Job Specification: Executive Assistant - Corporate & Commercial
Role Overview
The Executive Assistant role is embedded within the Executive Support Services (ESS) team, which supports all business areas. Reporting to the office's Regional Executive Services Manager or Executive Services Team Leader, this position provides high-quality support to lawyers, leveraging available resources effectively. The role is situated within the firm's Corporate and Commercial National Service Line and involves collaboration with Document Production Specialists and Administration Assistants. Support is provided to seven fee earners.
Key Responsibilities
Clients
- Collaborate closely with assigned lawyers, enhancing client relationships by anticipating and addressing client needs, and maintaining comprehensive notes for ongoing items.
- Investigate issues to devise satisfactory solutions and recommend process improvements to enhance client experiences.
- Handle calls and queries professionally, ensuring timely and clear message delivery.
- Prepare and distribute agendas, itineraries, and meeting papers, ensuring all pending items are addressed for effective lawyer planning.
- Maintain client sites, National Service Line (NSL), and sector information on the firm's intranet, including relevant FELIX know-how.
Leadership
- Maintain composure and focus under pressure, seeking assistance when necessary.
- Champion new initiatives and adhere to firm policies and procedures, staying updated with communications, learning new skills to benefit the firm.
- Anticipate lawyer needs to reduce administrative tasks, actively assisting with business development and marketing initiatives.
- Deliver work with high experience, mentoring, coaching, or training others.
- Take responsibility for personal development, expanding knowledge of the team, National Service Line, and the broader business.
- Innovate by proposing new and improved ways of working.
Business Management
- Manage and maintain lawyer's diaries, including organising events/travel and resolving potential challenges.
- Monitor and manage lawyer's in boxes, responding to emails and filing appropriately to reduce email volume.
- Plan and manage work-flow, delegating tasks, and ensuring workload awareness of others.
- Handle all aspects of file administration, acting as the point of contact for lawyers, ensuring compliance with money laundering requirements, drafting engagement letters, and liaising with the Central Inception Team and Risk & Compliance.
- Maintain lawyer's CVs/biographies and complete lawyer submissions.
- Submit any necessary official forms to assist lawyers using relevant packages/websites or delegate appropriately.
Technical Excellence
- Demonstrate outstanding attention to detail, quality checking all work, and addressing issues before lawyer review.
- Possess excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office and other commonly used software and hardware.
- Manage payment of lawyer and NSL expenses, memberships, and subscriptions, utilising the Purchase Order system and preparing payments.
- Support lawyers with Interaction, delegating to Administrative Assistants, ensuring contact information is up-to-date, and assisting with business development activities.
- Use clear, logical, and structured communication in plain English.
- Adhere to all firm policies, procedures, and processes, including client service standards (CSS).
- Support the end-to-end billing process to assist lawyers.
Person Specification
To be successful in this challenging role, you will likely have:
- Experience in a similar role, such as a PA or Secretary, ideally within a similar environment.
- Experience providing support to multiple people, including diary management and arranging travel/events.
- Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office systems, particularly Outlook and Word.
Additionally, the role requires:
- Ability to work as part of a team and establish good working relationships at all levels.
- Excellent planning and organisational skills.
- Flexibility and willingness to work additional hours as needed.
- Outstanding client service skills.
- Clear and effective communication skills at all levels.
- Excellent presentation and attention to detail skills.
- Ability to remain calm under pressure.
Package
- 9am to 5pm - Monday to Friday
- £32K
- Hybrid working - 2/3 days office based.
Pre-employment Screening
If an offer is made, we will conduct pre-employment screening, including a basic DBS check, right to work verification, address verification, disciplinary history with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and a self-declaration to assess character and suitability for the role. Full details of our screening process are available upon request.
The closing date is next Wednesday 14 August
The Recruitment Co. is an equal opportunities employer and we're committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
This role is posted on behalf of The Recruitment Co., a sister company of Blue Arrow.