Conflicts, Senior Technician

New York, NY 

Job Description

The Conflicts Department is responsible for the administration of ethical walls, and the maintenance of those walls. Also responsible for the preparation of conflict reports, assistance with the clearance of any conflicts and the filing of all Conflict and New Business Intake related documentation. The Conflicts Administrator will work closely with the Conflicts Manager on a day to day basis, with regular interaction with the Conflicts Attorney and other Conflicts team members.

• Create and manage all ethical walls and screens using the Firm’s ethical wall software including those requested by clients request their documents to be secured as part of their Outside Counsel Guidelines.  Ensure these walls and screens are kept up to date.
• Maintain a database for all distributed screening memorandums for ethical walls and lateral hire screens.
• Maintain restricted matter teams on the matter sites in SharePoint.
• Track Conflicts System problems/faults and provide feedback based on an analysis of same.
• Provide guidance to attorneys/secretariesin following the necessary steps for effective conflicts resolution. Explain the Conflicts of Interest (COI) search results and provide any necessary backup or additional information. Explain COI procedures and New Matter Sheet (NMS) guidelines.
• Maintain NMS dataset by sending weekly reminders to attorneys with outstanding new matter sheets.  Deleting new matter sheet drafts from NMS database as requested.
• Responsible for all record keeping aspects and filling of conflicts related materials and reports.
• Maintain daily filing of all new matter sheets and maintain filing of cleared conflict reports.
• Coordinate the filing of cleared conflict reports in the reports database in SharePoint
• Provide attorneys and secretaries with client and matter number.
• Assist in the preparation of, and evaluate information for, “flash” reports, new matter sheets and run required searches as needed using the defined procedures as identified by the Ethics Committee.
• Adhere to Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) procedures and perform database checks.
• Provide backup and support to other team members as necessary.
• Any other responsibilities or special projects as assigned by management.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Conflicts experience in a Law Firm preferred.
• Knowledge of COI principles including the ability to define relationships and related parties within the conflict of interest system.
• Candidate should be detail oriented, organized, and excellent communication skills.
• Strong Internet Research, record keeping, and some database management skills are a plus.
• Good decision making skills and handle multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete then under time constraints.
• Self-starter; familiarity with MS Word and various databases helpful.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high pressured environment.

Education/Certifications

• BA/BS with strong academic record.
• At least 3 plus years’ experience in a large law firm in a paralegal, conflicts or research role.
• Legal research experience related to the skills or duties described above.