Paralegal, Escrow and Real Estate Transactions

Seattle, Washington | Full-Time | $70,000–$90,000 annually, plus potential bonuses

The Apex Law Group PLLC is seeking an experienced, highly capable Escrow & Transactions Paralegal to take primary responsibility for the day-to-day operation of a specialized escrow practice.

This is not a traditional paralegal position in which the employee waits for assignments from an attorney. We are looking for someone who wants to own transactions from opening through closing and post-closing, keep matters moving without being reminded, identify problems before they become emergencies, and bring attorneys issues that require legal judgment in a clear and organized form.

Our escrow practice focuses primarily on purchases, sales, and refinances involving floating homes, houseboats, and house barges in the Seattle area. The successful candidate does not need prior experience with these particular types of transactions. We care more about judgment, initiative, attention to detail, organizational ability, financial accuracy, and the capacity to learn complicated systems and eventually operate them with substantial independence.

What You Would Do

Working closely with the lead escrow attorney, you would assume primary responsibility for the logistical and transactional work required to move each escrow project from intake through completion. Responsibilities would include:

· Opening new escrow matters and gathering transaction documents and information.

· Reviewing files for missing, inconsistent, or incomplete information and following up with parties, brokers, lenders, attorneys, and others as needed.

· Maintaining transaction checklists, deadlines, and closing schedules.

· Preparing closing documents from established templates and adapting them to the terms of particular transactions.

· Drafting routine provisions and producing substantially complete document packages for attorney review.

· Preparing settlement statements, funds-flow calculations, prorations, payoff calculations, reserves, and other closing financials.

· Coordinating signing appointments, remote online notarizations, mobile notaries, document delivery, recording, filing, and other closing logistics.

· Preparing checks and wire documentation for attorney review and approval.

· Tracking incoming and outgoing funds and confirming that disbursements match closing instructions.

· Communicating with clients, brokers, lenders, attorneys, lienholders, accountants, and other transaction participants.

· Identifying issues requiring attorney involvement and presenting them concisely, together with relevant facts and, when appropriate, a recommended course of action.

· Completing post-closing filings, distributions, reporting, and file-closing procedures.

· Helping improve templates, workflows, checklists, and other systems used by the escrow practice.

During periods when escrow volume is lower, the position will also provide paralegal support to our business transaction, contract, intellectual property, and/or nonprofit practice areas as needed.

What We Are Looking For

The strongest candidate will have substantial experience in one or more of the following areas:

· Commercial real estate closings;

· Title or escrow work;

· Business or commercial transactions;

· Transactional law-firm paralegal work;

· Commercial lending or loan closings;

· Project management; or

· Other work requiring independent management of complicated transactions involving multiple parties, documents, deadlines, and financial details.

Prior Washington escrow experience is helpful but is not required. Neither a particular certification nor a particular job title is essential. We are more interested in what you have actually been responsible for and how you approach complex work.

You should be someone who:

· Takes ownership of matters rather than waiting to be told what to do next.

· Notices inconsistencies and missing information without needing them pointed out.

· Keeps track of deadlines and follows up persistently when others owe information or action.

· Is comfortable communicating directly and professionally with attorneys, brokers, lenders, clients, and other professionals.

· Can work from established procedures while also exercising judgment when a transaction does not fit the usual pattern.

· Knows when to act independently and when an issue requires attorney involvement.

· Asks questions early rather than allowing uncertainty to linger.

· Brings a proposed solution when raising a problem whenever possible.

· Documents work carefully and can explain the reasoning behind decisions.

· Works accurately with financial information and understands that small discrepancies matter.

· Can receive direct feedback, examine mistakes without defensiveness, and use experience to improve future performance.

· Is comfortable working in an environment that expects both substantial autonomy and substantial accountability.

Because this position will assist with execution of closing documents, the successful candidate must be eligible to become a Washington notary public. An existing notary commission is helpful but is not required.

How We Work

We are building a firm in which professional development means more than accumulating technical knowledge. We expect people to become increasingly capable of exercising judgment, taking responsibility, giving and receiving useful feedback, examining recurring problems, and improving the systems in which they work.

We invest significant time in training. A new employee will not be expected to know our unusual escrow practice immediately. Our goal is for the person in this role to develop enough knowledge and judgment that routine transactions can eventually be managed with substantial independence, while legal questions, unusual risks, and attorney-level decisions are escalated appropriately.

For someone who succeeds in the position, there is significant opportunity to grow with the practice, assume greater responsibility for escrow operations, help develop firm systems, and potentially supervise additional personnel as the practice expands.

Compensation and Benefits

The anticipated salary range is $70,000–$90,000 per year, depending on experience, qualifications, and demonstrated ability, with the potential for additional bonuses.

Benefits include:

Health insurance;

401(k) plan with a 3% employer contribution;

Generous paid time off;

Paid holidays; and

Employer-provided parking or an ORCA transit card.

Applying

Please submit a résumé and a brief cover letter explaining the kinds of transactions, matters, or projects you have been responsible for managing and what attracted you to this position.

We are particularly interested in hearing about work in which you were responsible for keeping a complicated matter moving, identifying problems independently, coordinating multiple participants, and making sure the matter reached completion.

Pay: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Seattle, WA 98119