Lead Paralegal - Personal Injury (Hybrid)

Engage Personnel; Sydney; On-site; AUD 40,000 - 65,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Home office allowance

Wellbeing program

Job summary

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer in Sydney is seeking an experienced Legal Assistant to join the Corporate Financial Services team on a part-time, parental leave contract through September 2027. The role supports two Partners and two Senior Associates within a busy Financial Services practice.

It operates on a fixed schedule (Mon–Wed) as part of a job-share arrangement with another Legal Assistant, requiring strong diary management, client service and the ability to handle competing priorities

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience as a Legal Assistant or senior legal support professional in a legal or professional services environment.
• Proven experience supporting senior stakeholders with sound judgement and discretion.
• Experience with billing, reporting and matter management systems.
• Previous job share experience is desirable but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Managing diaries, inboxes and workflows, and coordinating day-to-day administrative matters.
• Preparing and managing correspondence, documents and matter files.
• Coordinating meetings, calls, events and travel arrangements.
• Liaising confidently with clients and internal stakeholders.
• Managing billing, including pre-bills, edits, finalisation and cost reporting.
• Monitoring deadlines and following up on outstanding actions.
• Collaborating with other Legal Assistants and Administrative Assistants across the Corporate group.
• Contributing ideas for more efficient ways of working, including technology and AI tools

Skills

Legal assistant experience

Support senior stakeholders

Billing & reporting

Job-share experience

Education

Law student (2+ years remaining)

Tools

LexisNexis

Westlaw

Job description

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is a world-leading global law firm, where our ambition is to help you achieve your goals.

Exceptional client service and the pursuit of excellence are at our core. We invest in and care about our client relationships, which is why so many are longstanding. We enjoy breaking new ground, as we have for over 170 years.

As a fully integrated transatlantic and transpacific firm, we are where you need us to be. Our footprint is extensive and committed across the world’s largest markets, key financial centres and major growth hubs.

At our best tackling complexity and navigating change, we work alongside you on demanding litigation, exacting regulatory work and complex public and private market transactions. We are recognised as leading in these areas.

We are immersed in the sectors and challenges that impact you. We are recognised as standing apart in energy, infrastructure and resources. And we’re focused on areas of growth that affect every business across the world.

All of this is achieved by supporting the growth of our people, who help us deliver on our ambition – which is to help you achieve yours.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer: Your goals. Our ambition

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Legal Assistant to join our Corporate Financial Services team in Sydney on a part‑time, parental leave contract until September 2027.

This role provides high‑level support to two Partners and two Senior Associates in our busy Financial Services team and works as part of a job‑share arrangement with another experienced Legal Assistant. The role is part‑time, working Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – please note, these days are fixed and we cannot consider candidates unable to accommodate them for the duration of the contract.

This is a great opportunity for a confident, organised and proactive Legal Assistant who enjoys being a trusted right‑hand support to senior lawyers. You will be joining a high‑performing, fast‑paced practice where strong diary management, attention to detail, client service and the ability to manage competing priorities are essential.

We can only consider law students with previous experience in legal assistant (not paralegal) roles who have 2 years or more remaining in their law degree.

What you’ll do

• Managing complex diaries, inboxes, workflows and competing priorities
• Acting as a key coordination point for the team across day‑to‑day administrative matters
• Preparing, formatting and managing correspondence, documents and matter administration to a high standard
• Coordinating internal and client meetings, calls, events and travel arrangements
• Liaising confidently with clients, internal stakeholders and external parties
• Managing billing processes, including pre‑bills, edits, finalisation and cost reporting
• Monitoring deadlines, commitments and follow‑up actions to help the practice run smoothly
• Supporting the team with client and industry meetings and events
• Working collaboratively with other Legal Assistants and Administrative Assistants across the Corporate group
• Helping identify efficient ways of working, including the use of technology and AI tools where appropriate

What you’ll bring

• Demonstrated experience as a Legal Assistant or senior legal support professional within a legal or professional services environment
• Strong experience supporting senior stakeholders, with a calm, organised and proactive approach; excellent judgment, discretion and confidence managing sensitive matters; strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and tight deadlines
• Experience with billing, reporting and matter management systems
• Previous job share experience is preferred but not essential
• A commitment to mentoring and guiding junior team members
• A service‑oriented mindset with a genuine commitment to enabling fee earners to focus on client delivery
• An innovative mindset, curious about AI and emerging technologies

What you can expect from us

• We’re a world leading international law firm with a global team of over 6,000 professionals across 26 offices. As the market leader in Australia, we are committed to high performance, collaboration, diversity and digital innovation. We are client‑centred, commercially driven, and renowned for our solution‑focused expertise. We will align your growth with our ambitions.
• We make your personal and professional growth our business. And as part of the team, our ambition is yours too. Wherever you are in your career: grow and help the firm grow with you.
• We will provide opportunities to learn on the job as well as a mix of learning opportunities tailored to you. Daily experiences, supportive challenges, team collaboration, mentors, and structured learning opportunities help you to expand your knowledge and reach your goals.
• We value your wellbeing, both at home and work and we place a strong emphasis on mental health. If you need support, you’ll have it and we’ll empower you to harness your personal strengths, navigate uncertainty, embrace opportunities, and effectively manage things within your control.
• For more benefits on offer such as our holistic wellbeing fund or home office allowance please click here .
• Join us to be part of a human, bold and outstanding team at Australia’s market leading law firm.

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values—Human, Bold, and Outstanding.

Team

Corporate

Working Pattern

Part time

Location

Sydney

Contract type

Permanent Contract

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values - Human, Bold, and Outstanding.

Application requirements

Applicants must have full Australian working rights (Australian Citizenship or Permanent Residency). Unfortunately, student visas will not be considered.

The Opportunity

This opportunity is with a global top‑tier law firm supporting one of their commercial litigation partners. Working in this role will give you exposure to huge global matters and unparalleled experience.

We are seeking full‑time applicants who are career paralegals or students working as paralegals who have at least 12 months left on their degree.

To be successful in this role you must be adaptable and have the ability to work as part of a team and interact with people from different backgrounds in an energetic way to achieve common goals. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Legal research
• Document review (must have)
• Use of LexisNexis and Westlaw
• General administration

The Requirements

• Strong organisational skills to manage a large number of files at a time and meet deadlines
• Good interpersonal skills to liaise with clients, debtors and internal staff
• A team player, willing to help others when necessary
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Flexible with the ability to manage change effectively.
• Independent but able to work as part of a team
• Paralegal experience

What you’ll be working on

• Managing the ANZ Legal Team’s inbox to assist with the allocation and routine tracking of the department’s various streams of work, involving the maintenance of ANZ team’s task register. Reporting on trends in the team’s workflow, to better support an understanding of resourcing and skillset requirements of the team.
• Managing the ANZ Legal Team calendar invites for team meetings and reminders for task specific deadlines.
• Responsibility over the maintenance of processes within the ANZ legal team such as updates to legal document and intra‑team handbooks. Maintaining a variety of registers supporting these processes, from time to time.
• General administrative support including Word processing (assisting with document preparation, formatting, proofreading and version control), arranging for document execution, matter filing, processing legal invoices and expensed in line with company procedures.
• Support the coordination of external law firms and other legal service providers.
• Handle confidential information with care and maintain accurate records.
• Undertaking such other duties, training and/or hours of work as may be reasonably required, and which are consistent with the general level of responsibility of this role.

What will help you be successful?

• Minimum 2 years’ experience in an administrative support role; experience in a legal team or professional services environment is an advantage.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, and a professional, responsive approach to working with stakeholders.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and document management systems; willingness to learn legal matter management tools.
• Sound judgement when handling confidential and sensitive information.
• A proactive, reliable and collaborative approach, with a focus on accurate record keeping and follow‑through.

About the Firm

The firm is a leading international law firm with a well‑established presence in Sydney and across major markets worldwide. Known locally as a genuine market leader, the firm has built a reputation for its supportive, high‑performing culture, offering a professional and collegiate environment where business services and legal support staff are highly valued. With a strong focus on inclusion, wellbeing and flexible ways of working, the firm invests heavily in the growth of its people and prides itself on being a genuinely great place to build a long‑term career.

The Role

We are recruiting an experienced Legal Assistant to support the Financial Services practice within a well‑regarded Corporate team in Sydney. This part‑time role is offered on a parental leave cover contract until September 2027, as part of a job share with another experienced Legal Assistant, supporting two Partners and two Senior Associates.

Working days are fixed at Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with Wednesday being a crossover day with your job share partner. This suits a confident, organised Legal Assistant who enjoys being a trusted right‑hand to senior lawyers in a fast‑paced, high‑performing team.

Key Responsibilities

• Managing diaries, inboxes and workflows, and coordinating day‑to‑day administrative matters
• Preparing and managing correspondence, documents and matter files
• Coordinating meetings, calls, events and travel arrangements
• Liaising confidently with clients and internal stakeholders
• Managing billing, including pre‑bills, edits, finalisation and cost reporting
• Monitoring deadlines and following up on outstanding actions
• Collaborating with other Legal Assistants and Administrative Assistants across the Corporate group
• Contributing ideas for more efficient ways of working, including technology and AI tools

Candidate Requirements

• Demonstrated experience as a Legal Assistant or senior legal support professional in a legal or professional services environment
• Proven experience supporting senior stakeholders, with sound judgement, discretion
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities and tight deadlines
• Experience with billing, reporting and matter management systems
• Previous job share experience desirable but not essential
• A service‑oriented mindset and willingness to mentor junior team members

Why Apply

Join a high‑performing, market‑leading practice within a truly international firm, working alongside supportive senior lawyers. The firm invests heavily in its people, offering structured development, mentoring, a strong focus on wellbeing, and additional benefits including wellbeing and home office allowances.

About the Firm

We are working closely with a number of leading Australian and international law firms that are actively looking to grow their legal support teams. These firms are known for their strong cultures, high‑quality work and commitment to developing and retaining their people. Whether you are looking to secure your first opportunity within a law firm, move into a larger team or take the next step in your legal support career, there are a range of options available.

About the role

• Providing administrative and secretarial support to Partners and lawyers
• Managing diaries, meetings, appointments and travel arrangements
• Preparing, formatting and amending legal documents and correspondence
• Opening and closing files and maintaining accurate matter records
• Managing emails, filing and document management systems
• Preparing briefs, court documents and electronic bundles
• Assisting with monthly billing, expenses and time entry
• Liaising with clients, barristers, courts and other external stakeholders
• Supporting the wider team with general administrative tasks

The ideal candidate

• 1 year + legal support experience
• Strong communication and organisational skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Confidence managing competing deadlines and priorities
• A professional, proactive and team‑focused approach
• Experience using legal practice management or document management systems would be highly regarded