Description

Caring for the world, one person at a time has inspired and united the people of Johnson & Johnson for over 125 years. We embrace research and science -- bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well-being of people.

With $93.8 billion in 2021 sales, Johnson & Johnson is the world's most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products, as well as a provider of related services, for the consumer, pharmaceutical, and medical devices markets. Employees of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies work with partners in health care to touch the lives of over a billion people every day, throughout the world.

Thriving on a diverse company culture, celebrating the uniqueness of our employees and committed to inclusion. Proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

The Johnson & Johnson Global Legal Organization is hiring an experienced Product Liability Paralegal to join its team. The Product Liability Paralegal will report directly to a Litigation Senior Counsel. This position will be based out of the New Brunswick, NJ office.

Responsibilities:

• Act as a liaison between in-house counsel, outside counsel and affiliate companies.
• Consult, assist, and coordinate with in-house counsel on all aspects of case management including:

• Conducting case assessments;
• Responding to third party inquires and subpoenas;
• Overseeing discovery responses, updates, and deadlines;
• Gathering and compiling case materials;
• Drafting and revising correspondence and other litigation documents;
• Interviewing clients for relevant case information; and
• Reviewing invoices and managing litigation costs.

• Manage and evaluate claims under the direction of an attorney.

• Conduct research and resolve routine legal questions under the direction of an attorney.
• Perform diverse and complex legal tasks within specialty area to best serve business needs.
• Provide training and reports relating to specialty area to employees, outside counsel, governmental agencies and third parties.
• Negotiate with and direct outside entities, which may include outside counsel, local and international governmental agencies (including law enforcement), representatives of other companies within the industry, trade associations and other parties as needed.
• Ensure compliance with corporate reporting requirements.
• Identify and coordinate interaction with key players (i.e., witnesses, document custodians, consultants, and experts).
• Educate outside counsel on corporate relationships, product information and company logistics.
• Research parties as needed.
• Accept service of legal documents and ensure that proper service of legal documents has been effected for various corporate entities.
• Recommend and work on improvements to company practices and processes.
• Attend mediations, court conferences and trials.
• Duties specifically relating to discovery include:

• Overseeing collection of records and other information for dissemination to outside counsel;
• Reviewing complaints/subpoenas to identify pertinent document categories to preserve;
• Drafting and issuing document hold notices to proper entities;
• Providing guidance to Records Managers;
• Fielding inquiries from notice recipients;
• Considering privilege issues;
• Ensuring timely responses to discovery/subpoena demands;
• Ensuring appropriate timing for release of hold notices; and
• Ensuring database decommission occurs, when appropriate, as matters are resolved.

• Work with matter management and electronic document systems (LawManager and iManage Systems) to ensure case status and documentation is updated in a timely fashion.
• Analyze outside counsel and vendor bills, ensure adherence by outside counsel to billing and budgeting requirements, and audit outside counsel invoices to identify non-compliance with billing guidelines and enforce reductions.
• Review and monitor case budgets, including analysis of budget vs. spend.
• Draft and prepare complex legal documents, correspondence and pleadings related to litigation and non-litigation matters.

Qualifications

• A minimum of an Associate's Degree or a Paralegal certification is required; a Bachelor’s Degree is preferred.
• A minimum of 4-6 years of full-time experience as a litigation paralegal is required. In-house experience in a corporate Law Department is a plus.
• Experience with product liability litigation and internal/government/agency investigations is preferred.
• Prior claims management experience is preferred.

• Prior experience supporting a related industry (Pharmaceuticals or Medical Device) is a plus.
• Excellent writing, verbal and interpersonal communications skills are required.
• A high degree of accuracy and attention to detail is required.
• The ability to set priorities and work under pressure to meet time deadlines is required. Project management experience is preferred.
• Candidate must be a self-starter who is detail oriented, analytical, has strong organizational skills and the ability to work independently and as part of a group.
• Candidate must maintain a high degree of confidentiality and be able to interact effectively with clients, attorneys and other professionals.
• Experience with eDiscovery is required; experience specifically with “Relativity” eDiscovery databases is preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook and Excel) and database systems is required.
• Experience with matter Management Systems (such as LawManager, Team Connect, iManage, FileSite) is preferred.
• Must be able to be based in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Some travel on occasion may be required.

In accordance with applicable disclosure requirements, the anticipated base pay range for this position is $60,000- $96,600. The Company maintains highly competitive, performance-based compensation programs. Under current guidelines, this position is eligible for an annual performance bonus in accordance with the terms of the applicable plan. The annual performance bonus is a cash bonus intended to provide an incentive to achieve annual targeted results by rewarding for individual and the corporation’s performance over a calendar/performance year. Bonuses are awarded at the Company’s discretion on an individual basis.

Employees may be eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs such as health insurance, savings plan, pension plan, disability plan, vacation pay, sick time, holiday pay, and work, personal and family time off in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans. For additional general information on Company benefits, please go to: https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits

Johnson & Johnson is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

For more information on how we support the whole health of our employees throughout their wellness, career and life journey, please visit www.careers.jnj.com .