The Managing Attorney’s Office (MAO) at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP supports and assists the firm’s practice groups – primarily the Litigation Group and the Restructuring Group – with court-related matters. The MAO’s primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to, reviewing litigation papers for compliance with court rules, filing and serving all litigation papers, monitoring pending court cases, tracking litigation deadlines, researching and retrieving court dockets/documents/public records, and providing guidance on court rules and procedures.

The Senior Assistant Managing Clerk is a position for an experienced candidate, with room for additional professional growth and departmental development.  The team member will play an integral role in providing broad, responsive, and efficient case management support to the firm’s California attorneys.  The Senior Assistant Managing Clerk will be resident in the Palo Alto office with as-needed travel to San Francisco. While generally managing California litigation, the Senior Assistant Managing Clerk will report directly to the NY Managing Attorney and will work collaboratively with MAO personnel from both NY and DC.  This position will be a hybrid in-office/remote work position, at least 3 days per week in-office and up to 2 days per week working remotely, with the expectation that travel to the office or local courthouses on remote work days may be required, sometimes on short notice.

The ideal candidate will have 5 or more years of relevant law firm or court experience, having worked in a litigation calendaring and docketing capacity with emphasis on federal courts (N.D. Cal., C.D. Cal., Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals) and California state courts (particularly Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Superior Courts). This role requires someone who is comfortable in a fast-paced environment and agile at juggling multiple priorities.  Our preferred applicant will have extensive experience working on multi-party, complex litigation in both state and federal trial and appeals courts and will have superior organizational and time management skills, with problem-solving dexterity.  The prospective Senior Assistant Managing Clerk will have a professional demeanor, the ability to communicate effectively with personnel of all levels, and a record of delivering exceptional client service.

• Serve and file litigation papers by hand and electronically, using NextGen PACER accounts or electronic filing service providers
• Review outgoing court filings to ensure compliance with court rules and procedures
• Docket court filings and track associated deadlines, principally in California state and federal trial and appeals courts using CourtAlert docketing software
• Monitor cases of interest through various databases to include PACER, Bloomberg, CourtLink, etc.
• Retrieve documents from federal and state courts and government offices
• Interact with all members of the firm as well as court personnel as necessary
• Develop instruction manual for filing, docketing and calendaring in California state actions
• Work with Litigation Knowledge Management Attorneys to develop templates for California state and federal litigation documents
• Build sustainable relationships of trust through open and interactive communication
• Assist with various projects as assigned

• Bachelor’s Degree; JD Degree not required, but a plus
• Knowledge of Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, California Code of Civil Procedure, California Rules of Court, local rules for U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of California, and San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Los Angeles Superior Courts rules, with the ability to apply relevant rules to calculate and track litigation deadlines from case initiation to appeals process
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to manage time effectively, prioritizing deadlines as necessary
• The position requires a proactive and motivated team player with the ability to work independently.  This person must be able to adapt to change, balance competing demands and manage demands outside of traditional business hours
• Knowledge of local court practices and procedures, including filing and serving court papers (both in paper and through electronic filing service providers), setting hearing dates, arranging court appearances, and other matters
• Familiarity with communicating with court staff to resolve ad hoc litigation questions
• Familiarity with CourtAlert or comparable internal docketing/calendaring system
• Excellent computer skills
• Discreet in handling confidential information

The estimated base salary for this position is $95,000-$105,000 at the time of posting. The actual salary offered will depend on a variety of job-related factors, including skills, education, training, credentials, experience, scope and complexity of role responsibilities, geographic location, and performance. 

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