The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.
Assists the Midwestern Resource Office (MRO) legal staff in providing legal services to operating units in eleven states within the U.S. Central Division. Provides paralegal, data entry and administrative services to the MRO legal staff. Coordinates the project review and approval process, coordinates and assists with the completion of real estate transactions, coordinates review of contracts and grants, and maintains accurate electronic and manual records for assigned states and projects. Responsible for legal document drafting and review, data entry in legal department database, financial information posted to Conservancy’s general ledger, reports and other administrative work of the legal department. Assists attorneys with work on legal practice teams and Conservancy programs and initiatives. This position requires contact and good working relationships with all levels of state operating unit staff, attorneys, government officials and members of the public. The Paralegal works with a team consisting of six attorneys, four paralegals, one data manager, an administrative assistant and an executive assistant. This position is supervised by a Senior Attorney and may supervise volunteers and administrative staff.
Duties Include:
Coordinate project review and approval process for assigned operating units.
Ensure timely receipt of project packages.
Review project packages for accuracy and compliance with policies and procedures and edit as appropriate.
Ensure timely review and approval by appropriate staff and Board of Directors.
Assist operating unit staff with all aspects of project package preparation.
Coordinate completion of real estate transactions for assigned operating units.
Locate escrow agents, order and review title insurance commitments, obtain information or documents needed for closing, draft closing instructions and documents
Monitor real estate closings and coordinate resolution of any problems.
Obtain and review final documents for accuracy and/or compliance with closing instructions.
Enter transactional data into legal department database.
Draft and review documents and monitor real estate transactions with regard to the management of Conservancy- managed property.
Distribute legal documents to operating units and Worldwide Office as needed.
Maintain accurate electronic records and manual files for projects, land transactions and non-real estate contracts.
Process cash receipts, arrange payment of bills incurred by the legal department and provide financial information related to Conservancy real estate projects to the Conservancy’s Finance department, often using specialized software programs.
Compose, edit and distribute routine correspondence.
Maintain effective organizational and tickler systems for all projects.
Provide backup as needed for other paralegals and the legal administrative assistant.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree in paralegal or legal assistant studies plus 2 years of combined legal and administrative experience OR equivalent qualifications acquired through coursework and/or related job experience.
