Paralegal

Position Overview

We are looking for a highly skilled and experienced Senior Paralegal specializing in contracts to join our strong and dynamic corporate legal team. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in drafting, reviewing, and managing a wide variety of contractual agreements, and demonstrate a strong understanding of legal principles related to contract law. This role requires exceptional attention to detail, strong organizational skills, proficiency at time management and assignment prioritization, and an innate curiosity to learn the corporate structure and the interconnectedness with the legal department. A demonstrated openness and willingness to work with artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to improve legal processes and develop operational efficiencies is highly valued.

This is a fully in-office position to enable close collaboration with attorneys, business teams, and stakeholders. The ideal candidate will be located in our Knoxville, Tennessee office, but we will consider candidates in other areas within our footprint.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and revise contracts with varying levels of complexity, including vendor agreements, service contracts, real estate leases, NDAs, licensing agreements, and other legal documents.
• Support the bank's business lines by reviewing customer-facing documents, such as powers of attorney, trust documents, etc.
• Analyze document terms and identify potential risks, ambiguities, and issues requiring escalation for attorney review.
• Manage requests for contract terminations and non-renewals, including the preparation of letters of notice in accordance with the contract terms and organizational requirements and on a timely basis.
• Manage requests for contract reviews, including tracking key dates, renewals, amendments, and compliance requirements.
• Manage intake spreadsheet for tracking work performed for primary attorney and reconcile with department tracking.
• Maintain timely follow-up communications on outstanding requests to internal and external third parties.
• Maintain organized records of all draft and completed contracts and related correspondence in accordance with company standards and legal requirements through to verifying and properly cataloguing fully executed contracts.
• Monitor changes in relevant laws and regulations affecting contracts and advise on necessary updates.
• Maintain the legal guidance document for contract reviews and revise as directed.
• Identify and provide contributions for guidance and training to internal business teams as needed.
• Collaborate with the Third-Party Vendor Management team, Procurement team, Corporate Real Estate team, Risk Management team, Information Security team, Internal Audit, and additional corporate teams for workflow engagement with attention to process improvement opportunities.
• Take charge of identifying opportunities for leveraging AI and technology to streamline workflows and increase efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or paralegal certification from an accredited program.
• Minimum of 5 years' experience as a transactional paralegal, with significant focus on contracts. Experience in a corporate environment a plus.
• In-depth knowledge of contract law, legal terminology, and best practices in contract management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills and meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Skilled ability to respond to changing priorities as urgent matters arise.
• Willingness to embrace and learn new technologies, including AI tools, to enhance legal operations and drive process improvements.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in a corporate legal department or law firm environment.
• Familiarity with contract management software and digital workflow tools.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively across teams.