Probate and Trust Administration Paralegal

Overview

This role supports estate administration and legal document preparation as a Probate and Trust Administration Paralegal. The organization is seeking a Philippine law school graduate with excellent English skills, strong attention to detail, and experience drafting and proofreading legal documents. Probate or estate planning experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Review documents, email, and other communications for accuracy and completeness
• Attend weekly team meetings and trainings via Teams and Zoom
• Support the Probate Team with administrative tasks, including client communication by email or texting as needed
• Assist with scheduling appointments with clients, including sending reminders and following up on unscheduled appointments or rescheduling
• Maintain organized electronic client files
• Update client information in the firm’s management database (Actionstep)
• Monitor progress of assignments and bring conflicts to the attention of the responsible paralegal or attorney
• Ensure efficient and effective use of software; identify training needs, arrange training, identify system problems, and work with the System Administrator to find solutions
• Use computers and appropriate software to perform tasks efficiently and according to best practices
• Participate in training programs to learn and incorporate new computer skills and operational methods as required
• Use equipment and software carefully and remain alert to cybersecurity threats
• Review upcoming calendars to plan for deadlines
• Track status of matters and flag stalled or incomplete items
• Send text reminders to clients using the firm’s software
• Draft estate administration documents, including:
  • Authorizations and Releases
  • Affidavits of Trust
  • Letters of Instruction to Financial Institutions
  • Customize closing letters for the estate administration portfolios
• Conduct internet searches to obtain deeds for real property or contact information for financial institutions
• Potentially interpret bank statements to create preliminary asset schedules for assets under administration
• Communicate effectively with other Probate Team members
• Assist with the development of templates for estate administration documents

Requirements

Must-Have

• Excellent attention to detail
• Prior experience drafting and proofreading legal documents and using drafting templates is essential
• Expert knowledge of English grammar and punctuation
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Experience using Microsoft Word
• Strong writing skills and good communication; will use Microsoft Outlook email/Microsoft Teams/Zoom to communicate with the team (familiarity with American culture and customs is a plus)
• Self-starter who can work independently, prioritize tasks, and problem solve
• Must be an attorney in the Philippines; bar exam passage is okay if not completed, but successful graduation from law school is required
• Strict confidentiality while handling personal and financial information from clients

Preferred Qualifications

• Three years of experience as a paralegal, preferably within Estate Planning or Probate
• Experience drafting and reviewing wills, trusts, deeds, and entities
• Experience using HotDocs or similar software, WealthCounsel templates, Westlaw Form Builder or similar software

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary Range: PHP 45,000 - PHP 54,000 (depending on experience)

Location

• Work Setup: Work-from-home in the Philippines
• Work Schedule: 40 hours per week with an expectation of 3:00 PM to 12:00 AM (which correlates to 2:00 AM – 11:00 AM in the US on CDT)