Senior Paralegal

Paralegal III (Senior Paralegal) - Commercial Transactions Group Primary Location: Washington, DC Additional Office Locations: Tysons Corner, VA | Rockville, MD (Hybrid - expected to work in-office 2 days/week at any of these three locations) Pay Rate: $50.00 - $65.00 per hour Engagement Type: Full-time (40 hours/week) Contractor (Initial 6-month term with potential for conversion to a full-time employee role) Position Summary FINRA's Commercial Transactions Group (CTG) within the Office of General Counsel is seeking an experienced Paralegal III (Senior Paralegal) to provide high-level commercial contracting support. Working under the supervision of CTG attorneys, you will support a high-volume commercial contracting practice by managing assignments independently, applying established contracting guidance, communicating effectively with legal and business stakeholders, and exercising sound judgment regarding issue escalation. This role is designed to add immediate operational capacity while improving the speed, consistency, and quality of contract intake, review, processing, execution, and recordkeeping. The ideal candidate is comfortable using Microsoft 365 tools, conducting initial reviews of routine agreements against approved forms/guidance, and utilizing approved artificial intelligence tools responsibly to support contracting workflows. You will collaborate effectively with two other CTG paralegals to support the overall workflow of the group. Key Responsibilities * Contract Management & Workflow: Support business users and CTG attorneys with end-to-end processing of commercial agreements in FINRA's contract management system, including workflow monitoring, signature coordination, status updates, and contract record maintenance. * Agreement Review & Drafting: Conduct initial reviews of routine agreements (such as NDAs) and other designated form agreements using approved templates, playbooks, fallback positions, and escalation criteria. Draft and revise amendments, order forms, exhibits, schedules, notices, and routine legal correspondence. * Document Integrity: Proofread, edit, format, compare, and finalize contracts and other legal documents through execution with strict attention to accuracy, consistency, version control, and document integrity. * Stakeholder Coordination: Partner with attorneys, internal business clients, vendors, procurement personnel, and other stakeholders to track open items, gather information, support timely reviews, and move transactions to completion. * Negotiation Support: Participate in contract negotiations within the scope directed by supervising attorneys, including tracking issues and incorporating approved revisions. * AI & Workflow Automation: Utilize approved AI-enabled and automation tools to accelerate contracting tasks (e.g., document comparison, issue identification, clause extraction, summarization, drafting support, and workflow triage) while validating outputs and protecting confidential information. * Knowledge & Process Management: Assist in maintaining contract templates, clause libraries, review checklists, playbooks, knowledge resources, and standard operating procedures (SOPs). * Reporting & Quality Control: Help identify incomplete records, aging matters, workflow bottlenecks, recurring negotiation issues, and process improvement opportunities. * IP & Research: Provide administrative/paralegal support for FINRA's trademark and copyright portfolios as requested. Conduct legal and factual research on commercial, corporate, and IP matters, providing concise summaries for attorney review. * Mission Alignment: Demonstrate FINRA's values and collaborate effectively in person and virtually in furtherance of FINRA's mission of investor protection and market integrity. Required Qualifications * Education: Bachelor's degree, paralegal certificate, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. * Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of legal office experience as a paralegal or contracts professional, with meaningful experience supporting commercial transactions. * Contract Expertise: Proven track record reviewing, drafting, and processing a variety of commercial agreements. * Communication & Organization: Outstanding writing, editing, proofreading, organizational, and professional communication skills. * Task Management: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple assignments, follow established review guidance, meet tight deadlines, maintain accurate records, and escalate issues appropriately. * Technical Skills: Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications (Word, Outlook, Excel, Teams, SharePoint). * AI Fluency: Practical fluency with AI tools used in a professional setting, including the ability to formulate effective prompts, assess and verify outputs, recognize tool limitations, and adhere to strict security, privacy, and confidentiality standards. Preferred Qualifications * CLM Tools: Experience with the Icertis Contract Intelligence platform or another enterprise Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system. * Structured Review: Prior experience working from contract templates, clause libraries, negotiation playbooks, and defined escalation protocols. * In-House / Procurement Experience: Prior experience supporting a high-volume in-house commercial legal team or procurement contracting function. * Intellectual Property: Familiarity with trademark and copyright matters. * Contract Tech: Prior experience using approved generative AI, contract analytics, document comparison, or workflow automation tools in a legal environment. Work Conditions * Hybrid Work Environment: Expected to work from a FINRA office two days per week. Candidates may report to the Washington, DC , Tysons Corner, VA , or Rockville, MD office. * Hours: Standard 40 hours per week; occasional extended hours may be required based on transaction deadlines. Equal Opportunity Employer: Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, National Origin, Age, Genetic Information, Disability, Protected Veteran Status, or any other legally protected group status. At Randstad, we welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview experience a great one, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io. Pay offered to a successful candidate will be based on several factors including the candidate's education, work experience, work location, specific job duties, certifications, etc. In addition, Randstad offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: medical, prescription, dental, vision, AD&D, and life insurance offerings, short-term disability, and a 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility). This posting is open for thirty (30) days.