A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.
We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.
Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.
What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.
Role Purpose
The role of the Business Acceptance Unit is to review and advise Partners on client terms of engagement (including Outside Counsel Guidelines), as well as amendments to A&O Shearman standard terms of engagement.
This is a 3 month FTC Paralegal opportunity within the Engagement Terms Team (the ETT), within the BAU. It requires being a proactive member of the team with a general responsibility for providing administrative support to the ETT Legal Team, as well as providing support to other members of the BAU and the business more widely with engagement terms queries, responsibilities will also include:
1. Reporting to the Team Lead and supporting her and the and other In-House Lawyers (Terms/OCGs) in their reviews of client’s Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCG) and A&O own form Engagement Terms (Terms).
2. Supporting the Team Lead with some PA duties such as setting meetings, calendar maintenance and inbox management.
3. Managing the workload tracker for the team on a daily basis, maintaining a record of the team’s reviews and attending weekly meetings with the Team Lead to ensure this is kept up-to-date.
4. Managing the ETT calendar through organising meetings, booking office spaces when required and updating an annual leave calendar for the Team Lead when required to manage absence requests.
5. Assisting the Team Lead with research and detail orientated projects, managing communications across various A&O offices across the globe, maintaining progress trackers, taking ownership of all the administrative duties related to a project and taking care with the presentation of any documents.
6. Being flexible in undertaking your responsibilities and any others as required, for example in providing support to the ETT Paralegal team when so required in relation to other aspects of the ETT’s role.
Key requirements
7. Previous experience working in an legal administrative role is preferred but not essential.
8. Strong organisational skills coupled with demonstrable time management skills are essential.
9. Must be a proactive self-starter and maintain an agreeable attitude towards taking on challenging work within tight deadlines.
10. Proven IT skills and basic Excel and Word proficiency is essential.
Who we are looking for
11. Enthusiastic Team player
12. High level of initiative and willingness to learn
13. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
14. Excellent attention to detail