Job Description
JOB SUMMARY
This position exists to serve as the self-sustaining operational and data-management engine for SMI’s in-house legal department, protecting the company by managing the risk and administrative components of active litigation and external affairs. By seamlessly executing complex paralegal workflows, court filings, and e-discovery under the direction of legal counsel, the role ensures the organization remains strictly compliant with court deadlines and legal system requirements. Additionally, the position centralizes and optimizes the department's digital platforms, medical records, and matter-management data to drive administrative efficiency and control outside-counsel costs. Ultimately, the role exists to maintain organized, defensible, and cost-effective legal operations, allowing in-house counsel to focus on high-level strategic defense and advisory work.
This role requires 4 days in office for up to 6 months to learn the role and then will be able to shift to 3 days a week in office and 2 days remote. This role is located in St Louis, Missouri .
ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
Discovery and Data Management, Fact Investigation & Medical Records:
Discovery Management: Direct discovery for civil and worker’s-compensation cases by drafting requests and responses, monitoring deadlines, and indexing documents.
Medical Records: Retrieves and manages all medical files by issuing subpoenas, extracting treatment histories, summarizing records, and maintaining digital systems.
Communications: Acts as the primary liaison for SMI witnesses, store employees, experts, court personnel, and other communications required for legal external affairs matters as directed.
Litigation Support: Indexes deposition transcripts, organizes large datasets, drafts corporate resolutions, and prepares witness outlines. This role also supports the records retention functions from a legal, data, and litigation perspective.
E-Discovery & Litigation Workflows:
Workflow Management: Manages e-discovery and litigation workflows and acts as the primary liaison between the Legal and IT departments.
Litigation Holds & Collection: Issues corporate litigation holds and gathers internal e-discovery materials (such as Google Vault data, store videos, and retained emails) under SMI’s hold policies.
Data Production: Conducts complex searches to cull data and exports e-discovery load files for third parties, including outside opposing counsel, and subpoena requests, etc.
Court Operations, Pleading Execution & Research:
Electronic Filing: Files documents across all required state and federal e-filing systems, including Missouri CaseNet, Illinois Odyssey, PACER, and CM/ECF and any other court electronic filing systems that are needed for in-house litigation counsel to perform litigation responsibilities.
Data Redaction: Redacts confidential, medical, and financial data before filing to comply with state and federal privacy rules.
Document Drafting: Drafts basic pleadings, correspondence, and routine templates for civil and worker’s-compensation cases.
Legal Research: Conducts legal research on platforms such as Westlaw and finalizes briefs by checking citations.
Legal Administration & Practice Coordination:
Mail & Service of Process: Receives, date-stamps, processes, and routes physical service of process and daily incoming litigation mail.
Scheduling & Notices: Coordinates depositions, hearings, and trials with opposing attorneys, witnesses, physicians, and court reporters, and sends notices to all parties.
File & Data Management: Creates and maintains litigation files, master lists, open-file lists, legal dashboards, and other metrics tracking civil, worker’s-compensation matters, and other legal matters as directed.
Subpoenas & Requests: Manages direct third-party requests and teammate subpoena responses, and processes requests from attorneys and other third parties.
General Administration: Performs general administrative tasks, handles…