Paralegal

Job description

A&O Shearman is a global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in US law, English law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.
We offer exceptional opportunities for our people—opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.
Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimize your wellbeing.
What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.

Department purpose and structure
Our U.S. capital markets group advise across debt and equity capital markets products, from investment grade and high yield debt offerings to IPOs, follow-ons, and at-the-market offerings, among others. We also have a robust public company practice, offering sophisticated and dedicated securities law and corporate governance advice to U.S. domestic companies and foreign private issuers.
Combining our top-tier U.S. capabilities with our world-class English and global law capabilities, we are built to support our clients on their most complex domestic and cross-border matters, wherever in the world they arise.
Our capital markets lawyers work hand-in-hand with our m&a, compensation, regulatory, finance, tax, litigation and restructuring teams to develop bespoke solutions that often incorporate precedent-setting financing techniques.

Role purpose
The paralegal supports the practice group by managing key knowledge management systems, overseeing league table submissions and deal tracking processes, and providing research, training, and infrastructure support across the practice. In addition to coordinating knowledge resources and responding to precedent and document requests, the role also performs traditional paralegal functions— performing legal research, assisting with preparing and organizing transaction documentation, coordinating with service providers, and completing post-closing indexing and distribution. The role also prepares U.S.-based audit letters, ensuring timely coordination and appropriate documentation. This hybrid position ensures seamless operational, research, and transactional support for attorneys and practice leadership.

Key relationships

• Capital markets partners and associates
• Senior manager, paralegal and legal support administration
• Practice manager

Job description
Context
This role involves acting as a reliable point of contact as it relates to the capital markets partners and associates. The paralegal support function is crucial to the day-to-day success of the business, and this individual will play an essential part in this model.

Role and responsibilities

• Manages global deal information collection procedures and ensures that precedent transactions are tracked in master deal tracking database and iManage. Communicates directly with attorneys regarding all global capital markets transactions and their related closing set documents.
• Coordinates the debt and equity league table submissions in coordination with the Information Manager for Bloomberg, Refinitiv, Debtwire and LexLatin to ensure that A&O Shearman receives league table credit.
• Works closely with global knowledge management on updates to infrastructure, from iManage database enhancements to capital markets discussion group and foundation updates. Serves as a liaison between knowledge management and the capital markets teams on all such matters.
• Responsible for supporting attorneys through the lifecycle of transactional deals, including precedent searches, drafting documents, consolidating comments from parties involved in transactions, preparing signature packets, and preparing closing deliverables. This also includes managing logistics with EDGAR filing teams and third parties, as well as preparing closing index and closing sets, saving all finalized materials to the appropriate iManage folders, and completing internal and external distribution processes.
• Conducts corporate research, including preparing corporate profiles and press searches and conducting precedent searches. Utilizes tools, such as EDGAR and Intelligize, to identify relevant filings and research market practices.
• Organizes and attends in-person due diligence sessions. This involves coordinating with participating parties, working with reproduction and document services departments to coordinate copies of necessary documents, and attending diligence sessions during opposing counsel’s document reviews.
• Works with partners to structure capital markets team meetings, including outreach and follow up for attorney presentations and coordinating practice specific topics. Coordinates Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programming to support compliance and professional development, including scheduling, logistics, and collaborating with the professional development team on related submissions.
• Collaborates with partners and the group’s practice manager to coordinate capital markets Americas partner meetings and team events.
• Works closely with the group’s practice manager to support on additional administrative tasks, escalating concerns and questions, as needed.
• Prepares U.S.-based audit response letters, ensuring timely communication with attorneys, clients and auditors and proper documentation for annual audit processes.
• Other duties and responsibilities, as assigned.

Team
This position reports directly to the capital markets partners and associates and senior manager, paralegal and legal support administration, and works closely with other members of staff, including, but not limited to, the group’s practice manager and the broader paralegal team.

Key requirements

• Four-year bachelor's degree with strong academic background.
• Highly motivated self-starter.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong proficiency with excel, powerpoint and adobe.
• Excellent attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Ability to analyze information and solve problems.
• Ability to produce high-quality work product under pressure and tight deadlines.
• Ability to accurately follow instructions and prioritize work appropriately.
• Ability to interact professionally with clients and employees at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability to take ownership of tasks and think creatively.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion in a professional manner.
• Flexibility to work outside standard business hours.
• Flexibility to travel as needed.
• Awareness of current events and global affairs.
• Interest in pursuing a legal career.
• Resume, cover letter, and unofficial transcript required as part of application.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and disability
A&O Shearman is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability. Every individual has the right to work in a professional environment that promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all aspects of an individual’s relationship with A&O Shearman, including, without limitation, recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.
If you are vision-impaired or have another disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law and wish to discuss accommodations related to applying for employment at A&O Shearman, please contact US HR Transactions at US-HRTransactions@aoshearman.com or call +1 212 610 6300 and ask for HR Transactions.
This role is open to our New York office. For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity, the estimated annualized base salary range for this position is $60,000-$62,000. The actual base salary offered will depend on the overall qualifications of the individual applicant for the position and other job-related factors permitted by law. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package which includes a discretionary bonus, paid leave, life, health, accident, and disability insurance; and a 401(k) plan.