Legal PA - Dispute Resolution Litigation

Owen Reed are recruiting for a Legal PA to work with the Dispute Resolution Litigation team.

35 hours a week

Hybrid Working : 3 days in the office/2 days from home

Duties

Diary management:

•    Ensure client meeting clashes do not occur

•    Partners/fee earners have all the required materials for their client meetings

•    Arrange meetings on behalf of partners/fee earners/clients

•    Ensure business travel information is entered into calendars

•    File management responsibilities - Opening and closing files including ensuring electronic filing systems are maintained accurately and up to date

•    Mailbox management with the ability to prioritise, categorise and respond to basic client requests and draft responses accordingly

•    Monitoring and being the gatekeeper to fee-earners' mailbox in their absence

•    Communicate regularly with fee earners to ensure that both parties are clear on priorities and what is on the 'to do' list

•    To undertake limited typing i.e urgent short documents (digital and non-digital dictation)

•    Proactive client liaison including take messages, pass on information and deal with simple queries 

•    Pro-actively delegate work to the relevant secretarial resource e.g Document Production team, Practice Administration to ensure that PA time is maximised and the newly introduced model is being followed

Management and co-ordination of the Partners’ billing and financial requirements which includes:-

Proactive billing and credit control:

•    Check L360 to ensure that partners / fee earners time recording is up to date – remind where necessary and remind Partners / senior associates of final billing day for the month end

•    Liaise with Billing for Partner WIP reports - run WIP reports, distribute to Partners and chase Partners for client matters numbers for printing billing guides and draft invoices

•    Check with Partners/senior associates to ensure that all matters they want to invoice have been billed

•    Build an understanding of each client's different billing requirements to ensure that invoices are not rejected

•    Prepare specific draft billing narratives where required

•    Prepare draft letters/emails to accompany sensitive invoices, thank you letters etc.

•    Submit invoices on behalf of Partners and respond to clients on billing issues

•    Build relationships with Client PAs/accounts departments to ensure that billing issues are resolved quickly

Opening new clients:

•    Prepare and complete AML form for partner to sign

•    Pull together correct information required for AML

•    Liaise with client regarding additional information/documents required for AML

•    Send AML form to risk team for approval

•    Prepare Engagement letter for Partner to sign

•    Send Engagement letter to client on partner's behalf

•    Organisation of meeting agendas, presentations and meeting papers ensuring they are distributing to relevant fee earners to enable them to have adequate preparation time

Marketing Support:-

Photography

•    Liaise with Concierge to have new fee earner photos taken

•    Saving photos in correct house style and in appropriate Marketing filesite folders

Digital/Website

•    Uploading and updating content on the website including; creating lawyer profiles, blogs and briefing papers

•    Upload photography to fee earner profiles on the website

•    Upload files to the website to create links for hyperlinking in emails

•    Proof reading and hyperlinking keywords in the text to relevant target pages on all content added to the site

Bids

•    Collating and maintaining Master CVs for each fee-earner and sorting by partner, director and other grade

•    Updating bids credentials lists with matters from Chambers after each directories round

•    Credentials database – adding to it by practice and sector

•    Bidding library - adding to it by sector and sub-sector

•    Key information on Risk, Insurance, International and Financial

Business Development

•    InterAction – management of fee earners' contact data including recording BD activities, updating marketing lists, assisting with pipeline/opportunity updates

•    Collating information for expressions of interests and credentials documents

•    Providing About Us documents

•    Organising conference calls on behalf of the fee earners

•    Organising transport, accommodation and related documentation for international travel as required - produce itinerary as appropriate

•    Assisting with workload of team members within practice group and across the firm as required

•    Any additional ad hoc tasks as required

A bit about you

•    Legal Administrator experience

•    Ability to liaise with Courts and Counsel

•    Experience of producing court bundles (hard copies and soft copies) to a high standard. Time Recording using Evergreen

•    Must possess excellent diary management, organisation and prioritisation skills

•    Must be able to communicate effectively and build good relationships with clients and staff within the firm

•    Must work well as part of a team

•    Must be a competent, fast and accurate typist

•    Must be competent at producing legal documents to a high standard

•    Professional telephone manner and the ability to accurately record and pass on messages

•    Sound technical skills in the following areas: Microsoft Office IT skills – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook 

•    Proven document or case management skills 

•    Proven experience of using a legal computerised finance system

•    Proven experience of using a Client Relationship Management system