Paralegal - Westchester, IL

Position Overview

Follett Higher Education is a leading educational service provider and omnichannel retailer providing students, faculty and staff, parents, and fans the course materials, learning tools and retail services needed to successfully support the collegiate journey. Follett Higher Education supports over 6 million students through its 1,100 physical and 1,750 eCommerce campus stores across North America.

The Paralegal will report to the Deputy General Counsel and play a critical role in the company by providing support to the law department.

Responsibilities

• Litigation Management and Support: Assist in managing litigation matters in the areas of employment, commercial contracts, and claims, including document collection, discovery responses, and case tracking; update and monitor litigation log to track the various stages of litigation; provide status update to the company's insurance carriers, and coordinate with external counsel and internal stakeholders to gather necessary information.
• Commercial Contracts: Review and maintain various business agreements, including bookstore operating agreements, NDAs, vendor agreements; service contracts via the company's contract management system; assist with contract review, negotiation, and redlining under attorney supervision, and monitor contract deadlines and ensure compliance with contractual obligations.
• Licensing & Permits: Assist in obtaining and renewing business licenses, permits, and regulatory approvals for bookstore locations; maintain a database of required licenses and ensure compliance with regulatory deadlines; research local, state, and federal licensing requirements applicable to the company's operations.
• Corporate Governance: Support the preparation and maintenance of corporate records, including board meeting minutes, resolutions, and entity management; assist with filings for corporate registrations, annual reports, and other compliance documents in partnership with a third-party vendor, and conduct legal research on corporate governance best practices.
• Prepare financial data, monitor, research, and process submissions for new and renewal licenses and permits for all legal entities.
• Manage electronic invoices from law firms and other related vendors to ensure bills are processed accurately and efficiently. Timely resolves any rejections or reductions of electronic invoices. Research and respond to inquiries regarding general billing and invoicing issues and problems.

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of relevant legal experience.
• 5+ years of substantial experience with drafting and reviewing contracts, litigation support, and managing business licenses and permits.
• Paralegal certification preferred.
• Prior law firm or in-house counsel experience with attorneys is a plus.
• General office computer skills.
• Strong technical experience with Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.).
• Self-motivated, well-organized, detail-oriented, and customer service-focused.
• Proven ability to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization.
• Ability to independently manage large volumes of documents under tight time constraints.