Senior Trusts & Estates Tax Paralegal

Overview

This position supports estate administration work by assisting attorneys with trust and probate matters, fiduciary tax return preparation, trust funding, and client case management. The role is open in multiple office locations across the United States, with preferred locations in St. Louis, Missouri or Phoenix, Arizona.

Responsibilities

• Assist with estate administration matters, including administering estates, funding post-death irrevocable trusts, preparing related documents, and managing client cases.
• Prepare Estate Tax Returns and Fiduciary Income Tax Returns.
• Maintain financial records of trusts, perform trust accounting, and audit accounts.
• Maintain general ledger (G/L) accounts; reconcile broker statements; prepare payables and bank deposits.
• Obtain and reconcile 1099 and K-1 statements.
• Support irrevocable trust funding and administration (post-death).
• Assist with probate administration, including drafting probate pleadings.
• Maintain close personal contact with clients and financial advisors.
• Meet an annual billable hour requirement of 1600 hours.
• Develop technical proficiency in database use and management, internet/electronic research, and project folder/electronic file maintenance.
• Independently organize and manage files or delegate similar tasks to appropriate business professionals and supervise as needed.
• Demonstrate familiarity with adopting legal AI; ability to learn and implement new AI is preferred.
• Maintain attention to detail and ensure high-quality work.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Ability to provide superior service to internal and external customers and communicate effectively.
• Ability to interact professionally and courteously with clients and employees at all times; professional appearance required.
• Strong organizational, time-management, and prioritization skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team and adapt to changing business demands.
• Ability to produce an acceptable amount of work efficiently and accurately, with a high-quality final product.
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in Trusts & Estates, including complex estate and trust administration, as well as estate and fiduciary tax matters.
• Two-year degree required. Bachelor’s degree or a Paralegal Certificate from an ABA approved program is preferred; significant, substantive related experience may be considered in lieu of formal education.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to succeed in a fast-paced, continually changing environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Familiarity with tax and trust accounting software.
• Experience with document database programs and/or software.
• Significant client case management experience.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to perform effectively with little or no supervision and within established time limits and ongoing deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with adopting legal AI and the ability to learn and implement new AI.
• Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal Certificate from an ABA approved program.

Compensation & Benefits

Employees receive compensation commensurate with skill and experience. The exact compensation will vary based on skills, experience, location, and other factors permitted by law.

Expected compensation ranges by location/jurisdiction:

• State of California: $88,000 - $180,000
• Cleveland, Ohio: $85,000 - $125,000
• Columbus, Ohio: $82,000 - $121,000
• State of Colorado: $82,000 - $145,000
• State of Connecticut: $70,000 - $178,000
• State of Illinois: $80,000 - $155,000
• State of Maine: $60,000 - $139,000
• State of Maryland: $86,000 - $130,000
• State of Massachusetts: $88,000 - $169,000
• State of Minnesota: $88,000 - $146,000
• Jersey City, NJ: $96,000 - $174,000
• State of New York: $82,000 - $178,000
• State of Virginia: $57,000 - $168,000
• State of Vermont: $87,000 - $168,000
• State of Washington: $86,000 - $164,000
• Washington, DC: $114,000 - $168,000

Reasonable accommodations will be provided as necessary to support applicants with disabilities to apply for and/or perform essential job functions.

Location

Open to office locations across the United States. Location in either St. Louis, Missouri or Phoenix, Arizona is preferred.

Application Requirements

Please include a cover letter and resume when applying.

Equal Opportunity

EOE/Minority/Female/Disabled/Vet. Principal Applicants Only.