Practice Administrator - Disputes

Clayton Utz; Sydney; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Clayton Utz in Sydney is seeking an experienced Practice Administrator (PA) to deliver high-quality administrative and secretarial support to Partners and the Disputes team. The role focuses on efficient client management, billing, and matter management within a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

You will collaborate across practice groups and business support teams, contributing to a friendly, inclusive culture that supports professional growth and flexible work arrangements.

Qualifications

• 3+ years’ experience in a legal secretarial role supporting Partners or C-level executives.
• Ability to show initiative and take responsibility for daily management tasks.
• Positive, friendly, solutions- and team-focused mindset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Flexible and collaborative approach with different stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Support Partners and lawyers with general admin, client management, timekeeping, and other ad hoc tasks to deliver exceptional service.
• General accounts, reporting and monthly billing including client liaison.
• Coordinate with clients, counsel, consultants and internal teams.
• Prepare presentations, documents and similar.
• File and matter management, including conflict checking, matter opening and closing.
• Manage telephones, email, diaries and voicemail for Partners and team members.
• Organise meetings and travel.
• Support Clients and Markets events coordination and general business development initiatives.

Skills

Legal secretarial

Tools

Aderant / CMS

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Role

We are seeking an experienced legal secretary to join our market-leading Disputes team in Sydney as a Practice Administrator (PA) on a full-time, permanent basis. In this role, you will provide exceptional administrative and secretarial support to Partners Alex Rose, Sheena McKie, and their teams, with a particular focus on supporting the dynamic and fast-paced Disputes practice.

As a PA at Clayton Utz, you will play a key role in ensuring the smooth operation of the team, delivering high-quality support to both our legal professionals and valued clients. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do, and you will have the opportunity to work closely not only within the Disputes team but also across other practice groups and business support teams to achieve shared goals.

We pride ourselves on fostering a friendly, inclusive, and positive team culture, where your contributions are valued, and your professional growth is supported. At Clayton Utz, we are committed to offering a flexible and rewarding workplace environment that empowers our people to thrive.

Key Responsibilities

In this dynamic role, your responsibilities will include:

• Working closely with partners and lawyers to support with general admin, client management, the management of systems, timesheets and other ad hoc tasks to deliver exceptional service to our clients.


• General accounts, reporting and monthly billing including client liaison.


• Coordinating with clients, counsel, consultants and internal CU teams.


• Preparation of presentations, documents and similar.


• File and matter management, including conflict checking, matter opening and closing.


• Actively managing telephones, email, electronic diaries and voicemail for the Partners and team members.


• Organising meetings and travel.


• Supporting our Clients and Markets team with events coordination and general business development initiatives.

Skills & Experience

To excel in this role, you will bring:

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a legal secretarial role supporting Partners or C-level executives.


• Ability to show initiative and take responsibility for daily management tasks.


• A positive, friendly, solutions and team-focused mindset.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.


• A flexible and collaborative approach to working with different stakeholders and their unique styles.


• An organised, efficient approach to administrative tasks with the ability to effectively prioritise to meet deadlines.


• Experience with billing processes, including using Aderant / CMS or similar financial software.


• Intermediate level skills with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

Why Clayton Utz?

At Clayton Utz, we are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace where our people can thrive. Joining our Disputes team means becoming part of a collaborative and high-performing group that values excellence, innovation, and client service.

Accessibility and Inclusion

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process. Do you require any support or reasonable adjustments to complete your application? If so, please contact the recruiter via the above telephone number or via email to [e-mail].

For more information on Clayton Utz, please visit www.claytonutz.com or follow us on LinkedIn here.