The team advise on a broad range of commercial clients on a variety of contentious commercial issues; including general commercial disputes, protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights, defending against infringement actions, managing reputations, take-downs and dealing with contentious employment issues among other areas. The team has a particular specialisation in the area of injunctive remedies, disclosure and search orders.
We are looking to recruit a Personal Assistant into the Belfast team, supporting a mix of Partners and Associates. The work is a mix of contentious and non-contentious Secretarial support.
Key Responsibilities
* Excellent client communication skills, dealing with them efficiently and appropriately - liaising with them to deal with any queries or issues if able to.
* Dealing with confidential and private matters on behalf of allocated Partners and Associates.
* Ensuring sensitivity and confidentiality when dealing with clients and colleagues when appropriate.
* Coordinating billing/credit control and accounting matters relating to clients of allocated Partners and Associates, including reviewing WIP, raising draft pro formas, running small client billing projects and assisting credit control with chasing clients for payment of unpaid bills as required.
* Dealing with general admin duties as required, printing, copying, organising client meetings/lunches; booking seminars and assisting with travel arrangements etc.
* Answering the telephone in a helpful and professional manner, dealing with queries if able and ensuring messages are taken accurately and dealt with appropriately.
* Maintenance of allocated Partners and Associates' diaries, liaising with them on a regular basis to discuss forthcoming appointments and any required arrangements.
* Scheduling internal and external meetings, ensuring that all arrangements are in place and any required materials and documentation are prepared in good time.
* Drafting own correspondence as appropriate and producing fast and accurate audio/copy typing, producing documents, letters, emails and memos from time to time.
* Maintaining appropriate e-filing systems and ensuring e-filing is carried out.
* Managing fee earners’ inbox as required.
* Pro-active approach to ensuring that all administration work is completed on a timely basis, using own initiative to pre-empt matters.
* Taking an active part in developing own role and working to provide increasing support for allocated Partners and Associates - ensuring suitable training is undertaken.
* Assisting with marketing activities including liaising with Marketing team and assisting with the preparation for seminars and other events as required
* Pro-actively ensuring database of clients and contacts is maintained and reviewed.
* Assisting with workload of secretarial colleagues as required.
You will have a professional manner, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and have previous experience working within an office. You’ll have a flexible nature and will enjoy working within a fast-paced team, and will be highly organised. You’ll also possess strong numeracy and attention to detail skills, which will be key within this role. We are looking for someone who is passionate about being a team player, who is keen to support others.
Previous experience of having worked in a Commercial Litigation environment is preferable, and must display a professional manner and first-class communication skills. They should be highly organised with excellent administration and mathematical skills, juggling the demands of a mix of fee earners, and be able to perform under pressure. They will be able to demonstrate a pro-active approach to their work and be able to work on their own initiative.
They must enjoy working in an involved team environment and be keen to guide and motivate others within the team. They will need to have a flexible nature and a co-operative and willing attitude.
Our ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate:
* Excellent typing skills (at least 70 wpm audio/copy typing).
* Good eye for detail - a high level of accuracy is essential.
* Excellent organisational and administration skills - must be highly organised and able to organise others.
* Ability to manage a heavy workload and support a number of people.
* Ability to work to tight deadlines in a pressurised environment.
* A confident and natural communicator - able to communicate at all levels.
* Enjoyment of client contact and involvement.
* Experience of using all office equipment.
* Team player and enthusiastic - flexible and willing to take on extra responsibilities.
* Proficient IT skills - Office 365, Word, Elite, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, DocsCorp PDF Docs, Word Compare (DocsCorp CompareDocs), Document Management System (Netdocs), Interaction, Chrome River - although full in-house training will be provided.
At Lewis Silkin our ethos is simple. We strive to do the best for our clients, our people and the communities in which we operate. We recognise that an inclusive workplace allows for all kinds of ideas and thoughts, a variety of points of view that can trigger discussions or deliver innovative results, and a wide range of versatile skills and expertise. We are proud of the diversity within Lewis Silkin and of our culture that allows people to be themselves at work, ensuring we provide the best possible service to our clients. We are committed to supporting candidates throughout the recruitment process by supporting anyone who requires adjustments, in order to ensure they have the opportunity to perform at their best. All applicants will be considered equally and fairly. If you’d like to request any adjustments throughout the recruitment process, or would like to discuss flexible working patterns, please email the recruitment team in confidence (recruitment@lewissilkin.com).
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