Shakespeare Martineau – Leicester, City of Leicester
Client Assistant - Private Client
Location: Leicester – based within the office at least 3 days each week
The opportunity
For this role you will act as a trusted liaison between the fee earners and our clients as well as communicating with our central teams internally to facilitate smooth and efficient outcomes for the team. Working as part of a large and friendly team providing assistance to the private client team you will be assisting with the following:
1. Key point of contact on behalf of the Private Client team
2. Assist fee earners in progressing client files, including speaking to clients, passing on correspondence, and organizing meetings with clients and other professionals.
3. Initial client liaison in person and over the telephone, providing detailed notes of their enquiries and tracking ongoing progress.
4. Arrange appointments with clients and provide comprehensive ongoing updates.
5. Conduct land registry, bankruptcy, and lawyer check searches.
6. Make regular telephone/email communication with professional bodies.
7. Arrange invoice payments and prepare cheques for onward submission.
8. Draft regular correspondence to investment managers, auditors, clients, and charitable organizations regarding ongoing trust matters.
9. Prepare payments to beneficiaries.
10. Prepare Wills, Codicils, Lasting Powers of Attorney, and other ancillary documents.
11. Basic account reconciliation within Excel for Estate and Trust Accounts.
12. Draft client contract letters and initial letters for probate files.
13. Collate information for fee earners ahead of client meetings.
14. Manage filing and file management, including retrieval of physical files and electronic filing.
15. Update Aderant and case management systems.
16. Manage diaries for senior fee earners, scheduling team meetings.
17. Record expected payments and claim unreferenced payments.
18. Engross Wills and ancillary legal documents.
19. Liaise with paralegals and other team members to ensure matters are progressed.
20. Support fee earners in other office hubs where needed, both remotely and in person if required.
What you'll need
1. Previous legal secretarial or office administrative experience within a Private Client team or legal/professional services environment.
2. Organized and methodical approach.
3. Confidence with IT systems, including Microsoft Word and Excel.
4. Ability to work well in a team and develop good working relationships with colleagues and clients.
5. Confident interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate clearly.
6. Highly enthusiastic, willing to go the extra mile.
7. Open to new ways of working and happy to challenge to drive improvements.
How we work
We embrace agile working and offer a blended approach to where and how we work. We appreciate that people have different needs and preferences, and we’re keen to be flexible. This role is a hybrid opportunity; however, due to the nature of the work, you will be predominantly office-based from our Leicester hub, with a minimum of 3 days in the Leicester office each week.
Additional information
Please be aware that for some vacancies, where we receive high numbers of applications, we may need to bring the close date forward. Confirmation of employment will be subject to various checks once an offer is accepted.
Equal opportunities
Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop, and retain talented people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
#J-18808-Ljbffr