Legal Secretary EPI North bei DAC Beachcroft
DAC Beachcroft · Manchester, Vereinigtes Königreich · Hybrid
- Junior
- Optionales Büro in Manchester
Working as part of a team, you will be required to provide an excellent standard of secretarial support to a team of fee earners (including those with senior management responsibilities) across the EPI practice area in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle. You will also be required to provide support across the other practice groups 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,implementing, providing guidance and training to others where necessary and ongoing monitoring.
Administrative:
- Providing a first class client-facing service, liaising positively with clients and their support staff over the phone, email and in person, and building relationships as appropriate.
- Effective prioritisation and ownership of tasks whilst managing a full workload.
- Supporting Manchester Leeds and Newcastle teams during secretarial absences, in particular covering non-work days.
- Assisting with Client MI reports on a monthly basis
- Helping to set up new clients by getting Company reports, Creditsafe reports etc and completing New Client Administration Forms.
- Creating and editing spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations, making the most of available technology and showing appropriate creativity to maximise professional impact of documentation.
- Amending documents, proof reading and creating comparisons to highlight changes.
- Handle outgoing correspondence including electronic communications and encryption of documents using secure data transmission methods in line with client requirements.
- Manage/General knowledge of external Client's case management system including adding outgoing correspondence and associated documentation on
behalf of fee earners. - Collate enclosures for outgoing correspondence, instructions to Counsel, experts etc using electronic bundling and encryption software.
- General knowledge of case management system including running ad hoc documents.
- Use Outlook for reminders and tasks to ensure that all bring-forward matters and important dates are highlighted.
- Schedule appointments (both internally and externally) using the electronic diary.
- Liaise with external parties regarding enclosures/encryption/discs/assisting with use of secure systems and supply passwords.
- Email management – filing, saving, locating, deleting, responding where applicable and referring incoming mail to others as necessary and managing Inbox on behalf of fee earners and 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.
- Create, update and review document bundles for fee earners using the bundling software.
- Keep case files organised and logical.
- Assist with incoming billing and accounts queries.
- Answer and make telephone calls generally as well as managing calls received from the various helplines.
- Book client and internal meetings.
- 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.
- 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.
Communication:
- Key point of contact for lawyers to maintain relationships and ensure a high level of support is always provided by the team.
- Share knowledge within the team relating to any changes within external client set ups e.g. client contacts leaving/joining the client etc.
- Regularly liaising with fee earners within your group and your STL to keep them updated as to workflows; ensure you keep the fee earners updated re deadlines
for work. - 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.
- Advising accounts/IT of any change of address/telephone numbers/change of name of any external client so that databases are updated.
- 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:
- Providing billing, cash collection and accounts support to fee earners, including monthly invoice generation and, where appropriate, arranging for invoices to be
submitted via e-billing, monitoring work-in-progress and tracking paid/outstanding invoices. - Assisting with incoming billing, cash collection and accounts queries and liaising with external and internal support teams to resolve issues quickly and effectively.
- Assist fee earners in all matter financial management and disciplines.
- Working with Finance to ensure client balances are dealt with, bills are sent out promptly and that debt is proactively kept on top off. Where necessary, attend monthly meetings with the fee earners and Finance and take forward actions agreed from those meetings.
- Reviewing and updating time allocation and disbursements 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.
- Processing expenses
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.
- Involvement in projects and pilots to test systems and advise on how the various projects and/or new systems will integrate into the teams.
- 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.
- Well organised and methodical with excellent attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in all client communications and deliverables. An excellent eye for detail with a concern for quality and accuracy.
- A focused client service approach is essential.
- An effective communicator with an excellent customer and client service approach; striving to provide exceptional service at all times.
- Team oriented and collaborative with a flexible, can-do attitude with the ability to adapt to change.
- 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.
- Proven experience of managing client facing tasks and priorities, with a handson, 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. - Ability to communicate clearly and concisely orally and in writing.
- Good working knowledge of 3E accounts software.
- Confidential and discreet but able to redirect information when appropriate to ensure areas of concern are resolved effectively.
