Legal Assistant - Litigation (Detroit)

At Taft, we work as one team, driven and committed to helping our clients succeed. A full-service law firm with more than 875 attorneys and approximately 1,500 on our team, we have the collaborative approach, advanced technological resources, and depth of services that make us a preeminent law firm in the Midwest.

Taft is currently seeking a Litigation Legal Assistant to join our team in our Southfield office.

We are seeking a Litigation Legal Assistant with 3+ years’ experience to support our Southfield office. A Legal Assistant serves clients by providing administrative support to attorneys and paralegals.  All Taft employees operate under a “Client First” philosophy—in all things, we seek to provide exceptional services to our clients.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Exhibits outstanding client service orientation in greeting guests, responding to work requests, scheduling meetings, and conducting telephone conferences.
  • Provides proactive administrative support for Litigation attorneys and paralegals. May assist in other practice areas, as needed.
  • Displays strong attention to detail.
  • Maintains strict confidentiality of matters and information.
  • Responds to requests with a sense of urgency and effectively prioritizes work.
  • Interacts with court personnel, attorneys and staff in a professional manner to obtain and provide data, answer questions, and resolve problems.
  • Prepares and reviews letters and memoranda according to Firm standards using word processing and document management systems.
  • Proactively monitors deadlines.
  • Processes requests for payment and reimbursements.
  • Creates, maintains and retires files in accordance with Taft’s Information Governance Policy.
  • Assists in managing client contacts, emails, and print documents as well as processing mail.
  • Clearly communicates in a concise, professional manner.
  • Transcribes dictation.
  • Files documents with courts electronically.
  • Drafts documents and filings.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  • Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office programs is required.
  • Proficiency with Kofax/Nuance, InTapp, LMS+, iManage, Bighand or those software programs’ counterparts strongly preferred.
  • Knowledge of the litigation process and general court operations.
  • Ability to read and identify pleadings and other documents related to a litigation matter.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with, and follow instructions from, diverse individuals and to provide information with courtesy and tact in person, over the telephone and in writing.
  • Ability to reason and apply common sense understanding to resolve problems and carry out instructions furnished verbally or in writing.
  • Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide and perform arithmetic  functions normally needed to calculate dates.
  • Ability to work under a high level of competency to perform the essential duties of the position.  Ability to occasionally work more than 40 hours per week.

Education and Experience:

  • 3+ years’ Litigation legal assisting experience in a law firm or other legal setting.
  • Education beyond high school or coursework related to the legal industry preferred.
  • Ability to read, understand and interpret complex documents such as pleadings and other documents related to a litigation matter.

Interested candidates should apply here.


Taft is a State of Minnesota and City of St. Paul Affirmative Action Employer as required in those jurisdictions. Taft is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The information in this posting presents general duties, tasks, and responsibilities but is not intended to be an exhaustive listing. Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP participates in E-VERIFY.