Legal Secretary

The Team

Client Relationship Management

• Become an active part in the care of clients and be wholly familiar with contacts/clients and dealing with basic client queries as appropriate.
• Manage the production of documents and check returned work produced by the Document Production team/speech recognition for accuracy/formatting before it is passed to the relevant Fee Earner.
• Taking and making client related calls, dealing with and handling message taking as appropriate.
• Liaise with clients and marketing team to provide support for scheduling tender meetings, directory interviews, client training etc.
• Manage Interaction and ensure new prospects, clients and contacts, activities and business development information are added.
• Responsible for keeping up to date with client specific protocols and processes, including regional variations, implementing, providing guidance and training to others where necessary and ongoing monitoring.

Administrative

• Responsible for keeping track of and assisting with files to be opened and closed via the Client Matter Intake Team (CMI) across the region and supervise general filing requirements and record keeping and production of engagement letters ensuring compliant at all times.
• Responsible for files to be opened, closed, and supervise general filing requirements and record keeping and production of engagement letters ensuring compliant at all times.
• Monitor and manage key dates for clients and ensure compliance procedures are up to date on all files and matters liaising with teams across the MEA region where required.
• Support fee earners in business development activities including the involvement in preparation of CVs, pitches, presentations, capability statements and client registration portals, scheduling meetings e.g. tenders, directories, internal clients.
• Work with Business Development Managers across the MEA region on the maintenance of CRM to ensure key client contacts are in Interaction and ‘bounce-backs’ e.g. contacts with rejected email addresses are reviewed, updated, or archived from system.
• Assisting in the organisation of internal and external events, seminars, and conferences (vulture).
• Manage diaries, ensuring they are up to date, anticipating requirements including cross-regional meetings, travel and coordination with regional stakeholders, e.g. associated travel/accommodation bookings, meeting rooms, drafting itineraries, preparing agendas, preparing, and circulating papers.
• Produce and maintain Excel spreadsheets as required.
• First point of contact for the team, dealing with queries and acting on initiative to provide exceptional client service, promoting and developing ownership within the teams.
• Arrange for the preparation and collation of internal sector newsletters and briefings.
• Arrange photocopying, printing, organising couriers, sending out letters, faxes etc.
• Receiving instructions via digital dictation for tasks and acting upon the same.
• Maintaining LinkedIn profile, updating connections and adding new activity.
• Arrange travel and accommodation, to prepare and produce and keep track of itineraries.
• Arrange restaurant bookings for Business Development and Client meetings.
• Maintain Fee Earner’s mailboxes and electronically file e-mails and documents.
• Deal with e-mails during Fee Earner’s absence from the office and to take appropriate action.
• Conduct ad hoc internet research.
• Update client/contact database on Outlook as well as on InterAction.
• Cover for other team members when required and capacity allows.

Communication

• Key point of contact for Fee Earners and Clients including coordination with regional and cross-regional counterparts across MEA to maintain relationships and ensure a high level of support is always provided by the team.
• Monitor post and/or emails and dealing with as appropriate ensuring all client related correspondence is passed on to an appropriate Fee Earner and actioned as necessary; proactively responding to and drafting responses on behalf of others, prioritising emails, collating necessary paperwork and e-filing.
• Liaising with and providing support to immediate colleagues in the department, and where practical across the MEA region as requested by Team Leader. Assisting others where there is spare capacity, or it is evident that a colleague needs assistance with their workload.
• Minute taking, following up designated actions to ensure completion ahead of the next meeting.
• Liaison with and taking direction from your Legal Support Manager.
• Liaise with the Legal Support Manager and Team Leader over any planned absences, arranging cover as necessary and communicating this to the relevant Fee Earners.

Financial

• Assisting Fee Earners with billing related tasks.
• Reviewing and updating time allocation and disbursements ensuring appropriate matter allocation.
• Request cheques, bank transfers, and paying in money received, as appropriate.
• Supporting the co-ordination of the WIP process.
• Dealing with matter related finance administration to include APRs, BACs, TTs.
• Processing expenses.

Processing

• Responsible for managing priorities and workloads to ensure deadlines are met. Liaising with Team Leader/Legal Support Managers where challenges arise.
• Responsible for managing the creation and maintenance of data rooms and client information in accordance with case milestones.
• Responsible for ensuring client and matter data is maintained and updated within appropriate systems, raising requests with the BAU team globally as appropriate.
• Online applications e.g. Companies House, Land Registry, Searchflow, CRU forms. Undertaking searches and completion of requisite forms and submission.
• Ensuring compliance with firm wide/department policies and procedures.

Customer Service

• Arranging and attending team meetings.
• Liaising with Fee Earners, Team Leaders, and Legal Support Managers locally and across the MEA region to take instruction and liaise on work requirements.
• Consistently and appropriately update service users on progress where appropriate.
• Regularly offer assistance wherever possible.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Advanced knowledge of document management/case management systems.
• An effective communicator with the ability to establish and build client relationships, striving to provide exceptional service at all times.
• Customer/client service focused.
• Proven experience of managing high level client facing tasks and priorities, with a hands-on, practical approach.
• Effective at investigating issues and seeing a problem through to conclusion.
• Conscientious, taking personal responsibility for own work and accountability for its delivery and quality.
• Excellent team player, sharing in team goals to provide excellent quality and efficiency of service, with a willingness to take on new responsibilities and challenges.
• Positive can-do attitude with the ability to adapt to change.
• Confidential and discreet but able to redirect information when appropriate to ensure areas of concern are resolved effectively.
• Well organised and methodical with excellent attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in all client communications and deliverables.

Technical Skills

• Experience of working in a legal or professional services environment.
• An aptitude for providing top level organisational support, anticipating support needs, producing documents and client communications of the highest standard.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office.

The Firm

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