Legal Secretary

Position Summary:

Are you a detail-oriented and mission-driven professional who thrives in a fast-paced legal environment? If so, Democracy Forward Foundation  ("Democracy Forward") is looking for a Legal Secretary to join our team.

We are seeking a highly organized and collaborative team member to support our eight Senior Legal Advisors. This position will be responsible for providing critical administrative support such as timekeeping, travel and meeting planning, reimbursements, scheduling, and document management and preparation, and ensuring smooth daily operations for our Senior Legal Advisors. . As needed, the position may also perform non-legal research tasks for the Senior Legal Advisors.

This position is full-time. Democracy Forward Foundation’s office is located in Washington, DC. While this position offers flexibility to work remotely, it requires regular in-office presence three days per week to effectively support the nature of the role.

The Legal Secretary will report to the Managing Attorney and work closely with all staff across the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Administrative Support:
  • Manage Senior Legal Advisors’ schedules, coordinate meetings, and support travel arrangements and other logistics.
  • Handle Senior Legal Advisors' correspondence, document preparation, and internal legal team coordination.
  • Process invoices, expense reports, and assist with contract tracking and administrative reporting.
  • Prepare documents from templates, ensure presentations are properly formatted and that Senior Legal Advisors have all printed materials they need in advance of internal and external meetings and events.
  • Interface with other internal departments, such as the IT department and Legal Support, to troubleshoot administrative and technical issues experienced by Senior Legal Advisors.

• Litigation and Legal Operations:
  • Coordinate logistics for discovery, hearings, and other legal proceedings.
  • Conduct short non-legal research assignments for Senior Legal Advisors as necessary. 
  • Support project management and tracking for cross-department legal initiatives.
  • Work collaboratively with Legal Support, Operations, IT, and Communications teams to ensure legal workflows align with organizational goals.

Qualifications:

We recognize that strong candidates may not meet 100% of the qualifications listed. If you believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team, we encourage you to apply.

• Required:
  • 3+ years of experience as a Legal Secretary, Legal Assistant, or in a similar legal support role.
  • Strong organizational, communication, and time-management skills.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and document management tools (e.g., Adobe Acrobat, SharePoint).
  • Commitment to equity, inclusion, democratic values, and social justice.

• Preferred:
  • Experience working in a nonprofit, advocacy, or mission-driven legal environment.
  • Experience supporting legal managers.
  • Background or coursework in legal studies, paralegal studies, or related fields.

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

• This role may require occasional travel for team retreats, conferences, or organizational meetings.
• This role may involve sitting for extended periods and working on a computer. Reasonable accommodations will be provided as needed.

The salary for this position is $72,000-$80,000 plus excellent benefits. Compensation is commensurate with experience.