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Legal Secretary

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Position Summary

Are you a detail-oriented and mission-driven professional who thrives in a fast-paced legal environment? If so, Democracy Forward is looking for a Legal Secretary to join our team.

We are seeking a highly organized and collaborative team member to support our four Legal Directors . This position will be responsible for providing critical administrative  support such as timekeeping, travel and meeting planning, reimbursements, scheduling, and document management and preparation, and ensuring smooth daily operations for our Legal Directors.

This position is full-time. Democracy Forward’s office is located in Washington, DC. While this position offers flexibility to work remotely, it requires regular in-office presence three days per week to effectively support the nature of the role.

The Legal Secretary will report to the Managing Attorney and work closely with all staff across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Administrative Support

  • Manage Legal Directors’ schedules, coordinate meetings, and support travel arrangements and other logistics.
  • Handle Legal Directors' correspondence, document preparation, and internal legal team coordination.
  • Process invoices, expense reports, and assist with contract tracking and administrative reporting.
  • Prepare documents from templates, ensure presentations are properly formatted and that Legal Directors have all printed materials they need in advance of meetings.

Litigation and Legal Operations

  • Coordinate logistics for discovery, hearings, and other legal proceedings.
  • Support project management and tracking for cross-department legal initiatives.
  • Work collaboratively with Legal Support, Operations and Communications teams to ensure legal workflows align with organizational goals.

Qualifications

We recognize that strong candidates may not meet 100% of the qualifications listed. If you believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team, we encourage you to apply.

Required:

  • 3+ years of experience as a Legal Secretary, Legal Assistant, or in a similar legal support role.
  • Strong organizational, communication, and time-management skills.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and document management tools (e.g., Adobe Acrobat, SharePoint).
    Experience filing documents in federal and/or state courts.
  • Commitment to equity, inclusion, democratic values, and social justice.

Preferred:

  • Experience working in a nonprofit, advocacy, or mission-driven legal environment.
  • Experience supporting legal managers.
  • Background or coursework in legal studies, paralegal studies, or related fields.

The salary range for this position is $70,000-$80,000  plus excellent benefits. Compensation is commensurate with experience. 

Democracy Forward is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals. We strongly encourage people of color; lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities; and veterans to apply. Please note that all lawyer positions require a law degree and active membership in the bar of a state or the District of Columbia. 

Not sure you meet all of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement.  If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you are new to mission-based legal and policy work, returning to work after a gap in employment, or simply looking to transition or take the next step in your career path, we welcome the opportunity to have you on our radar.  Please include in your cover letter the nature of your interest in legal and policy work promoting democracy and progress and what you hope to bring to our team and the role for which you are applying. 

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