Paralegal/Client Liaison - Sojourner, Caughman & Thomas, LLC

Job Summary

Our well-established, fast-paced, boutique trust and estates firm seeks an administrative assistant and/or client liaison and/or paralegal for an in-office (not remote) position in Columbia.

Our firm strives to provide premier estate planning, probate, trust administration and other related legal services for business owners, landowners, physicians, professionals, and other high net worth individuals and families throughout South Carolina.

The job requires little experience, but excellent interpersonal skills and attention to detail. This is a substantive paralegal/client liaison position. It offers not only a thorough and precise grounding in administrative and paralegal work, but also an in-depth familiarity with our clients, a close-knit interactive relationship with coworkers, and experience with communication directly with clients and other professionals (lawyers, CPAs, appraisers, financial professionals, Probate Court and Clerk of Court staff). The job will evolve to match the skills you bring to it. This role requires strong communication, follow-through, organization, and a heart to serve.

We seek applicants who are quick learners, have an extremely high level of attention to detail and precision, who can catalogue, organize, and retrieve information quickly, who can work independently but also can work as part of a team, who have a good sense of humor, an instinct for family dynamics, and those who know how to read between the lines when communicating. Helpful traits include being resourceful, computer-literate, disciplined, patient, tenacious, witty, confident, self-motivated, innovative, curious, highly confidential and discreet, being receptive to feedback, sensitive to client needs, and having high emotional intelligence.

A college degree is preferred; any major is acceptable; background in law, English, economics, accounting, bookkeeping, finance, language, customer service, computer science, or psychology may give you an advantage. Appropriate work experience can substitute for a college degree. Paralegal experience or training, or experience in tax, trust and estates is a plus, but is not required.

The position also requires:

- Excellent organizational, communication, analytical and critical thinking skills

- Excellent attention to detail

- Self motivated, results-driven and like connecting with people.

- Ability to work independently, plan and take the initiative to accomplish objectives in a timely manner

- Ability to manage projects and handle multiple competing priorities

- Ability to communicate efficiently and in an easy-to-understand manner

- Strong interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with different groups of people (clients, firm attorneys and staff, other professionals, Court staff), adjusting communication styles to each audience

- The ability to keep client information confidential.

We expect the position will perform the following tasks or be exposed to the following areas:

- Review and print, copy, scan, and index Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Powers of Attorney and other estate planning documents and corporate documents and be responsible for their safekeeping and whereabouts

- Attend estate planning client signing meetings

- Create, review and revise probate and trust administration documents

- Be exposed to and understand real estate title issues and ownership

- Be exposed to and understand investment accounts, business interests, life insurance, tax-deferred accounts, and other property ownership interests

- Be exposed to and understand recommendations made to meet the client’s expressed estate planning objectives including wealth structuring, tax issues, all while considering the client's demographics, behavioral attributes, life events, and their source of wealth

- Assist with all aspects of the administration of estates and trusts

- Handle initial client screenings, managing client referrals and leads, and scheduling. In some ways, it is like being a traffic cop or air traffic controller. However, the work is relationship-building with clients. The kind of role where your words matter, follow up creates opportunities and ensures completion of matters.

- File documents with the Probate Court, Register of Deeds, Secretary of State, and IRS

- Communicate (in-person, by telephone and in writing) with clients to obtain information required for probate and estate administration; communication with banks, businesses, insurance companies, brokerage firms, and others to collect asset information or information to collect assets and/or liquidate assets.

- Serve as “air traffic control” for lawyers and their schedules to keep calendars aligned and matters progressing.

- Other responsibilities as clients and firm need dictate. It’s flexible work, but we need someone who can own it. if this sounds like you, or someone amazing that you know, please apply!

Background check and credit check required

Full-time candidates are preferred, but part-time candidates will be considered. Full-time employees are benefits eligible.

Reply with the following (Cover Letter, Resume and Salary Requirements) to kjohnson@sctlawfirm.com