Legal Assistant Jobs in Ridgefield, WA (NOW HIRING)

Overview

The Legal Assistant plays a vital role in shaping the client experience by building the trust, confidence, and relationships that define our firm's reputation. At the heart of this role is a genuine commitment to making clients feel known, valued, and well-represented from their very first interaction. The Legal Assistant is an essential partner to our legal team, providing support through precise case management, document filing, and administrative duties that allow our attorneys to focus on delivering exceptional legal work.

Core Values

Why we do what we do is very clear. We care for our clients, their loved ones, and our community. By educating and helping our clients and the community, we provide peace of mind, create legacies, and protect our clients and their loved ones.

Our clients hire us because we care, we treat them with respect and compassion always, and we build strong and lasting relationships with them and their families.

• Curiosity - We lead with curiosity—asking deeper questions to bring us to a point of clarity, choosing understanding over assumptions, remaining open to new perspectives, and meet everyone with compassion, patience, and respect
• Excellence - Our clients trust us because we commit to excellence. We work thoroughly and precisely, holding ourselves to high standards, validating and verifying every detail, and delivering quality the first time.
• Elevate - We elevate by going beyond what’s expected, raising the standard even when good enough is acceptable, and continually seeking intentional opportunities to add value at every step.
• Growth - We commit to growth by embracing change, turning challenges into opportunities, improving our systems relentlessly, and growing personally and professionally—always moving the firm forward.
• Unwavering Integrity - We lead with honesty and transparency in all we do, keeping our word, owning our outcomes, learning with integrity, and choosing what is right—even when it is difficult or unseen.
• Care - We bring care to every interaction through presence, patience, and thoughtfulness—with each team member personally invested in our clients, our company, and one another

What You Will Do in Any Given Week

• Proactively coordinate all matter milestones — scheduling client meetings, advisor calls, and document review appointments in the proper sequence to keep each matter on pace and within the Firm's established timelines.
• Prepare attorneys for every meeting with organized agendas, assembled documents, and current, accurate client data.
• Serve as a bridge for client communication, gathering information and providing timely updates.
• Keep attorneys informed by promptly relaying new information and confirming follow-up needs after every appointment, while maintaining an accurate calendar of all firm deadlines.
• Draft ancillary documents by customizing existing templates for attorney to review.
• Help file documents with courts, ensure deadlines are met, and handle logistics for court hearings or trials, including coordinating with court clerks.
• Maintain detailed and accurate timekeeping records in accordance with Firm standards.
• Create a warm, welcome, and professional first impression on behalf of the Firm.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent certification.
• Prior experience with the successful handling of client phone calls and communication.
• Minimum of one year of Legal Assistant experience; prior experience in an Estate Planning, Probate, and/or Estate Settlement firm is a plus but not mandatory or proven achievement with transferable skills.
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail, editing, and the ability to communicate clearly and professionally in both verbal and written form.
• Proficient with technology including – Microsoft Office 365, Adobe, SharePoint and client management software, or the ability to learn quickly.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off and paid sick leave
• 401(k) retirement plan
• A close-knit team where your contributions are recognized and there’s room to grow

Schedule: Full-time, non-exempt position, Monday through Friday, 8:30AM to 5:00PM.

Location: In-person work in Portland, OR 97225.

An important note on scope:

With the limited delegated authority of the Attorney(s), the Legal Assistant performs administrative tasks, schedules meetings and events, and drafts documents. Non-attorney support staff are prohibited from practicing law by the American Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct and State Bar Association rules. All work done by the Legal Assistant must be in support of, and under the direct supervision of, an attorney. In dealing with current, former, and potential clients, the Legal Assistant must be careful not to inadvertently slip into the unlawful practice of law. This would include answering a client’s questions about what will happen in their case or recommending that a client undertake a certain course of action during their case.

Caress Law is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. Caress Law is dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive process and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.