Litigation Paralegal - Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation
2 days ago
Raleigh
Firm Overview We are a North Carolina business law firm with offices in Raleigh and Durham, known for delivering sophisticated and practical representation in complex intellectual property and commercial disputes. Founded by experienced attorneys who wanted a lean, efficient, and collegial environment to practice law, our firm has built a vibrant, entrepreneurial culture that draws attorneys and professionals from larger national and regional firms. Our intellectual property and commercial litigation practice handles federal court matters across the country, including copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, software licensing and breach-of-license disputes, trademark enforcement, and claims under federal statutes such as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Defend Trade Secrets Act, and the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. We also frequently serve as North Carolina counsel for out-of-state firms with matters pending in the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina. Position Overview We are seeking a Litigation Paralegal with 3–5 years of experience to provide substantive support to our intellectual property and commercial litigation team. The Litigation Paralegal works directly with partners and associates on federal and state (Business Court) intellectual and commercial disputes across all phases of litigation. This includes pre-suit investigation through pleadings, discovery, motion practice, depositions, trial, and post-trial proceedings. This is a substantive role with real ownership of case files, not a position buried within a large paralegal pool. The Litigation Paralegal serves as a key point of contact with clients, opposing counsel, court personnel, vendors, and experts. Key Responsibilities • Prepare, finalize, and electronically file pleadings, motions, briefs, and exhibits with federal district courts (including the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina), the North Carolina Business Court, and other federal and state courts, in compliance with applicable rules of procedure, local rules, and judges’ chambers practices, • Manage court case files from inception through resolution, including maintenance of electronic and paper case files organized by pleading, discovery phase, expert, and witness, and monitoring of related case dockets, • Maintain case calendars and track court deadlines, scheduling-order events, hearings, depositions, expert disclosures, and discovery deadlines; proactively flag conflicts and downstream effects of schedule changes, • Draft routine litigation correspondence, deposition notices, subpoenas, certificates of service, notices of appearance, pro hac vice papers, and motion/pleading shells; assist with cite-checking and Bluebooking briefs, • Coordinate written discovery, including organizing responsive document collections, supervising vendor productions, preparing privilege logs, and tracking discovery requests and responses on both sides, • Manage e-discovery workflows in coordination with outside vendors, including collection, processing, review, and production (Bates labeling, redactions, and confidentiality designations under protective orders), and assist with source-code review protocols typical of software and patent matters, • Assemble and maintain key-document binders, deposition exhibits, witness files, expert files, and litigation-exhibit versions intellectual property filings and other materials., • Prepare for and attend trial as needed; assemble trial notebooks, exhibit lists, witness lists, and demonstratives; coordinate trial logistics and serve as case-team point of contact for court clerks and vendors, • Assist with trademark matters, including docket maintenance, preparing specimens, drafting applications, and other filings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, • Communicate professionally with clients, court personnel, opposing counsel, vendors, and experts, • Assist with routine administrative tasks (e.g., mailings, letters, scheduling, etc.) as needed Required Qualifications • Three to five (3–5) years of litigation paralegal experience, with substantive responsibility for federal court litigation matters, • Demonstrated experience filing documents electronically in federal and N.C. Business Court, and a working knowledge of the Federal and N.C. Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal and N.C. Rules of Evidence, and federal district court and state court local rules, • Strong working knowledge of the litigation lifecycle, including discovery, motion practice, deposition preparation, and trial preparation, • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft clean, professional correspondence and routine filings, • Outstanding attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to manage competing deadlines across multiple active matters, • Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), Adobe Acrobat (including redaction and Bates labeling), standard legal research (e.g. Westlaw, Lexis, etc.), and document-management tools (e.g. Relativity, DISCO, etc.), • Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to handle sensitive and confidential client information, • Self-motivated, team-oriented, and able to work independently in a small-firm environment, • Authorization to work in the United States and willingness to work in person at our Raleigh office Preferred Qualifications • Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies or a related field, and/or paralegal certificate from an ABA-approved program, • North Carolina Certified Paralegal (NCCP) designation, • Experience supporting intellectual property litigation, including copyright, trademark, trade secret, patent, and/or software licensing matters, • Experience with e-discovery review platforms used in complex commercial and intellectual property litigation, and with managing source-code review protocols, • Experience supporting trials in federal district and state court, including trial-tech coordination and exhibit management, • Experience serving as North Carolina local counsel support, with familiarity navigating within the EDNC, MDNC, and WDNC, • Experience filing trademark applications and related submissions with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, • Familiarity with proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the U.S. International Trade Commission, or the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit What We Offer • Direct day-to-day work with partners on substantive, high-stakes federal intellectual property and commercial litigation, • A collegial, low-bureaucracy environment that values craftsmanship and client relationships over billable-hour quotas, • A compensation package that is competitive and commensurate with experience, • A comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance; retirement plan; paid time off and holidays; and support for continuing paralegal education and credentialing, • Genuine professional development: exposure to intellectual property litigation, software licensing disputes, federal trademark and copyright litigation, and the cutting edge of technology-law practice Compensation: Competitive and commensurate with experience, plus a comprehensive benefits package How to Apply To apply, please send the below information to hr@morningstarlawgroup.com with the subject line “Litigation Paralegal Application – [Your Name]”. All inquiries will be handled confidentially. When applying, please submit a resume and a brief cover letter describing your full civil litigation experience and, if applicable, your exposure to intellectual property, software, or technology matters. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Equal Opportunity We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.