Job Description

Legal Secretary - P&CR Manchester
Department: Professional and Commercial Risk
Employment Type: Permanent
Location: Manchester
Description
Working as part of a team, you will be required to provide an excellent standard of secretarial support to the Commercial Dispute Resolution team. You will also be required to provide support across the other practice groups in Professional & Commercial Risk as and when required. Working individually and as a team to act as a point of contact for lawyers and to ensure the effective completion of their work, as well as undertaking a variety of secretarial tasks (as listed below). Provide a high quality, comprehensive workflow management and organisational service to lawyers in the group and exceptional client service.
Key Responsibilities
Client Relationship Management

• Responsible for keeping up to date with client specific protocols and processes and implementing.

Administrative

• Handle outgoing correspondence including electronic communications.
• Create new case files as appropriate.
• Prepare and create client reports and documents for fee earners.
• Collate enclosures for outgoing correspondence, instructions to Counsel, experts etc using electronic bundling and encryption software.
• General knowledge of case management systems.
• Email management - filing, saving, locating, deleting, responding where applicable and referring incoming mail to others as necessary and managing Inbox on behalf of colleagues as and when required.
• Print, file, photocopy, scan, fax and archive documents as and when required.
• Ensure that client contact information is kept up to date.
• Update document bundles for fee earners.
• Using OneDrive, Sharefile and Client Connect for the safe exchange of client information.
• Keep case files organised and logical.
• Assist with incoming billing and accounts queries.
• Answer and make telephone calls.
• Book client meeting.
• Assist with the planning and booking of travel arrangements.
• Assist with ad-hoc business development and communications activities e.g. client contact reports, delegate packs etc.
• Assist in organising client events as and when required.
• Maintain a level of individual knowledge required for the role.

• Occasional preparation of correspondence and documents from digital dictation.
• Help maintain a clean office and clear desk.
• Handle confidential information in line with the firms data security protocols.
• Assisting the Team Partner/Austrian Honorary Consul with the Austrian Consulate. Answering telephone calls, arranging face to face appointments with Austrian citizens and their families.
• Assisting with appointments for clients who are applying for children's passports, criminal record checks and proof of life applications.

Communication

• Key point of contact for lawyers to maintain relationships and ensure a high level of support is always provided by the team.
• Monitor post and/or emails and dealing with as appropriate ensuring all client related correspondence is passed on to an appropriate lawyer and actioned as necessary; proactively responding to and drafting responses on behalf of others, prioritising emails, collating necessary paperwork and e-filing.
• Liaising with and providing support to their immediate colleagues in the department, and where practical, other legal and support departments as requested by STL. Assisting others where there is spare capacity or it is evident that a colleague needs assistance with their workload.
• Answering phone calls for other members of the team when they are away from their desk.
• Liaison with and taking direction from your STL.
• Liaise with the STL over any planned absences, arranging cover as necessary and communicating this to the relevant lawyers.

Financial

• Assisting lawyers with billing related tasks.
• Log with accounts expert/counsel disbursements onto Chrome River and ensuring appropriate matter allocation.
• Request cheques, bank transfers, and paying in money received, as appropriate.
• Supporting the co-ordination of the WIP process.
• Dealing with matter related finance administration to include BACs, TTs etc.
• Dealing with submission of fee earner expenses.
• Take ownership of billing and account queries and work with fee earners and support teams to resolve these.
• Maintain spreadsheets and assist with monthly MI report completion.

Customer Service

• Arranging and attending team meetings.
• Liaising with lawyers, STLs and Secretarial Managers (SM) to take instruction and liaise on work requirements.
• Consistently and appropriately update service users on progress where appropriate.
• Regularly offer assistance wherever possible.

Firm wide

• Understands DAC Beachcroft is an international firm. Works with awareness of this structure to operate as one team/brand.
• Actively operates in the best interests of the firm at all times internally and externally.
• Operates in a regulated environment, effectively managing risk and compliance issues including data security.
• Works in partnership with others to manage and mitigate commercial risk.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Experience of working in a legal or professional services environment.
• An aptitude for managing multiple priorities, producing documents and client communications of the highest standard.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Advanced knowledge of document management/case management systems.
• An effective communicator with an excellent customer and client service approach; striving to provide exceptional service at all times.
• Customer/client service focused.
• Proven experience of managing client facing tasks and priorities, with a hands-on, practical approach.
• Effective at investigating issues and seeing a problem through to conclusion.

• Conscientious, taking personal responsibility for own work and accountability for its delivery and quality.
• Excellent team player, sharing in team goals to provide excellent quality and efficiency of service, with a willingness to take on new responsibilities and challenges.
• Positive can-do attitude with the ability to adapt to change.
• Confidential and discreet but able to redirect information when appropriate to ensure areas of concern are resolved effectively.
• Well organised and methodical with excellent attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in all client communications and deliverables.

Skills Required