Paralegal

Entity:

Production & Operations

Job Family Group:

Legal Group

Job Description:

Role Synopsis

The bpx Legal Department is seeking a new experienced Paralegal team member. The position will support bpx’s litigation docket and discovery obligations, aid in the overall administration of internal Legal Department processes and systems, and work with lawyers in a variety of practice areas including oil and gas, environmental, regulatory, commercial, and employment law. This new team member will work with bpx lawyers in both the Houston and Denver corporate offices and can be based in either location. The position will report to the bpx Head of Legal.

Key Accountabilities

• Work with in-house and external litigation counsel to manage litigation docket
• Administer bpx matter management system
• Analyze incoming discovery requests and outline plan for compliance
• Identify relevant witnesses, including former company employees, and assist with locating witnesses and coordinating interviews
• Participate in interviews of witnesses and document custodians and in meetings with external counsel and business clients related to litigation matters
• Provide hands on support to business custodians during document collection efforts, including guidance on email searches, file transfers, and use of approved bpx systems
• Work with Houston-based bp Legal Discovery Team on electronic discovery collections
• Review written discovery response drafts and provide comments
• Work with vendors and external counsel to ensure adherence to bpx discovery processes and workflows across all discovery phases
• Assist with maintaining litigation files in online matter management system and in Legal department electronic file system
• Coordinate witness deposition preparation, witness trial preparation and trial attendance
• Research cases in state and federal courts
• Work with all bpx in-house counsel in support of a variety of oil and gas, environmental, regulatory, commercial and employment law matters (including legal and factual research, filing preparations and document management)
• Act as administrator and subject-matter expert for the bpx legal hold platform (Guardian); draft, modify, issue and release legal holds, and perform related functions
• Responsible for triage of service of process received by bpx business
• Engage with BP America’s US Corporate Secretary’s Office to maintain slate of officers, board resolutions and powers-of-attorney for the various bpx legal entities, and provide other corporate governance related support to the business
• Assist in the planning and development of materials for legal training of business personnel
• Conduct first level legal review of Confidentiality Agreements and other contracts, audits, Lessons Learned, internal investigation reports, and other business documents
• Provide legal administrative and interpersonal support to aid overall legal team operations

Essential Education

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree
• Paralegal certification by national organization preferred

Essential Experience and Job Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years of paralegal experience in either a law firm or business law department (experience with upstream oil and gas legal issues is strongly preferred)
• Hands on experience supporting sophisticated litigation, legal holds, discovery workflows, and cross functional legal operations
• Strong understanding of current electronic discovery technologies, including e-discovery databases and use cases for AI in discovery, as well as the general discovery obligations imposed on litigants
• Proficiency with online legal research tools, including Westlaw, PACER, and state court docket databases in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma
• Ability to work well with outside counsel, have strong business acumen, excellent attention to detail, and a proven track record as a team player
• Exceptional organizational skills, excellent communication skills (both oral and written), and sound judgment
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Ability to think quickly and analytically and be able to manage multiple priorities under short deadlines
• Prior project management experience in large, sophisticated electronic discovery projects is helpful
• Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing, and using legal department technology solutions (e.g., eBilling, matter management, and eDiscovery tool

Salary and Benefits

We offer a reward and wellbeing package to enable your work to fit with your life, including health, vision and dental insurance, flexible working schedules, paid time off, discretionary annual bonus program, and a 401(k) matching program.

How much do we pay (Base)? $90,000 - $125,000

*Note that the pay range listed for this position is a good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible base compensation at the time of posting.

Travel Requirement

Negligible travel should be expected with this role

Relocation Assistance:

This role is not eligible for relocation

Remote Type:

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills:

Business Acumen, Coaching, Collaboration, Commercial Acumen, Communication, Conflict Management, Creativity and Innovation, Decision Making, Digital Fluency, Influencing, Managing strategic partnerships, Mentoring, Organizational Knowledge, Resource and budget planning, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Supplier Relationship Management

Legal Disclaimer:

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics like race, religion, color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.