American Water Works Service Company Inc
Paralegal IV (Legal)
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Camden, NJ, the company employs over 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 46 states. To learn more about American Water and additional career opportunities, visit www.amwater.com.
Assist and support counsel in resolving varied and complex legal matters related to the public utilities commission and other regulatory issues affecting the regulated water and wastewater businesses.
• Lead response to all Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) formal complaints. Engage with outside counsel in early case assessment, mediation, answer drafting, and response to discovery requests. Coordinate witnesses, fact finding, and document collection with business performance group, operations and engineering and research, locate and organize information for counsel. (25%)
• Assist in the preparation and completion of regulatory filings. Including rate case filing materials, legal pleadings, testimony, exhibits and schedules. Research, prepare, compile and extract required information for filings. Monitor PSC calendar; coordinate and plan schedules with outside counsel, internal witnesses and PSC staff to ensure required attendance at public meetings, hearings and workshops. (15%)
• Provide litigation support. Engage with outside counsel and insurers to provide documents and information necessary to defend litigation. Conduct witness interviews. Maintain, update, and remove litigation holds. Review pleadings, correspondence, and discovery and assist in preparation of responses and briefs. (15%)
• Primary responsibility for coordinating Board of Directors and shareholder meetings including assembling and distributing Board book. Drafting Board and shareholder resolutions and coordinating needs of Board members. (15%)
• Assist business in filing and maintaining contracts and contract revisions. Provide training on contracts to employees and review quarterly for compliance with contract policies. (10%)
• Assist in administrative, reporting, and similar general responsibilities for legal department. Prepare quarterly reporting on cases and financial tracking of legal matters and budgets. Track, prepare, reconcile and submit corporate expense statements. Conducts first-line review of expense statements and ensures timely and accurate processing. Preemptively handle missing items. Process invoices and other budgetary items ensuring prompt processing and accuracy of all. Manage all legal department purchase orders, monitor budget and spend. Monitor and maintain relationships with outside legal services; track and report on associated time and cost; make recommendations to improve quality, cost and efficiency of acquired outside legal services. Maintain legal vault, legal document management system, case management files, and assist in compliance with document retention policy. (20%)
• Demonstrated knowledge of legal procedures, protocols, terminology and the preparation of complex legal documents.
• Demonstrated public utility commission knowledge and ability to translate and explain related concepts and requirements to others.
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to provide clear and accurate documentation; how to approach and converse with everyone from clients and court officials to opposing parties
• Advanced knowledge of personal computing, Microsoft Office Suite applications, internet options/sites, and social media and social networking sites.
• Prior experience with SAP database systems ideal.
• Knowledge and ability of project management; to work on and juggle multiple complex cases and projects within competing deadlines.
• Minimum 2 years as a practicing paralegal experience with paralegal certification/degree or minimum 7 years as a practicing paralegal experience without paralegal certification/degree.
• Equivalent experience in a relevant role in the public utility sector can substitute for these minimums.
• Know, understand and follow departmental and company policies and procedures, and contacts that govern the work environment.
• Assist in creating a positive, predictable work environment by communicating effectively with colleagues, supervisors, and managers.
• Participate in and contribute to the culture and environment in a positive and professional manner by collaborating with colleagues, offering suggestions, accepting feedback, resolving problems and being productive with the strategies of the organization in mind.
• Strive to achieve agreed upon goals, accept direction, offer and receive feedback in a constructive manner and communicate effectively to the betterment of the work environment.
• Possess the acumen of the subject matter and capacity to expand this knowledge based on professional dynamics.
• Collaborate with the team, disseminate essential communications and delegate tasks and follow ups to ensure desired results, driving toward meeting deadlines.
• Communicate with collaborators and follow up, and ensure operational effectiveness within the department.
• Involved with acclimating, assisting, developing and mentoring other lesser experienced professional within the department.
• Professional office environment
• Occasional attendance at administrative and court hearings, mediations, and trials.
• Routine day travel in state travel to operating areas
• Occasional (generally quarterly) overnight travel
• Internal
o Daily interaction with legal staff
o Weekly coordination of work with business performance group, operating area teams, finance, rates, and business development
o Weekly coordination with divisional staff
o Monthly coordination with senior management team and Board of Directors
o Expectation to maintain and interact professionally with all levels of the business from front line employees to the president and Board members
• External
o Daily or weekly coordination with outside counsel, insurers, and regulators
o Limited customer/complainant interactions and mediations
o Coordination with prosecutor's offices and law enforcement in certain criminal matters
o Responding to requests from government agencies, regulators, and other outside groups
Join American Water...We Keep Life Flowing™
American Water is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and prohibits employment discrimination for employees and applicants based on his or her age, race, color, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, citizenship, or because he or she is an individual with a disability, protected veteran or other status protected by federal, state, and local laws.