The Paralegal - Contracts, M&A and Commercial Law position reports to Deputy General Counsel - Commercial Law. This position receives functional guidance from Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel (Litigation and Intellectual Property), and Deputy General Counsel (Compliance/Employment Law).
Job Dimensions
Provide support to commercial and patent attorneys and other personnel as requested.
Individual will anticipate needs, carry out policies, implement decisions and follow through with tasks.
Individual must stay current and proficient with the law in their practice area(s), particularly in the area of commercial law, M&A, protection of confidential information and attorney-client privilege.
Individual must be proficient with all department- technology tools provided.
Assist with the delivery of high quality, cost-effective legal services to the company.
Key Activities and Responsibilities
Paralegal support for confidential disclosure agreements including:
Drafting of CDAs in conformance with Arkema's internal guidelines
Review and editing of CDAs from third parties Review of CDAs for privilege, responsiveness, trade secrets/confidentiality
Drafting correspondence, memoranda, summaries and reports;
Working with attorneys on developing streamlined and efficient processing methods for CDAs
Preparing information for compliance issues
Substantial interface with corporate, plant and outside counsel staff
Database and spreadsheet design and management
Conducting legal, regulatory and non-legal research via Lexis Nexis, Westlaw and the Internet; conducting factual research
Tracking regulatory developments
Contract review and database entry
Legal invoice management
Paralegal support for M&A and commercial contracts
Work with M&A and commercial attorneys on due diligence matters, including review of documents, organizing and collecting documents, development of spreadsheets and summaries, responding to questions and requests for information and other tasks associated with M&A process
Assist attorneys in developing disclosure schedules
Assist in signing and closing of deal documents
Monitoring deal progress to ensure that internal deadlines are met and internal policies are complied with
Evaluate and organize documents for relevance and deal disclosures involving real estate, commercial contracts, intellectual property, environmental health and safety, corporate and regulatory compliance and other substantive areas
Assist attorneys with commercial contract issues of all types
Review and recommend activities, technologies and processes to enhance productivity and reduce costs.
Assist other Law department members with law department assignments and projects, including immigration work.
Context and Environment
Focuses on the delivery of high quality, cost-effective legal services to the Sr. Vice President & General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel (Commercial Law), Deputy General Counsel (Litigation and Intellectual Property), Deputy General Counsel (Compliance/Employment Law), commercial attorneys, and projects as assigned. The position requires knowledge of commercial and M&A contracts.
Supports the site HES policy and complies with all regulatory and internal requirements
Participates in HES activities provided by site management and Arkema Inc. (e.g., Behavioral Base Safety, SafeStart, etc.)
Supports and promotes the reporting of all health, safety, environmental, near-miss, accident or injury incidents
Bachelor's degree and/or paralegal certificate with 5+ years of paralegal experience in confidentiality agreements, M&A or commercial contract management, including computer databases and spreadsheets
Proficiency with case law research via the Internet, Lexis/Nexis and/or Westlaw.
Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, litigation management software; experience with CounselLink a plus
Proficiency in all forms of CDAs, M&A and/or commercial contracts
Business process knowledge: Legal, Business Administration and technology systems
Experience working with large scale commercial agreements
Demonstrated Competencies
Independent, self-motivated and flexible individual with strong communication skills and the ability to interface effectively with individuals at various levels, both within and outside the company
Delivers work and results both timely and with quality
Excellent grammar and spelling; accurate typing and proofreading
Ability to act with discretion in handling confidential information
Professional image and accountability for self and work
Ability to organize and prioritize tasks effectively and communicate timely with attorneys, manager, and team.
Intellectual curiosity - an interest in understanding and providing value in addition to quality
Building on its unique set of expertise in materials science, Arkema offers a portfolio of first-class technologies to address ever-growing demand for new and sustainable materials. With the ambition to become in 2024 a pure player in Specialty Materials, the Group is structured into three complementary, resilient and highly innovative segments dedicated to Specialty Materials - Adhesive Solutions, Advanced Materials, and Coating Solutions - accounting for some 80% of Group sales, and a well-positioned and competitive Intermediates segment. Arkema offers cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the challenges of, among other things, new energies, access to water, recycling, urbanization and mobility, and fosters a permanent dialogue with all its stakeholders. The Group reported sales of 8.7 billion ($9.7 billion) in 2019, and operates in 55 countries with 20,500 employees worldwide.
Arkema Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Arkema Inc. complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence.