Legal Assistant Jobs in New York

Legal Assistant – Land Use & Zoning

Our legal team is dedicated to providing each client with high-quality counsel, innovative solutions, and personalized service. Founded in 2000, our firm offers the legal expertise of 120+ attorneys who bring decades of experience and practical problem-solving to every matter.

We are a vibrant, growing, and fast-paced full-service law firm seeking an experienced Legal Assistant to support attorneys and department staff, with a particular focus on land use, zoning, real estate development, and related municipal matters.

Position Summary

The Legal Assistant will provide comprehensive administrative and practice support to partners, associates, and department staff handling sophisticated land use, zoning, real estate, and municipal matters. The ideal candidate will be highly organized, proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple matters, deadlines, client communications, and documents in a fast-paced legal environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide high-level administrative and practice support to partners, associates, and department staff handling land use, zoning, real estate development, and municipal matters.
• Manage detailed attorney calendars in Outlook, including coordinating client meetings, municipal meetings, hearings, conferences, site visits, and other time-sensitive appointments.
• Assist with scheduling and coordinating meetings with clients, municipalities, planning and zoning boards, consultants, architects, engineers, developers, and other outside professionals.
• Prepare, format, proofread, and maintain correspondence, legal documents, applications, memoranda, presentations, and other materials.
• Assist attorneys with preparation and organization of materials for zoning and land use applications, public hearings, board meetings, and development-related matters.
• Maintain organized electronic and paper files, including matter correspondence, applications, exhibits, plans, approvals, and other project documentation.
• Track deadlines, hearing dates, submission requirements, and other important matter-related dates.
• Draft and compose routine correspondence and emails to clients, municipalities, consultants, and other professionals.
• Handle incoming calls, take accurate messages, and ensure timely routing and follow-up with appropriate urgency.
• Coordinate conference calls, virtual meetings, in-person meetings, and other events involving attorneys, clients, consultants, and municipal representatives.
• Request conflict checks, open new client matters, and manage electronic approval submissions.
• Enter attorney time into the billing system accurately and timely.
• Assist with document production, photocopying, scanning, printing, and electronic file management.
• Prepare and organize presentations and meeting materials using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Provide additional administrative and project support to attorneys and the department as needed.

Qualifications & Skills

• Minimum of 10+ years of administrative experience, preferably within a law firm or professional services environment.
• Experience supporting attorneys in land use, zoning, real estate, municipal law, or related practice areas is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with land use and zoning applications, public hearings, planning/zoning boards, municipalities, or real estate development matters is a plus.
• Strong understanding of the importance of deadlines, document organization, confidentiality, and attention to detail in a legal environment.
• Excellent client service, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Exceptional organizational and time-management abilities, with the ability to manage multiple attorneys and competing priorities.
• Proactive, dependable, resourceful, and detail-oriented.
• Strong proofreading, formatting, and document preparation skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with attorneys and staff at all levels.
• Professional demeanor and strong interpersonal skills when communicating with clients, attorneys, municipal officials, consultants, and other outside professionals.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and effectively manage time-sensitive and complex matters.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience preferred.

What We Offer: This role is based in our White Plains office and offers the opportunity to work closely with experienced attorneys on sophisticated land use, zoning, real estate, and development matters. The successful candidate will become an integral part of a collaborative legal team and have the opportunity to build strong relationships with attorneys, clients, municipalities, and other professionals while supporting a diverse range of projects.

Salary Range: $60k-$80k, commensurate with experience
Benefits: 401(k), Medical, Dental, Life Insurance, PTO, and more!