blawgazeen

As an aspiring law student/lawyer one must know what type of work will be expected of you. Here is a list of all the potentially required duties within areas of law that interest me: Bankruptcy, Corporate, Foreclosure, Intellectual Property, Real Property, Securities / Municipal Bonds.

General Paralegal Duties

• Conduct interviews with clients to gather background information.
• Draft pleadings and documents.
• Organize and maintain files.
• Index or summarize documents or transcripts.
• Prepare clients for court hearings.
• Update and maintain library materials.
• Review legal periodicals and materials relevant to particular areas of law.
• Maintain calendar or tickler system.
• Be responsible for office administration or personnel.
• Conduct legal research, including procedural, administrative and case law research.

Bankruptcy Paralegal Duties

• Interview client to obtain information for filing petition and schedules.
• Confirm amounts owed to creditors and verify dates incurred.
• Identify secured and unsecured claims of creditors.
• Draft and file petitions, schedules and proofs of claim.
• Obtain case information from United States Bankruptcy Court Clerk.
• Check UCC filings, real property records and taxes owed.
• Identify exempt property.
• Maintain contact with client/debtor and verify compliance with instructions to debtors.
• Draft, serve and file complaints in adversary proceedings.
• Correspondence with creditors, creditors’ committee chair, creditors’ committee attorney, trustee and client.
• Prepare applications and orders including enforcement of stay, restraining sales, reinstatement of utility service, venue, avoiding liens, approving reaffirmation or redemption and abandonment.
• Prepare prefiling letters to creditors.
• Draft and file applications and orders to employ professional persons.
• Prepare motion to allow claim or objection to claim.
• Draft and file attorneys’ fee applications.
• Attend Section 341(a) meetings and Chapter 13 Plan confirmation hearing.
• Maintain log to check off discharge and status of bankruptcy.

Business / Corporate Paralegal Duties

• Check availability and reserve corporate name.
• Draft and file articles of incorporation.
• Complete and file qualification of foreign corporations.
• Draft certifications of authority for foreign corporation.
• Obtain good standing certificates from Secretary of State.
• Draft bylaws, notices and minutes or consents for organization meeting.
• Draft subscription agreements, stock certificates, investment letters and banking resolutions.
• Draft shareholder agreements, buy-sell agreements, employment agreements and stock option plans.
• Complete and file any assumed name certificates.
• Draft and file certificates of designation for preferred stock issuance.
• Complete and file election by small business corporation and subsequent shareholder’s consents to such election.
• Complete and file application for employer identification number, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and employer withholding tax registration.
• Complete and file application for appropriate licenses to operate specific businesses, trade name applications, copyright applications and financing statements.
• Order minute book, stock book and seal.
• Draft and file application for proper licensing when forming professional or special purpose corporation.
• Draft response to auditors’ information request, prepare for audit.
• Complete reporting and compliance requirements for multi-sate corporations including qualifying corporation under state law.
• Secure licenses and permits, e.g., liquor, sales tax, health department and building permits.
• Complete change of agent/address forms.
• Prepare and file annual reports.
• Maintain a tickler system for annual meetings, payments of bonuses to offices, contribution to pension and profit-sharing plans, exercise of stock options and filing of annual reports.
• Draft notices, proxies, affidavits of mailing, agenda, ballots and oaths of judges of election, for annual meeting.
• Draft shareholders, and directors’ minutes.
• Draft written consents in lieu of meetings.
• Draft plans and/or resolutions of liquidation or dissolution including required state forms to effect dissolution.
• Draft articles of merger and plan of merger.
• Draft closing checklists and closing memoranda.
• Assist in closing, managing assembly and execution of documents.
• Prepare closing files and bound volumes.
• prepare and file financing statements, UCC agreements or amendments.
• Obtain consents to assignments, releases, and signatures on consent resolutions.
• Draft articles of dissolution.
• Conduct due diligence investigation.
• Compile and index documents in corporate transactions.
• Draft partnership agreements including non-competition assignment of interests, and approval of substituted partner.
• Draft certificates of limited partnership.
• Draft and file trade name documents.
• Draft amendments to partnership agreements, certificates of amendment to certificates of limited partnership and amended trade name documents. Draft certificates or cancellation of certificates of limited partnership, trade name withdrawals.
• Draft business organization federal and state tax returns.

Foreclosure Paralegal Duties

• Order foreclosure report and review with respect to priority of lien holders and parties to be served.
• Locate addresses of parties to be served, draft foreclosure complaint and arrange service.
• Draft motion, order of default, judgment and decree of foreclosure.
• Draft motion and supporting documents for summary judgment.
• Draft subpoenas, notices of deposition, requests for production and prepare for trial if necessary.
• Draft pre-sale documents to begin execution including writ of execution and Draft Bid Sheet for sale.
• Draft post-sale documents including motion confirming sale, directing sheriff to execute deed and writ of assistance. Draft deed in lieu of foreclosure.
• Draft appointment of successor trustee, notice of default and election to sell, and trustee’s notice of sale.
• Set sale date and docket statutory deadlines to be met.
• Record notice of default and appointment of successor trustee.
• Prepare, serve and arrange publication of trustee’s notice of sale on grantors, occupants, and subsequent lien creditors.
• Record all proofs of service, affidavits of mailing and publication prior to sale.
• Check for federal tax liens 30 days prior to sale and prepare and serve IRS with notice of nonjudicial sale if necessary.
• Prepare memorandum of amount due on sale.
• Prepare trustee’s deed, certificate of non-military service, and post-sale memorandum. Record deed and certificate.
• Appear at time and place set for sale to postpone sale.
• Draft and record trustee’s deed after sale.
• Take possession, satisfy and transmit promissory note and origianl trust deed to trustee.

Intellectual Property Paralegal Duties

• Prepare patent and/or trademark status summary reports.
• Docket and/or maintain docket system for due dates for responses, renewals, oppositions, Sections 8 and 15 filings, use affidavits and working requirements.
• Docket and/or maintain docket system for payment of patent annuities in foreign countries.
• Conduct patent/trademark searches.
• Conduct online computer informations searches of technical literature for patent/trademarks.
• Draft trademark registration application, renewal application and registered user agreements.
• Draft power of attorney.
• Draft copyright applications.
• Research procedural matters, case law, and unfair competition matters.
• Conduct factual investigation using magazines and trade publications.
• Conduct prior art search.
• Conduct patent/trademark searches.
• Assist in opposition, interference, infringement and related proceedings.
• Arrange for visual aids/models/mock-ups for trial use.
• Maintain files of new products and invention development.
• Review patent filings with engineers.
• Draft licenses/agreements regarding proprietary information/technology.

Real Property Paralegal Duties

• Draft subdivision, condominium and timeshare registrations for in-sate and out-of-state registrations.
• Draft registrations of recreational subdivisions for federal registrations.
• Organizae recording procedures for large-sacle recordingand prepare draft of opinion letters.
• Prepare transaction books.
• Perform financial calculations (amortization, present and future value, discounting, APR).
• Maintain current records regarding CPI, APR, Federal Reserve rate and residential/commercial interest rates.
• Draft Truth-in-Lending Disclosure statemtns.
• Draft and review permits.
• Draft and review easements.
• Review surveys and run out legal decriptions to calculate acreage/square footage, locate easements and determine acuary and adequacy of descriptions.
• Draft trust, warranty, bargain and sale and other deeds.
• Draft notes, mortgages and contracts of sale.
• Draft leases, assignments, extensions, amendments.
• Draft purchase and sale agreements, letters of intent, earnest money agreements and addenda.
• Draft UCC filing, continuations, amendments, extensions, and terminations.
• Draft security agreements.
• Order and review title reports including review of underlying encumbrances and exceptions and endorsement requests.
• Draft escrow instructions and preliminary closing statements.
• Review closing statements and documents prepared by escrow officer.
• Review loan pay off documentation and coordinate disbursement of loan proceeds.
• Prepare closing memoranda and organize/manage complex closings.
• Analyze conveyance, security and lease documents.
• Review BLM and county records to determine validity of hard rock mineral claims.
• Review and analyze abstracts of title and chain of title to draft title opinions.
• Obtain lien waivers and certificates of completion for new construction.
• Check and review zoning and comprehensive plan designations; obtain letters on designation as closing requirement.
• Obtain and analyze appraisal information based on market, income and cost approaches.
• Obtain cancelled note, deed of trust, releases and recorded original documents.
• Review title policy, insurance policy, closing statement and other closing documents after closing and request corrections/revisions.
• Perform/order UCC and litigation searches at county or state level.
• Obtain real and personal property tax information for proration and in preparation for appeals to Board of Equalization and Department of Revenue.
• Research state laws relating to conveyancing, recording and financial statements.
• Maintain current zoning ordinances, comprehensive plans, real estate-related form file, and computer databases.
• Research county records to develop abstracts of title.

Securities/Municipal Bonds Paralegal Duties

• Draft registration statements, prospectus offering memoranda and amendments.
• Organize filing of registration statement including coordinating with printer, assembling appropriate copies and preparing transmittal letters.
• Monitor distribution of offering memoranda.
• Draft 1934 Act reports
• Draft questionnaire for officers, directors and principal shareholders.
• Draft promissory notes, underwriting agreements, trust indentures and bond purchase agreements.
• obtain CVSIP number, NASDAQ, Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s Securities Manual listings.
• Draft Blue Sky memoranda and applications for exemption.
• Draft legal investment survey.
• Draft Blue Sky registration.
• Draft and file applications for registration including uniform consent to service of process, powers of attorney, and uniform form of corporate resolutions.
• Notify state securities administrators of SEC effectiveness.
• Draft and file dealer and/or salesmen registration documents.
• Perfect securities or dealer exemptions.
• Research and prepare documents for after-market trading exemptions.
• Draft and file documents for registering broker/dealers and/or salesmen with NASD, SEC and state securities commissions.
• Draft and file documents for renewing or withdrawing the registration of broker/dealers with salesmen.
• Qualify dealer corporations  where applicable.
• Draft portions of Forms 3, 4, 8, 8-K, 10, 10-K, 10-Q, 13D and 13G.
• Prepare drafts of proxy and proxy statements.
• Prepare “inside trading” precautionary memo to employees.
• Prepare stock exchange listing application.
• Draft and file Form 144 and related documentation.
• Draft exhibits to private placement memorandum including offeree questionnaire and subscription Agreement.
• Prepare and file notice of sale of securities.
• Prepare and file for tax shelter registration numbers.
• Draft lease agreement, loan agreement, agreement of sale, facilities financing agreement ordinance or contracts.
• Draft indenture.
• Draft security agreements (deed, guaranty, mortgages).
• Review bond purchase agreement or underwriting agreement.
• Draft summaries of documents for use in preparing preliminary official statement and official statement.
• Coordinate with underwriter the accuracy of the statements.
• Finalize basic documents and distribute for execution.
• Draft petition and complaint, notice to the public, notice to the district attorney, rule nisi, answers and validation order.
• Draft necessary resolutions authorizing the issuance of the bonds.
• Calculate debt borrowing base, debt service for financing bond issue refunding studies and conventional mortgage payout schedules.
• Send bond form to printer.
• Proof first gallery of the bonds and check manufacturing schedule, coupon amounts and CVSIP numbers.
• Check bonds at time of closing and read bond numbered 1.
• Draft closing papers for issuer including authorizing resolutions, authentication order to trustee, incumbency certificate, nonarbitrage certificates and CVSIP numbers.
• Draft company authorizing resolutions and officers’ certificates.
• Prepare tax election (if applicable) and arrange for appropriate filing.
• Draft recording certificate.
• Draft financing statements.
• Attend closing, checking all certificates and opinion, insurance policies, legal descriptions.
• Compile the closing transcript.