited family-law matters, • Parenting plans, • Marital settlement agreements, • Child support and alimony, • Paternity, • Relocation, • Supplemental petitions for modification, • Contempt and enforcement, • Domestic violence injunctions, • Dependency and child-advocacy matters, • Adoption, • Prenuptial agreements, • Family-law appeals, • Special education, IEP, and Section 504 matters The firm values professionalism, responsiveness, compassion, accuracy, ethical judgment, and proactive client service. Primary Responsibilities The Senior Family Law Paralegal will be expected to: • Serve as the managing attorney’s primary paralegal and remain accessible during the agreed-upon working hours., • Take ownership of assigned matters from intake through settlement, final judgment, trial, or post-judgment proceedings., • Proactively track every case and push important information, deadlines, risks, and recommendations to the attorney., • Independently draft advanced Florida family-law pleadings with minimal attorney revision., • Draft emergency and expedited motions, including emergency motions to suspend timesharing when supported by the facts., • Draft initial and supplemental petitions, including supplemental petitions to modify timesharing, parenting plans, child support, or other relief., • Draft petitions, answers, counterpetitions, motions, responses, notices, affidavits, proposed orders, and final judgments., • Prepare parenting plans and marital settlement agreements., • Prepare financial affidavits, Child Support Guidelines Worksheets, mandatory disclosure documents, and related financial schedules., • Draft and respond to interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admissions, subpoenas, motions to compel, discovery objections, and deficiency correspondence., • Review financial records, bank statements, business records, tax returns, income documentation, and other supporting evidence., • Identify urgent situations and distinguish between emergency, expedited, and standard family-law relief., • Prepare cases for mediations, depositions, evidentiary hearings, and trials., • Prepare hearing binders, trial notebooks, exhibits, witness lists, evidence summaries, timelines, and attorney preparation materials., • Monitor court deadlines, discovery deadlines, hearings, mediations, and follow-up obligations., • Coordinate professionally with clients, opposing counsel, judicial assistants, mediators, guardians ad litem, experts, and court personnel., • Electronically file pleadings through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal., • Maintain accurate, organized, and current electronic case files., • Enter and track time accurately, including when matters are handled on a flat-fee basis., • Develop or improve workflows, templates, checklists, and case-management procedures., • Help the firm increase its capacity without sacrificing accuracy, responsiveness, or client service., • Maintain strict confidentiality and remain within appropriate paralegal ethical boundaries, including never providing independent legal advice.Required Qualifications, • Minimum of five years of recent, substantive Florida family-law paralegal experience., • Current Florida residency., • Significant experience with contested Florida family-law matters., • Demonstrated experience independently drafting substantive family-law pleadings., • Prior experience drafting emergency or expedited family-law motions., • Experience drafting parenting plans and marital settlement agreements., • Experience preparing supplemental petitions for modification., • Strong working knowledge of the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure and applicable filing practices., • Experience managing cases through mediation, hearings, settlement, trial preparation, or post-judgment proceedings., • Strong legal writing, proofreading, and document-organization skills., • Ability to prioritize emergencies, court deadlines, and multiple active litigation matters., • Ability to remain consistently accessible Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., • Ability to work independently while keeping the attorney fully informed., • Professional and compassionate communication with clients experiencing stressful family circumstances., • Strong judgment regarding confidentiality, ethics, and the prohibition against providing legal advice.Who Will Excel in This Position The ideal candidate: • Understands Florida family-law procedure at a senior level., • Can quickly determine what needs to be drafted when an urgent client situation arises., • Takes responsibility for moving cases forward., • Anticipates the attorney’s needs rather than waiting for instructions., • Provides proactive updates so the attorney does not have to chase information., • Can explain what is pending, what is urgent, and what should happen next on every assigned matter., • Produces strong first drafts with minimal supervision., • Responds promptly when the attorney calls or sends an urgent request during working hours., • Remains calm and organized when priorities suddenly change., • Understands that the attorney makes legal decisions and that a paralegal must not provide legal advice., • Wants to help build efficient systems within a growing law firm., • Treats clients, children, attorneys, and court personnel with empathy and professionalism. 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