Franchise Paralegal

We are a small law firm based in Falls Church, Virginia with a focus on franchise, trademark, and motor vehicle mobility law. We seek to provide superior, cost effective and personalized legal services to our clients, while maintaining a professional and informal work-place environment. We support equal employment opportunity for all persons without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, and we are committed to building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment for all.

The paralegal reports to the partners in the firm to whom they are assigned as a team member, any associates working on projects for the team, and the Firm Administrator. The paralegal is responsible for supporting attorneys in franchise registration, transactional and litigation matters. Flexibility is important and priorities in work may vary often based on our needs at any given time.

This is a full time position and the scheduled hours will generally be 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with an hour lunch break, but are negotiable.

We offer a telework program for our paralegals where they can request to work from home up to two days a week after they have been employed by us for at least six months. Factors we will consider include the level of job knowledge attained and the productivity the paralegal has demonstrated. A decision to permit telework is subject to continuing productivity and performance.

College degree and at least three years of experience as a paralegal with a private law firm or with a corporation's legal department required; no prior experience as a franchise paralegal is necessary, although the ideal candidate will have such experience. Paralegal certificate not required, but preferred.

The following describes the key responsibilities.

• Support franchise regulatory attorneys and other paralegals in the preparation, reviewing, filing, and management of franchise agreements, registrations, renewals, and amendments, including communicating with state regulators
• Manage the full contract lifecycle, including organization, tracking, and timely execution of franchise and business contracts
• Assist with the state and federal franchise registrations
• Partner Cross-functionally to address contract-related questions and resolve issues efficiently
• Track key deadlines and ensure proactive follow-up
• Help refine and strengthen contract management policies, procedures, and systems
• Organize and maintain a comprehensive contract management system and renewals, including Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs)
• Assist with corporate filings, resolutions, and governance documentation
• Transactional work including preparing franchise agreements, default and termination notices, merger and acquisition transactions, franchise transfers, due diligence, preparing closing binders and related tasks
• Litigation support including drafting pleadings and discovery requests/responses; electronic filing of court papers; document review and management for discovery; exhibit preparation for depositions, motions, and hearings/trials; cite checking briefs; and maintenance of litigation files

Must be proficient with MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook, MS PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, Westlaw, CM-ECF/PACER (US Courts electronic docket and filing system), and Internet search engines and research tools. We may require testing of certain key skills prior to employment.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $65,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

• 401(k)
• AD&D insurance
• Disability insurance
• Free parking
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Opportunities for advancement