Trust & Estate Paralegal

Location: La Mesa, CA
Salary: $75,000 - $95,000 DOE
Schedule: Monday-Friday | 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Top Three Things

1. 3+ years of Trust & Estate experience (Trust Administration, Probate, Estate Planning, and/or Conservatorships)
2. Intelligent, adaptable, and quick to learn
3. Stable career history demonstrating commitment and longevity

About the Opportunity

A well-established law firm in La Mesa is seeking an experienced Trust & Estate Paralegal to join its growing team. This position will primarily support the firm's Trust & Estates practice, with a strong emphasis on trust administration and probate administration matters. The ideal candidate is highly organized, proactive, and capable of independently managing matters from inception through completion while providing exceptional service to clients during sensitive life events.

Responsibilities

• Manage trust and probate administration matters from opening through final distribution and closure.
• Draft, prepare, and file probate, trust administration, and conservatorship pleadings.
• Assist with estate planning document preparation and related legal filings.
• Track deadlines, court requirements, and case progress to ensure matters move forward efficiently.
• Maintain organized case files and manage all aspects of case administration.
• Communicate with clients, beneficiaries, fiduciaries, courts, and third parties.
• Coordinate with attorneys to advance matters through the legal process.
• Support conservatorship proceedings as needed.
• Build positive relationships with clients, including elderly and special-needs individuals and their families.
• Utilize case management software and technology to monitor and organize active matters.

Qualifications

Required

• Minimum 3 years of recent paralegal experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Trust Administration
  • Probate
  • Estate Planning
  • Conservatorships
  • Family Law
• Experience drafting and filing trust, probate, and/or conservatorship documents.
• Knowledge of California Probate Code, court procedures, and filing requirements.
• Strong case management skills with the ability to independently handle matters from start to finish.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and time-management abilities.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and manage competing priorities.
• Strong attention to detail and proficiency with legal technology.

Preferred

• 3-5+ years of Trust & Estates experience.
• Conservatorship experience.
• Estate planning document preparation experience.
• Familiarity with Clio or other legal case management systems.
• Experience handling court-supervised estate administration matters.

Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be:

• Intelligent, adaptable, and eager to learn.
• Highly organized and proactive.
• Comfortable following established processes and procedures.
• Compassionate and professional when working with clients facing difficult personal or family circumstances.
• A collaborative team member who contributes positively to the firm's culture.
• Stable in their employment history, demonstrating reliability and long-term commitment in previous roles.