Paralegal/Legal Operations Manager Construction and Real Estate

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We are seeking a highly organized and business-minded Paralegal to support in house counsel across a broad range of operational, administrative, and substantive legal priorities. This role serves as a trusted partner to legal leadership, helping drive department effectiveness, manage legal workflows, improve processes, and support construction and real estate legal matters.

The ideal candidate brings strong judgment, operational discipline, and the ability to balance day-to-day legal support and research with longer-term department planning. This person will help create structure, surface urgent issues for leadership attention, manage routine legal and research matters, and build the systems and processes that enable the legal team to operate efficiently and strategically. This includes:

• Provide support to the Legal team by reviewing, preparing, and administering construction and real estate contracts and related documents. Assist contract templates and documents, RFP materials, amendments, NDAs, board memos, and other correspondence; proofread for accuracy and consistency.
• Maintain organized legal files and client records so documents are properly stored, current, and easy to retrieve.
• Provide administrative support (calendars, scheduling, meeting coordination, proofreading). Assist Corporate Counsel with business transactions, legal research, and discovery support, while following corporate policies and applicable regulations.

If you’re organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple priorities, and like contracts- this role is for you!

Duties and Responsibilities
-    Serve as a strategic partner and chief of staff to the General Counsel and other senior legal leaders, helping prioritize work, manage departmental operations, and support execution of key initiatives.
-    Review engagement letters, contracts, and related legal documents for conformity to internal standards; identify key issues, elevate urgent or higher-risk matters, and support timely resolution of routine legal requests.
-    Act as an operational hub for the legal department by fielding one-off questions, coordinating follow-up, organizing priorities, and ensuring leadership has visibility into active matters, deadlines, and decisions.
-    Build, refine, and manage legal department processes, systems, templates, trackers, and workflows to improve efficiency, consistency, scalability, and service delivery across the organization.
-    Coordinate calendars, meetings, agendas, materials, and follow-up for legal leadership; help drive execution on strategic priorities and ensure behind-the-scenes logistics are managed effectively.
-    Support construction, real estate, and other business matters by assisting with contract administration, legal research, document preparation, regulatory tracking, and coordination with internal stakeholders and outside counsel as needed.
-    Prepare summaries, briefing materials, board memos, training materials, and internal communications to support legal leadership decision-making and cross-functional alignment.
-    Maintain organized legal files, records, and matter documentation, ensuring information is current, accessible, and managed in accordance with company standards and applicable requirements.
-    Complete paperwork and maintain records to support licensing and regulatory compliance.

Requirements & Qualifications

• 4+ years of relevant paralegal experience or a comparable role within a law firm or corporate legal department; experience supporting construction and/or real estate matters is strongly preferred.
• Associates’ degree required; paralegal studies, legal studies, business administration, or a related field preferred. 
• Position is based in Southfield, Michigan, and is primarily in-office; occasional work-from-home days may be acceptable based on business needs.
• Demonstrated understanding of legal contract workflows, legal documentation, and risk identification, with the ability to exercise sound judgment and escalate issues appropriately.
• Proven ability to create structure, manage multiple priorities, support executive-level leaders, and drive process improvements in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare polished materials, handle sensitive information with discretion, and work effectively across legal, executive, and business teams.
• Excellent organizational skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to independently manage logistics, follow-through, and administrative complexity for senior leaders.
• Experience with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and legal or contract management systems; comfort with process tools, trackers, and reporting is preferred.
   

This is an exempt position so you may have to work hours that exceed the standard 40-hour work week.

What makes us different?

On the surface, we’re one of the nation’s largest audit, tax, consulting, and wealth management firms. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see what makes us different: we’re a relatively jerk-free firm (hey, nobody ‘s perfect) with a world-class culture, consistent recognition as one of Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” and an endless array of opportunities.  At Plante Moran, diversity, equity and inclusion means that all staff members have equitable and fair opportunities to succeed, in an inclusive environment, with their individual, unique identities. So, what are you waiting for? Apply now.

Plante Moran enjoys a “Workplace for Your Day” model which, simply put, means we strive for flexibility and balance while staying true to our principally in-person model. We believe that face-to-face interactions are paramount for individual and collective development, but also encourage individuals to work with their supervisor and team to determine their optimal working environment each day.   

Plante Moran is committed to a diverse workplace. We strive to create a culture where each person feels accepted and valued. We believe that each person’s ultimate potential begins with first acknowledging their inherent dignity. When we can recognize — and celebrate — our many human differences, we’re able to create a workplace where all staff feel a sense of belonging and an opportunity to succeed. This allows us to attract and retain the best talent, serve clients through diverse thinking, and better represent and support the various communities in which we live and work. Plante Moran is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Plante Moran maintains a drug-free workplace. 

Interested applicants must submit their resume for consideration using our applicant tracking system. Due to the high volume of interest in our positions, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship, with the exception of qualified candidates who are bilingual in either Japanese and English or Chinese and English. Unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies, or similar, will not be paid a fee and become the property of Plante Moran.    
 

The specific statements above are not intended to be all-inclusive.

This application window is a good-faith estimate of the time that this posting will remain open. This deadline will be promptly updated if the deadline is extended.