We are looking for Legal Secretary to join our Corporate Team in Aberdeen. About us CMS is a Future Facing firm with more than 80 offices in over 45 countries and 5,800 lawyers worldwide. We combine deep local market understanding with a global perspective. We are passionate about building strong relationships with our clients, our people, and the communities we work in. We take a bold, dynamic, and agile approach to ensure our clients are able to face the future with confidence. We are driven by emerging technologies such as generative AI and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of working. Our aim is to inspire, impact and support our clients and our people, helping them to maximize their potential and thrive. About the role We are looking for a Legal Secretary to join our Corporate Team in Aberdeen to provide a high-quality and efficient secretarial service to Partners, fee-earners and trainee solicitors. Reporting directly to the Secretarial Services Manager, your focus will be on efficiently managing your own workload and being proactive with the ability to work on your own initiative. Reporting directly to the Office Manager and Partners on a day to day basis, responsibilities will include: Organisation: • Complex diary management using own initiative to arrange meetings and conference calls and liaising with other secretaries/external clients during partner absence • Comprehensive e-mail management – checking, prioritising and summarising e-mails on a daily basis and dealing with correspondence where necessary • Collating documentation for meetings and circulating agendas in advance; carrying out research as may be required • Making travel arrangements as required and preparing itineraries • Booking video/conference calls, meeting rooms and required refreshments, and lunch and dinner reservations • Booking attendance at conferences/seminars (including national and international travel) and organising trip itineraries • and logistics • Dealing with all aspects of client and matter opening • Taking a proactive approach to building relationships with clients and their secretaries in a professional manner • Organisation of any team socials and other events as may be required Documents/Correspondence: • Managing the workflow to DDC, Print Room etc as required; proactively taking steps to ensure work is returned within required timescales • Amending and formatting agreements/documents as required • Short pieces of copy-typing and digital dictation as required • Carrying out PDF to Word conversions and vice versa • Document comparisons • Production of short, less complex PowerPoint presentations as required • Production of engrossed documents including the collation of any required annexures • Proof-reading of all documents to ensure the delivery of work of the highest quality • Any general correspondence as may be required from time to time • Other ad hoc duties Support of other functions/activities: • Insertion of business contact cards into Outlook and Centric • Processing fee-earner expenses on Chrome River in a timely manner • Working with the Business Development Team as required, to include helping produce tenders, credential sheets, • events, pitches etc • Managing and organising small events • Completing Finance Forms/assisting with billing tasks • Assisting wider Aberdeen secretarial/admin team on ad hoc basis with varied office tasks Relationship Building/Internal Networking: • Attending team meetings About you We will invest in your ongoing training and development to support your professional goals and help you to thrive in your role from day one. Our opportunities are open to all suitably qualified applicants, so to be considered for this role, you must meet the following skills and experience: Qualifications & Experience • Previous experience of working within a busy Corporate environment is essential • Excellent client care skills – the ability to deal with queries from internal and external clients in a professional and polite manner • Excellent organisational skills – the ability to take responsibility for own tasks and prioritise work in a calm and efficient manner • Highly developed time management skills – the ability to work to very tight deadlines while maintaining a high standard of accuracy • Highly developed communications skills – the ability to communicate in a confident and professional manner with people at all levels within the business • Demonstrate flexibility/adaptability in meeting internal and external clients’ demands – in both the nature of the work undertaken and working additional hours as required to complete the task(s) • Reliable with a strong work ethic and a ‘can-do’ approach Skills & Knowledge • High levels of IT literacy in Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel (although more complex and/or lengthy documents are likely to be undertaken by others in dedicated roles) • Highly developed administrative skills with the ability to multi-task under pressure What’s in it for you? We want to reward you today and help you plan for tomorrow. We appreciate that everyone is different, therefore we have designed a benefits system that offers choice and flexibility based on individual needs and lifestyles. To name a few, these include: • Competitive basic salary (reviewed annually) • Generous bonus scheme • Up to 25 days holiday (rising to 28 days with service) • Holiday exchange scheme • Private medical insurance • Enhanced parental leave • Reasonable adjustments and accommodation for disabled talent in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. If you would like to read more information regarding our range of benefits, please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website. Equal opportunities At CMS, we place diversity and inclusion at the centre of our culture and the heart of our organisation. As a firm we recognise, celebrate, and embrace the diverse talent our society has to offer because we know that to solve big problems, we need the best and brightest minds available to us. In support of this goal, we commit to actively breaking down barriers which stand in the way of those from diverse backgrounds and play our part in levelling the playing field. As a Future Facing Firm, we strongly believe that a career in law should be open to people from all walks of life, because not only does diversity of thought and experience make our firm a stronger and more sustainable business, but it also makes it a more rewarding place to work. When recruiting, we prioritise attracting talented people and we actively promote a flexible working environment which enables all our team members to thrive. If you see a role you are interested in, but don’t feel you meet 100% of the criteria we encourage you to still consider making an application. We also welcome applications from those who may be looking to return to the workforce after a career break. We are proud to say our leadership in creating an inclusive working culture has been celebrated and recognised externally, including being listed for a number of years in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women and the Social Mobility Index. We are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer, and we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment process and in every element of the employee life cycle. If you require assistance, or if you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements or adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please contact Becky Lowe at TalentAcquisitioncms-cmno.com who will be happy to support you. Ready to apply? Here are the next steps. We look forward to receiving your application online via the CMS careers site. Please contact our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. Please note that we have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted. LI-DH1