This position will contribute to the handling of the voluminous pending and current matters that are dealt with by Legal and Business Affairs, most particularly estates, levies, bankruptcies and subpoenas. This paralegal position will also significantly reduce the constant backlog of work and help maintain efficient, timely workflow.  Knowledge of legal issues, attention to detail, and multi-tasking will help Legal and Business Affairs maintain efficiency, reduce the amount of deferred royalties more quickly, improve affiliate relations and reduce legal risks to BMI.

FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB

• Receive and archive Estate Questionnaires, send acknowledgment letters to submitter and requests approval of withholds and assignment of matters.
• Review new Estate Questionnaires for sufficiency, determine and implement next steps to move each matter to conclusion by contacting heirs, gathering and analyzing documents and preparing successor agreements for review by attorney.
• Enter royalty hold onto decedents’ accounts in mainframe
• Process signed successor agreements so that workflow is directed to appropriate departments for record updates
• Follow-up legacy estate matters regularly so that enough information is received to permit drafting of successor agreement.
• Enter detailed notes on each handled new and pending estate matter in status database.
• Use websites and communication with writers, publishers and others to locate known but missing heirs
• Answer questions from heirs as to their royalty interests and relationship to BMI
• Return voice mail messages left on BMI Estate Line and emails sent to Estate mail box
• Analyze tax and judgment levies and writs of execution received by BMI for appropriate action and enter data into tracking database, prepare emails and correspondence regarding the levies and update BMI mainframe to reflect payee royalties
• Assist Associate Director in handling bankruptcy matters by preparing appropriate emails and/or memoranda and correspondence.
• Gather documents required to be produced under subpoenas served upon BMI
• Compose and type correspondence and answer phone calls
• Finalize advance and guarantee agreements drafted by Associate Director
• Interface with outside attorneys and affiliates regarding matters handled by the department.
• Prepare historic royalty reports for affiliates from database
• Research legal issues and assist with special projects
• Prepare various schedules of song titles or royalty earnings in response to attorney request
• Review legal documents for compliance with BMI's requirements
• Prepare cover sheets for imaging of department legacy files

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS 

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent preferred.  Paralegal certification.
• Minimum 1 to 2 years experience as a paralegal in a law firm or corporation. Some familiarity with principles of copyright law.  Familiarity with estate, tax and bankruptcy laws a plus.
• Expertise in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel and Outlook
• Facility of computer use and quick study in new applications
• Superior writing and drafting skills
• Ability to handle many high-volume matters simultaneously and reprioritize matters instantly if needed
• Pleasant demeanor and phone personality
• Ability to work independently and responsibly with regard for workflow needs
• Ability to research legal matters quickly and accurately
• Ability to work well with colleagues in a small department
• Ability to deal politely but firmly with persistent callers

  LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BMI TEAM!  SEE OUR VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/tqocYocXNGU

Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), a global leader in music rights management since 1939, seeks team members who value the creation of music and will deliver excellent service both internally and externally to our more than 700,000 affiliated songwriters, composers and publishers and the businesses that play their music. BMI has the privilege of representing the most award-winning repertoire of music created by the industry’s biggest names in all genres of music. By distributing the licensing fees from businesses that use music as royalties to our affiliated songwriters, composers and music publishers in compliance with copyright law, BMI helps ensure that they can continue to pursue their creative livelihoods.