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About the Role

The Research Specialist provides timely, cost-effective legal, business, and general research services to attorneys, paralegals, administrative departments, and firm leadership. This role supports practice, client development, and strategic initiatives by delivering accurate research, actionable analysis, current awareness, and guidance on the effective use of research resources.

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal, business, legislative, docket, public records, and general reference research using appropriate electronic and print resources.
• Respond to routine and complex research requests from attorneys, paralegals, administrative staff, and firm leadership with timely, accurate, and cost-conscious results.
• Support business development and client-service initiatives by preparing company profiles, market and industry research, litigation history, transaction research, and competitive intelligence reports.
• Create and maintain current awareness alerts and tracking services for legal, business, regulatory, litigation, client, and market developments.
• Train attorneys and staff on research strategy, source selection, tool functionality, best practices, and emerging technologies.
• Assess new legal research, business intelligence, data analytics, and generative AI tools, and recommend practical improvements to workflows and deliverables.
• Track, document, and close research requests using request-management and timekeeping systems.
• Perform regular computer-based work using online research platforms and communication by phone, email, and video.
• Occasional pre-approved overtime may be required.
• Serve on-call on a rotating basis to support research requests after normal business hours and on weekends and holidays.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; a combination of relevant education and professional experience may be considered.
• Minimum of two years of legal, business, corporate, academic, special library, or professional services research experience preferred; law firm experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated proficiency with major legal, business, news, docket, public records, and financial research resources, including platforms such as Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, VitalLaw, PACER, CourtLink, Capital IQ, FactSet, and Intelligize.
• Excellent analytical, writing, editing, communication, and client service skills, with the ability to convert complex information into practical insights.
• Sound professional judgment, discretion, attention to detail, and ability to manage competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with research colleagues, attorneys, practice groups, administrative departments, and other stakeholders.
• Technical proficiency with Microsoft Office, collaboration tools, workflow systems, and approved emerging technologies, including responsible use and validation of generative AI tools.
• Commitment to staying current with legal industry trends, research best practices, and information-resource developments.

Skills

• Westlaw
• Lexis
• Bloomberg Law
• VitalLaw
• PACER
• CourtLink
• Capital IQ
• FactSet
• Intelligize
• Microsoft Office
• Generative AI tools

Location

• Chicago
• Denver
• Sacramento
• New York
• San Francisco
• Silicon Valley
• Washington, D.C.
• Los Angeles

Work Type

• Full-time
• On-call

Experience Level

• Minimum of two years of legal, business, corporate, academic, special library, or professional services research experience preferred
• Law firm experience strongly preferred

Education Level

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Law degree, Master of Library/Information Science degree, or equivalent advanced degree preferred

Salary/Compensations

• Chicago, Denver and Sacramento: The anticipated full-time annualized salary range is $82,987 - $103,734
• New York, San Francisco and Silicon Valley: The anticipated full-time annualized salary range is $90,530 - $113,163
• Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles: The anticipated full-time annualized salary range is $86,758 - $108,448

Benefits

• Health and wellness plan
• Life and disability insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• Health savings account
• 401(k) plan
• Profit sharing plan
• Substantial Paid Time Off (PTO) program

About the Company

• King & Spalding is a leading global law firm with a commitment to excellence, innovation, and the seamless delivery of legal services.
• We harness innovative technology and exceptional talent to meet the complex needs of our clients in a fast-paced and dynamic legal landscape.
• We are proud of our remarkably cohesive culture, which now encompasses more than 2,500 lawyers and business professionals worldwide.
• We seek to attract and develop the very best talent to work with us.

Equal Opportunity

• Qualified candidates with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the following laws if applicable: City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act.
• King & Spalding LLP (K&S) is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees in full compliance with all state, federal, and local laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, age, disability or any other status protected by applicable law.