WHAT DOES A CORPORATE PARALEGAL DO?

Published: August 27, 2024 – The Corporate Paralegal researches, analyzes, and assists with legal and compliance issues, including drafting and reviewing contracts, pleadings, and other legal documents, and preparing responses to subpoenas. This role includes providing administrative support to the Legal Department, managing regulatory filings, and monitoring compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, the paralegal works with outside counsel on litigation matters, supports policy development, and advises on Privacy and Anti-Money Laundering Programs.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Corporate Paralegal

1. Corporate Paralegal Duties

  • Corporate Bookkeeping: Managing corporate books and periodic filings for a privately held company and its group subsidiaries
  • Insurance Documentation: Manage receipt and handling of insurance certificates and documentation from suppliers, customers, and partners
  • Insurance Notifications: Provide timely notifications and updates to insurance carriers
  • State Licensing: Assisting in the application and maintenance of numerous state licenses for lending and other consumer financial services
  • Billing Platform Administration: Implement and administer a billing platform through which the company’s outside counsel bills for services, and the internal processes
  • Accruals and Payments: Ensuring that proper accruals are taken and approved bills are correctly classified and routed to the company’s payment systems
  • Legal Research Support: Support the team in research of statutes, regulations, judicial/administrative decisions, and administrative agency opinions or no-action
  • Intellectual Property Management: Managing USPTO filings and providers relating to a small portfolio of marks, domains, and patents and assisting with clearance and monitoring
  • Spending Reports: Assisting in creating periodic reports regarding the company’s spending and progress toward the team’s objectives
  • Governmental Submissions: Preparing monthly governmental submissions in conjunction with the NYRA legal department
  • Contract Management: Supporting simulcast department with contract preparation, execution, processing, and distribution to relevant parties
  • Legal Research: Undertaking legal research in a variety of areas, as requested by attorneys

2. Corporate Paralegal Details

  • Paralegal Support: Provide skilled paralegal support to the General Counsel, as well as administrative support
  • File Maintenance: Maintain corporate and trademark files
  • Intellectual Property Support: Work with internal divisions to provide support for intellectual property matters
  • Trademark Liaison: Act as liaison with outside trademark counsel
  • Stock Grants Tracking: Maintain and track records of stock grants for directors in the stock database
  • SEC Filing Management: Maintain EDGAR filing numbers and file SEC reports for Section 16 filers and other SEC filings (8-Ks, S-8s, etc.)
  • Proxy Report Preparation: Prepare reports for use in proxy statements
  • Board Meeting Support: Assist in preparation of board meeting materials, monitoring recurring agenda items and maintenance of board portal, assist in board meeting logistics
  • Shareholder Relations: Assist with the corporate secretarial functions regarding shareholder relations, acting as transfer agent liaison
  • NYSE Maintenance: Maintain the New York Stock Exchange website
  • Audit Updates: Work with General Counsel in requesting and preparing audit update letters
  • Questionnaire Management: Manage the director and officer questionnaire process

3. Corporate Paralegal Responsibilities

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and other legal colleagues to solve problems, build partnerships, and accomplish critical business objectives
  • Contracts Process Support: Assist with the contracts process, including maintaining the Company’s contracts system
  • Contract Negotiation: Drive contract negotiation (Service Agreements, Consulting Agreements, Statements of Work, etc.) and assist with more complex agreements
  • Contract Process Efficiency: Drive increased efficiency, coordination, and effectiveness of contract processes and support to meet the needs of the business and other key stakeholders
  • Contract Playbooks: Develop, implement, and maintain contract playbooks
  • Legal Templates Management: Maintain and update legal templates, policies, and process documents
  • Corporate Policy Manual: Maintain the corporate policy manual
  • Litigation Discovery: Assist in litigation discovery projects
  • Garnishment Monitoring: Monitor garnishments received through the registered agent
  • Contract Management Database: In conjunction with the Finance Department, maintain the contract management database

4. Corporate Paralegal Job Summary

  • Transaction Summaries: Preparing and maintaining transaction summaries and checklists
  • Entity Management: Formation, management, and dissolution of entities and maintaining a corporate record-keeping database
  • Due Diligence Review: Reviewing title and survey on proposed transactions, together with zoning reports and other due diligence items, as well as coordinating with the vendors providing such services
  • Earnest Money Coordination: Coordination of earnest money deposits with escrow agents
  • Closing Document Preparation: Assisting the attorneys with the preparation of closing documents and delivering packages into escrow
  • Closing Binders: Preparing closing binders and maintaining an electronic database of closing and due diligence files
  • Lease and Loan Abstracts: Preparation of lease and loan abstracts
  • Organizational Documentation: Review and preparation of organizational and authority documentation, including authorizing resolutions
  • NDAs and Contracts: Review/file Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and vendor contracts
  • Document Management Protocols: Co-develop and re-enforce company-wide document management protocols in coordination with the company’s other functions
  • Project Oversight: Operate seamlessly within multi-disciplinary task teams and oversee special projects

5. Corporate Paralegal Accountabilities

  • Governance Management: Assist with the management of the corporate governance function
  • SEC Filings: Assist with SEC filings including Section 16 filings, SEC periodic reports, investor communications, and related matters, and maintain a calendar of required filings
  • Board Meeting Support: Assist attorneys with the preparation of materials, logistics, and minute book recordkeeping for all Board of Directors and Committee meetings
  • Governance Records: Maintain corporate governance records and matters related to directors and officers
  • Proxy Statement Management: Project manage all matters related to the proxy statement and annual stockholder meeting
  • Policy Implementation: Assist with oversight and implementation of corporate policies
  • Subsidiary Governance: Manage corporate governance matters for international and domestic subsidiaries, including complying with applicable corporate governance requirements and managing corporate entity records and organizational charts
  • M and A Support: Provide support for mergers and acquisitions and equity investments, including due diligence, agreements, certificates, checklists, and other documents
  • Audit Response: Assist in responding to requests for information and documents from the company’s internal and external auditors, regulators, partners, and other stakeholders
  • Compliance Support: Support compliance matters including corporate policies, conflicts, and related parties, and covered person list for the trading window
  • Legal Operations: Assist in legal operations

6. Corporate Paralegal Functions

  • Document Preparation: Prepare, review, and revise legal documents under the supervision of the Legal Team’s attorneys
  • Filing Management: Prepare and file Annual Reports, Statements of Information, and other required filings in the various jurisdictions in which relevant entities are qualified to do business
  • Secretary of State Updates: Maintain and update Secretaries of State’s files concerning any changes in corporate information, officers, etc.
  • Information Organization: Review, analyze, and organize factual information and documents
  • M and A Due Diligence: Assist with the preparation and review of schedules and due diligence materials related to M and A and other transactions
  • Ancillary Document Preparation: Assist with the preparation of a wide variety of ancillary documents related to M and A and other transactions
  • Legal Onboarding: Assist with legal onboarding and integration of local practices
  • Document Summary: Review and summarize salient points of legal and business documents
  • Business Research: Perform business research (i.e., market background, financial statements/releases, government activities/rulings, etc.)
  • Entity Formation: Form corporate entities and maintain them in good standing
  • Signature Collection: Obtain signatures of corporate executives on important documents
  • Administrative Support: Perform other legal and administrative tasks at the request of the Legal Team’s attorneys

7. Corporate Paralegal Job Description

  • Contract Review: Assist with the contract review process and negotiate and manage non-disclosure agreements and other recurring commercial agreements
  • RFP and RFQ Support: Assist with preparation and response to RFPs and RFQs
  • Government Contracts: Assist with Federal, State, and local government tenders and contracts
  • Contract Database Management: Maintain contract database summarizing key terms of contracts, and maintain contract repository
  • Contract Platform Implementation: Assist in the implementation of the contract management platform
  • Template Maintenance: Maintain a library of company pre-approved contract templates and forms
  • Board Governance: Prepare, maintain, and organize board minutes, resolutions, and consents and assist in corporate governance of global subsidiaries
  • Trademark and Patent Support: Help prepare materials for trademark registration filings and maintain trademark and patent application database
  • M and A Support: Provide support for M and A
  • Document Management: Document management for project finance and debt financing
  • Regulatory and Compliance Support: Provide support for regulatory filings, multi-party correspondence, co-development, and internal enforcement of corporate compliance and monitoring systems
  • Policy Monitoring: Support and monitor the news and policy development

8. Corporate Paralegal Overview

  • Contract Processing: Assisting in processing commercial contracts including review, revision, administration, and producing summaries/abstracts
  • NDA Drafting: Drafting and/or reviewing non-disclosure agreements and other similar agreements
  • Entity Management: Formation and dissolution of entities
  • Document Drafting: Drafting entity formation and organizational documents, including articles of incorporation and fictitious name registration
  • Form Filing: Drafting and filing various federal and state forms
  • Organization Charts: Creation and maintenance of corporate organization charts
  • Acquisition Support: Acquisition support, including assisting with due diligence
  • Records Retention: Supporting corporate records retention and maintenance
  • Litigation Tracking: Assisting in tracking and handling litigation
  • Legal Research: Conducting legal research to guide contract compliance and legal/regulatory requirements
  • General Counsel Support: Providing general assistance and administrative support to the General Counsel

9. Corporate Paralegal Details and Accountabilities

  • Entity Maintenance: Entity maintenance (formation and dissolution and ongoing updates, in onshore and offshore jurisdictions)
  • Governance Document Management: Management and maintenance of all corporate governance documents, including consistency in historical retention
  • Corporate Agent Liaison: Lead relationship with a corporate agent in the relevant jurisdiction for management of domestic notices, good standing, and corporate regulatory filings
  • Entity Standing Coordination: Work across the company departments to ensure the continued good standing of relevant entities
  • Investment Fund Charts: Maintain investment fund structure charts
  • Officer and Director Lists: Maintain officer and director lists for entities, preparation of incumbency or authority certificates, and other relevant documentation for entities
  • Board Meeting Organization: Work with relevant parties to organize necessary board meetings and document governance activities
  • KYC Inquiries: Lead the company process for know-your-customer (KYC) inquiries from counterparties and potential counterparties
  • Trade KYC Compliance: Lead relationship with trading counterparty provider for trade KYC compliance tasks, including setup/backup for the maintenance of the Markit platform, lead for Legal Entity Identifier process, and ISDA protocols
  • Legal E-Billing Management: Day-to-day management of legal e-billing platform
  • Law Firm Billing Contacts: Establish and maintain relationships with key law firm billing contacts
  • Legal Bill Procedures: Establish and follow procedures for receipt of legal bills from third parties and submission and approval of invoices by internal parties

10. Corporate Paralegal Tasks

  • Legal and Compliance Assistance: Research, analyze, and assist Company personnel with legal and compliance issues
  • Document Drafting: Draft and review contracts, pleadings, briefs, and other legal documents and prepare responses to subpoenas and other inquiries
  • Administrative Support: Provide administrative assistance to the Legal Department, including assembling documents, maintaining supplies, managing historical records, maintaining subscriptions, attorney registrations, and memberships, and maintaining compliance logs and other administrative support work for the Legal Department
  • Regulatory Filings Support: Monitor, analyze, and assist Company personnel with regulatory filings, applicable laws and regulations, compliance, and market conduct issues
  • Policy Drafting and Interpretation: Draft policy language, interpret laws, regulations, and responses to insurance department and other regulators
  • Product Development Support: Actively participate in meetings to support the product development and implementation process
  • Litigation Preparation: Work with outside counsel to prepare for hearings and litigation matters
  • Compliance Program Improvement: Monitor, recommend, and implement ongoing improvements to the Company’s Privacy and Anti-Money Laundering Programs and advise on related compliance issues
  • Board and Special Projects: Assist in fulfilling legal and corporate duties relating to the Board of Directors and coordinate special projects
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