Litigation Paralegal

Primary Functions: 

Assists in managing litigation and claims for the enterprise, including preparing, organizing, analyzing, reviewing and drafting legal documents, and performing factual or legal research and investigations under the supervision and direction of the Deputy General Counsel Litigation and Risk.

Essential Functions:

1. Litigation & Claims Management.
   1. Coordinates production of documents to outside counsel by collecting medical records, imaging studies, policies and other data or documents responsive to discovery requests and/or necessary for trial preparation, determining accuracy and validity of sources and appropriateness for use.
   2. Gathers documents and materials to provide to appropriate expert reviewer necessary to obtain standard of care and causation affidavits.
   3. Enters and updates matters and assists in ensuring incident information is accurately documented, and pertinent documents are included in claims management database (currently Stars/RL Datix).
   4. Assists in generating monthly, semiannually, yearly, or ad hoc reports regarding current and/or past professional and general liability claims, including potentially compensable events and provides as necessary to the Nemours Finance Department, auditors, and actuaries.
   5. Serves as liaison between outside counsel, in-house counsel, healthcare providers and witnesses to coordinate meetings, depositions, appearance at trial, etc. 
      1. Oversight and responsibility for scheduling and/or calendaring meetings, depositions, court appearances according to case management strategy.
      2. Dockets important deadlines.   
   6. Responds to annual audit inquiries by excess insurance carrier representatives providing documents and information. 
   7. Corresponds as necessary with internal executive team members regarding litigation and claims.         
   8. Drafts a variety of legal documents, correspondence, contracts, and releases.
   9. Assists with management of professional and general liability fees and costs. 
      1. Coordinates allocation of usage costs with internal departments and outside counsel. 
      2. Establishes case entry in CounselLink (legal case management platform) for appropriate billing and payment.
      3. Reviews for accuracy and routes invoices from outside counsel, experts, court reporters, etc. to ensure timely and proper payment. 
      4. Maintains accurate record in claims management database to ensure correct reporting.
   10. Implements legal hold process. 
       1. Drafts and issues timely, written notice to Information Security Department (IS) and key players within organization advising that the retention policy of organization is being suspended for potentially relevant information. 
       2. Ensures affirmative custodial responses and compliance with legal hold. 
       3. Reviews periodically and issues routine hold reminders. 
       4. Upon resolution of matter, notifies IS and key players to remove legal hold. 
   11. Establishes and maintains accurate filing system, both electronic and paper, for all litigation and incident files. 
       1. Detects and rectifies all case file deficiencies (e.g., missing documents, inconsistent material, and uninvestigated leads).
       2. Ensures ability to locate key case documents quickly. 
   12. Locates law sources such as statutes, court cases, legal articles, treatises, regulations, and ordinances to support and assist with the analysis and preparation of legal documents and advice by attorneys. 
   13. Creates medical record chronologies or a chronology of facts for use by inside and outside attorneys. 
   14. Uses wide range of legal or specialized knowledge to provide legal support services to organization. 
2. Data Analysis.
   1. Collects information and data from relevant sources.
   2. Organizes, interprets, and analyzes information and data to identify trends and patterns. 
   3. Compiles and creates user specific reports, tables, charts, and presentations. 
   4. Communicates and collaborates findings with team members, internal committees, all levels of management, and external partners. 
3. Executive Claims & Risk Committee and Case Review Committee.
   1. Coordinates all meetings, events, and flow of information to the Committees.
   2. Prepares agenda for meetings by reviewing previous minutes, agendas, correspondence, new events, claims, and litigation under the direction of the Deputy General Counsel Litigation & Risk. 
   3. Attends all meetings of the Committees, preparing and distributing minutes. 
4. Incident Management.
   1. Serves as point of contact for practice administrators, clinic and operations managers, risk managers, physicians, and other associates regarding a variety of legal matters, including patient/parent complaints, consent issues, authorizations, guardianships, adoptions, and powers of attorney. 
5. Service of Legal Process. 
   1. Monitors service of process inbox for service on registered agent of Nemours by CT Corporation. Responds to service of process by analyzing nature of legal document and ensuring timely delivery to appropriate associate or department for handling. 
6. Subpoenas. 
   1. Accepts service, determining validity and analyzing nature of legal document, and ensures timely delivery to appropriate associate or department handling. 
   2. Serves as liaison between physicians and/or healthcare providers and the attorney issuing the subpoena, ensuring appropriate privacy laws are followed, explaining litigation, court and deposition process and procedures to healthcare providers, coordinating their appearance, or advocating for their being excused from appearing, and/or otherwise furnishing evidence to comply with subpoena. 
   3. Provides education or coaching to subpoenaed witnesses, discussing guidelines regarding giving testimony in court and/ or deposition settings. 
   4. Provides education and training to internal clients regarding the handling of summons, complaints, writs, subpoenas, and deposition procedures. 
7. Credentialing claims history requests. Summarizes factual background and litigation status for each litigation matter or licensure action involving the requesting provider.
8. Additional Miscellaneous Responsibilities.
   1. Assists in preparation of presentations and materials for internal or external meetings.
   2. Resolves routine business problems independently. 
   3. Receives calls and greets visitors, takes and relays messages, responds to requests for information, providing information or directing caller/visitor to appropriate individual.
   4. Collects, opens, and distributes written correspondence for action, response or follow-up by attorneys or others, ensuring all case related documents are timely received by attorneys. 

Job Requirements: 

Paralegal Certification or Bachelor’s Degree in Paralegal Services is required, or significant experience, at least 10 years, working as a paralegal