Paralegal - Houston, United States - Orion Group Holdings

Description

POSITION SUMMARY
The primary purpose of the Paralegal is to assist the Legal Department with legal services across the organization.

The Paralegal will support, monitor and maintain legal documents in support of Company operation with respect to claims and disputes, and with respect to qualifications and compliance with federal, state and local regulations for the organization's conduct of domestic and international business activities, including licenses and qualifying parties.

The Paralegal will be responsible for proactively maintaining and organizing entity electronic documentation. The Paralegal will be responsible for the records management policy implementation.


POSITION LOCATION

The Paralegal will be expected to work primarily onsite at our corporate headquarters office location, particularly during the onboarding and training period which may last a few months.

Upon completion of onboarding and training, the Paralegal may be eligible for a flexible work schedule, as determined by the department's needs and in consultation with leadership.

Flexibility to adjust work hours or work remotely may be required based on project deadlines, team collaboration needs, or other business requirements.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prepares, submits, and maintains Contractor licenses for all entities, and supports subsidiary efforts with respect to Qualified Party registration, if available to assist with specific requests.
• Maintain Legal Department Contract Files and Claims and Dispute Files; organizes and files all electronic and hand-signed contract originals for all entities.
• Performs legal and compliance research for example, personal information search on a party, litigation record, primary materials, secondary materials, or other information as needed.
• Works efficiently and effectively in an electronic environment to automate documents for use in electronic contracting and other project-related communications; maintains associated corporate electronic files and electronic calendars; coordinates job-associated electronic document workflow within the department and among stakeholders.
• Creates, refines, organizes "templates" that populate automated documents for clarity and ease of use by self-serve users of the resulting electronically automated documents. Integrates organizational workflow into document electronic review, approval, execution and distribution.
• Maintain Claims and Dispute Calendar. Create, maintain, monitor, update and provide Attorneys, AGC, and GC with read/write access to an Outlook Calendar called Claims and Dispute Calendar.

Attorneys will generally provide the dates to be posted, but Paralegal may determine and post same; however, all posting initiate by the Paralegal alone shall be highlighted for review by the Attorneys, which include, but are not limited to the following:

• Any filing suspense with any Arbitrator or Court,
• Any deadline for submission of claims whose value exceeds $100,000,
• Any response deadlines to Discovery, Production Requests, Admissions, Stipulations, or Interrogatories,
• Any dispute or motion hearing,
• Any deadline for an Owner/Client/Agency decision on any submitted claim,
• Any deadline for the appeal of any claim decision or court ruling; and
• Any date or as directed by the GC, AGC, or Company attorney.
• Contributes to strategic planning initiatives including planning and assist with implementation of various information and/or administrative systems.
• All employees, current and former, must maintain confidentiality by not disclosing to others any confidential, proprietary or trade secret information belonging to the Company.
• Responsible and accountable for incumbent's own personal safety.
• Responsible and accountable for the safety of all co-workers and any others with whom incumbent comes in contact.
• Authorized and obligated to stop work on any task or series of tasks whenever an unsafe condition or situation is anticipated or is observed.
• Complies with all applicable laws, regulations and Company policies and procedures, and is subject to appropriate disciplinary action (including dismissal) for failure to do so.
• Reports any and all violations of applicable laws, regulations or Company policies and procedures promptly, and is subject to appropriate disciplinary action (including dismissal) for failure to do so.
• Performs other related administrative and technical duties as may be assigned or requested by AGC or GC (such as certification training, safety training, procedure review, and similar).

POSITION COMPENTENCIES

• Business Acumen (Business Awareness, Knowledge): Showcases knowledgeable and understanding of business operations and functions, and the ability to align goals to support the business.
• Change Management (Change Readiness, Conflict Management): Demonstrates support for innovation to improve effectiveness; Initiate, sponsor, and implement organizational change.
• Collaboration (Relationships, Team Interface): Establishes constructive relationship with clients and other work units to meet mutual goals and objectives of the company.
• Communication (Verbal, Written): Utilizes verbal and written communication skills to express oneself clearly in conversations and interactions with others.
• Managing Work (Initiative, Productivity, Results Orientation): Shows ability to plan, schedule, direct work of self and others, and provide follow up to insure quality standards.
• Problem Solving (Analytical, Creative): Makes sound, well-informed and objective decisions.
• Safety Orientation (Safe Work Philosophy): Demonstrates responsibility and accountability for their own personal safety and the safety of co-workers and others; applies safe work practices in the performance of assigned tasks.

JOB SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES

• Work Standards: Sets high standards and well-defined goals; displays high level of effort and commitment towards completing assignments with minimal supervision.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor's degree (strongly preferred) or equivalent experience. Paralegal certificate from ABA approved school preferred.

At least three (3) and preferably five (5) or more years of experience performing Legal Administration functions or equivalent Office Administration of a contract or legal nature in a predominantly "electronic environment".

The incumbent must have strong computer proficiency with a solid working knowledge of electronic contracting systems (Thomson Reuters Contract Express software and associated platforms strongly preferred) and superior skill with Microsoft Word, Adobe, Excel, Access, Outlook, and PowerPoint, and be able to word process at least 60 WPM.

Experience creating and managing computer databases of documents in Outlook and other applications is important.

In addition, desired traits and skills include:
good organizational skills and the ability to move seamlessly from project-to-project or task-to-task, as requirements dictate.

Sound discretion and trustworthiness, and the ability to keep all Company information and materials strictly confidential (both internally and externally) are essential elements of this position.

Must be diligent, able to work effectively with minimal supervision and independently able to identify work to be done. Must be flexible and have the ability to adjust to sudden changes in work priorities. The incumbent must also have the ability to prioritize work generally and in order to accommodate those changes. Attention to detail and extreme care in performing tasks accurately and carefully are also essential.

The incumbent must support the guiding beliefs and core values of the parent organization, Orion Group Holdings, Inc., which apply to all subsidiaries and affiliates and are centered on Quality, Safety and Production (each of equal weight and importance) but, most importantly, with each built upon the all-important foundation of Integrity.

The incumbent must participate in all compliance-related training and adhere to company policies and procedures.

The Company expects and requires incumbent and each of its other employees to observe and fulfill the above and all other safety responsibilities and actively work toward maintaining a safe workplace.

Failure to do so can result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.


PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
The incumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable workplace accommodation.

The individual must also be able to wear and properly utilize appropriate personal protective equipment if required to work or visit the jobsite.

This may include hard hat, safety glasses, respirators, ear plugs, steel-toed shoes, personal flotation devices, or other equipment as required by the work performed and location the work is being done.

The incumbent must possess the ability to remain calm during emergencies and respond appropriately as dictated by the circumstance of the incident and as directed by the Safety Representative or other management personnel.

Must be capable of evacuating the work area in a timely manner should an emergency situation arise.

Light physical requirements are occasionally involved including lifting objects that may weigh up to 10 lbs.