Job Description
Role: Legal PA- Dispute Resolution/Litigation (Perm)
Hours: 9:30 to 5:30 (Hybrid)
Salary: Competitive
Location: Manchester
Duties & Responsibilities
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 InTapp time 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
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
Other:
* Support with the opening of new clients with the firm's client onboarding platform, InTapp Intake.
Experience and Knowledge
* Legal PA experience
* Ability to liaise with Courts and Counsel
* Experience of producing court bundles (hard copies and soft copies) to a high standard.
* Time Recording
* Excellent diary management, organisation and prioritisation skills
* Communicate effectively and build good relationships with clients and staff within the firm
* Must work well as part of a team
* Competent, fast and accurate typist
* 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