Paralegal | Complex Commercial Litigation

Paralegal | Complex Commercial Litigation

Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, LLP is seeking a full‑time experienced paralegal to join our Tampa office. The paralegal will handle a wide range of responsibilities, including preparing, proofreading, and editing correspondence, pleadings, motions, and discovery documents. The role will also involve assisting with legal research, managing discovery projects, and supporting hearing and trial preparation.

Qualified candidates must have a minimum of five years of experience as a paralegal, with a strong focus on complex commercial litigation.

Why Join Johnson Pope?

At Johnson Pope, we foster a collaborative, inclusive, and professional environment where your skills are valued. As one of Florida’s leading regional law firms, we offer our team members the opportunity to work alongside respected attorneys in a firm that supports a strong team environment and builds community within the organization.

Position Overview

The paralegal will play a key role in supporting complex litigation matters from inception through resolution. Responsibilities include day‑to‑day case management, drafting and filing pleadings, motions, and discovery, coordinating deposition logistics, and assisting with hearing and trial preparation. The ideal candidate maintains organized case files and billing records, ensures compliance with applicable court rules and legal procedures, and demonstrates a strong working knowledge of legal processes and court requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Experience in e‑filing documents with Federal and Florida State Courts
• Understand court rules and procedures, including familiarity with FRCP and state equivalents
• Finalize substantive pleadings and discovery requests/responses
• Substantively cite‑check and format citations
• Trial experience, including exhibit preparation, witness preparation and management, subpoena preparation, working with judicial assistants and trial presentation vendors, and assisting attorneys in the courtroom
• Assist with depositions (preparation and service of deposition notices and subpoenas, coordinating court reporters, and preparation of exhibits)
• Schedule court appearances and depositions; calendaring same
• Assist attorneys with drafting, proofreading, redacting, and editing documents and contracts, including pro hac vice motions, proposed orders, notices of appearance, summonses, and affidavits of service, ensuring accuracy in spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting, and content
• Time entry and client billing
• Submission of new business intake and conflict checks
• Answer telephone and routine questions from clients and team members or route calls to appropriate staff members
• Assist with the organization of client materials and attorney work product within the firm’s document management system
• Assist in obtaining and managing client documents, including electronic data, and determining potential existence of documents that may be relevant to each case
• Efficiently and thoroughly use all necessary firm software
• Maintain appointment calendars for the team of attorneys
• Paralegals are generally expected to record 1500 or more billable hours during the performance year

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong organizational and time‑management skills
• Detail oriented
• Client‑service oriented
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and litigation support applications, including document‑management systems, with aptitude to learn other systems and programs
• Ability to multi‑task and work well under pressure, meet deadlines while maintaining a professional demeanor, and seek assistance when needed

Educational/Job Experience Requirements:

• Florida Registered Paralegal
• High‑school diploma from an accredited institution
• Five or more years of demonstrated experience in complex commercial litigation within a law‑firm setting
• Availability for overtime as needed

Office

Location:

Tampa, FL (On‑site)

Equal Opportunity Employment

Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, LLP is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, citizenship, ancestry, pregnancy, familial status, or any other legally protected status entitled to protection under federal, state, or local anti‑discrimination laws, including applicable laws in Florida.

We also provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).