Administrative Staff & Paralegals

To apply for a staff or paralegal position at Barack Ferrazzano, please submit your resume in Word format to (unless otherwise stated): careers@bfkn.com

Open Positions

Project Assistant

Our Chicago Real Estate Group is looking for an enthusiastic, smart, technology savvy person to help with a variety of administrative tasks.

Roles & Responsibilities 

• Manage timelines.
• Organize files.
• Review documents for deadlines and create outlines for same.
• Prepare or review closing statements.
• Prepare closing binders.
• May assist with mailings and other administrative tasks.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required

• The ideal candidate is a college graduate with a strong interest in the legal profession.
• Experience in a professional setting.
• Must be organized and highly detail oriented with the ability to multi-task.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills are necessary with the ability to interact professionally with staff, attorneys, clients, and vendors. The successful candidate must be able to work independently as well as with a team.
• Technical skills are required, particularly with Word, Excel, Outlook, and an interest in learning new software programs as necessary.

Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Time & Billing Assistant

This position will assist the Billing Manager, attorneys and their assistants with all Billing-related requests.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Process edits and transfers to pre-bills as directed by billing attorneys keeping within the department and Firm standard turnaround time
• Ensure time and disbursement entries on invoices are in accordance with client guidelines
• Generate bills, reprint corrected pre-bills
• Research and reconcile expense receipts for electronically billed clients
• Transmit invoices through EHUB or third-party platforms
• Monitor the third-party electronic billing system for potential rejection of previously submitted bills and revise as needed

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Required:

• At least 2 years relevant experience
• Previous law firm experience
• Proficiency in MS Word and Excel
• Experience with Aderant time and ebillingHUB preferred
• Strong data entry, typing and proofreading skills
• Good organization skills
• Must be highly detail-oriented with the ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to think independently and work under tight deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Customer service oriented with the ability to professionally collaborate with others

Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Litigation Support Specialist

Work and consult with attorneys and staff on eDiscovery/document review matters, and case automation needs. The ideal candidate for this position will have strong technical and project management skills. The candidate should be able to lead the practice support aspects of electronic document review projects with little to no supervision and will have extensive experience with a variety of electronic document processing and review tools available in the market today.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Responsibilities include but are not limited to: the support of legal systems, applications and processes which provide service and information to attorneys (including database, spreadsheet, transcript, and document image programs), eDiscovery planning and implementation, and document review team support.
• Have ongoing project oversight and support duties, including providing advice/counsel to case teams regarding all technical aspects of executing electronic document reviews, quality control of forensic vendors' work-product, performing data manipulation when needed to operate with existing Firm applications, troubleshooting litigation support applications and databases, creating training materials, and providing training to case teams.
• Responsible for extensive supervision and management of practice support resources, including, but not limited to: providing guidance to attorneys and paralegals regarding best practices for providing litigation support services; evaluating outside forensic vendors and eDiscovery technologies and proposing recommendations regarding same to appropriate practice groups; coordinating with IT to ensure support for, and integrity of, client hosted data maintained on Firm’s computer network as well as in the cloud; and attending office and firm-wide management and/or administrative meetings of concern as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Occasional travel required.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

•  3-5+ years of law firm, eDiscovery vendor, or in-house counsel/practice support experience, with a strong emphasis on litigation. At least two years must be specific to manipulating data and running productions as a Technical/Data Analyst.
• Relativity Server experience required and RelativityOne experience is a plus.
• Should have an excellent understanding of law firm economics and analytics.
• Experience as a Project Manager at a reputable and nationally recognized eDiscovery service provider is a plus.
• In depth understanding of the litigation life cycle, EDRM (Electronic Discovery Reference Model), and eDiscovery/document review processes, procedures and practices.
• Knowledge and experience with technology-assisted review workflows are a plus.
• Experience with SQL and MS Access is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment under strict deadlines, effectively manage multiple responsibilities, and meet budget and deadline demands.
• Familiarity with trial presentation software, PowerPoint or similar presentation software is preferred.
• On-site or remote trial experience is a plus.
• Candidates must be available to work overtime.
• Consistent and predictable attendance.
• A Bachelor’s degree is required, preferably in information technology.
• A Law Degree is a plus.

Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Position: IP Trademark Paralegal 3-5 Years exp.

Location: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Summary: BFKN is looking for an experienced IP Trademark Paralegal to assist our attorneys in our dynamic IP practice.

Our growing IP group has extensive experience in all facets of trademark practice, including counseling, clearance, licensing, prosecution, business transactions involving intellectual property, maintenance, enforcement and litigation. We represent clients in a broad range of industries, including fashion, cosmetics, motor vehicle, manufacturing, technology, health care, food and beverage, real estate, and financial services.

Qualifications & Experience:

The ideal candidate will possess 3-5 years of experience in the trademark area of intellectual property with the following experience:

1. Conducting preliminary U.S. and international searches
2. Making U.S. trademark filings
3. Coordinating international trademark filings
4. Preparing responses to U.S. Office Actions
5. Corresponding with foreign associates regarding foreign Office Actions
6. Drafting correspondence to clients and foreign associates
7. Recording worldwide assignments and other ownership updates. 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

1. Minimum of 3-5 years on the job experience as an IP paralegal, ideally in a law firm
2. Must be highly organized with superior attention to detail, and a desire to learn and grow
3. Experience conducting preliminary trademark searches, preferably via Corsearch’s online platform
4. Must be proficient with relevant IP websites and databases including USPTO and WIPO, preferably Corsearch for searching and trademark watching, as well as experienced with vendors such as Clarivate/CompuMark, Corsearch, etc.
5. Ability to complete electronic filings in the USPTO, including the TTAB, and WIPO
6. Experience analyzing trademark watch notices and managing watch services
7. Experience with trademark docketing software, preferably CPI, including docket entry, searching, and preparing reports a plus
8. Working knowledge of domain name registration and management a plus
9. Experience with social media a plus
10. Must be able to work collaboratively with supervising attorneys and paralegals, as well as other team members
11. Must be proactive and highly organized
12. Must be flexible
13. Excellent communication skills required
14. Must be willing to work overtime

Working Conditions & Physical Effort:

1. Work is normally performed in a typical office work environment
2. Very limited exposure to physical risk

Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Position: IP Trademark Paralegal 10+ Years Exp.

Location: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Summary: BFKN is looking for a highly-experienced IP Trademark Paralegal to assist our attorneys with all aspects of our dynamic IP practice. This position is an integral part of our team.

Our growing IP group has extensive experience in all facets of trademark practice, including counseling, clearance, licensing, prosecution, business transactions involving intellectual property, maintenance, enforcement and litigation. We represent clients in a broad range of industries, including fashion, cosmetics, motor vehicle, manufacturing, technology, health care, food and beverage, real estate, and financial services.

Qualifications & Experience:

The ideal candidate will possess at least 10 years of experience in the trademark area of intellectual property with the ability to independently manage large trademark portfolios, including:

1. Analyzing portfolios to identify potential new application filing recommendations and other issues
2. Structuring and conducting preliminary U.S. and international searches
3. Analyzing and reporting preliminary search results
4. Coordinating U.S. and international full search projects
5. Compiling summaries of search opinions, coordinating U.S. and international trademark filing projects
6. Preparing responses to U.S. Office Actions
7. Working with foreign counsel on all aspects of searching, filing, prosecution, maintenance, disputes, and ownership
8. Drafting correspondence to clients including summaries of issues, recommendations, risk assessments
9. Preparing and recording worldwide assignments and other post-transaction closing documents impacting trademarks
10. Assisting with U.S. and international oppositions and cancellations. Additional qualifications include experience with domain names, copyrights, social media.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

1. Minimum of 10 years on the job experience as an IP paralegal, ideally in a law firm.
2. Significant domestic and international experience including overall trademark portfolio management, clearance, due diligence, registration, maintenance and enforcement.
3. Ability to independently oversee all aspects of U.S. and foreign trademark prosecution, maintenance and disputes.
4. Ability to manage large, complex, international trademark portfolios.
5. Ability to independently manage assigned docket dates including due date, reminder and follow-up actions in a timely manner.
6. Ability to analyze new and existing portfolios to identify gap filing recommendations, ownership and other issues.
7. Must be highly organized with strong research and analytical skills, and superior attention to detail.
8. Ability to delegate work and supervise such work.
9. Strong preliminary trademark search skills, preferably via Corsearch’s online platform.
10. Experience coordinating international full search and trademark application filing projects, including analyzing each project, providing recommendations, corresponding with clients and foreign counsel, and analyzing and summarizing foreign associate opinions and recommendations.
11. Must be proficient with relevant IP websites and databases including USPTO and WIPO, preferably Corsearch for searching and trademark watching, as well as experienced with vendors such as Clarivate/CompuMark, Corsearch, etc.
12. Ability to complete electronic filings in the USPTO, including the TTAB, and WIPO, and to delegate such filings as appropriate.
13. Familiarity with TTAB rules and procedures.
14. Experience with trademark docketing software, preferably CPI, including docket entry, searching, and preparing reports.
15. Working knowledge of domain name registration and management.
16. Experience analyzing chain of title and updating IP ownership in the U.S. and internationally.
17. Experience analyzing trademark watch notices and managing watch services.
18. Experience with social media a plus.
19. Copyright and design patent experience a plus.
20. Must be able to analyze complex trademark portfolio matters.
21. Must be able to synthesize foreign associate opinions and recommendations into client correspondence.
22. Must be able to work collaboratively with supervising attorneys and other team members.
23. Must be proactive and highly organized.
24. Must be flexible.
25. Excellent communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate with clients.
26. Must be willing to work overtime.

Working Conditions & Physical Effort:

1. Work is normally performed in a typical office work environment.
2. Very limited exposure to physical risk.

Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP is an equal employment opportunity employer.