Executive Assistant - 12 Months FTC

Mills & Reeve; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in Birmingham is seeking a full-time Executive Assistant for a 12-month fixed-term position. The role involves providing comprehensive support to lawyers, managing multiple tasks, and ensuring outstanding client service. Ideal candidates will have experience in a professional services environment, excellent communication skills, and the ability to build relationships. Competitive salary and benefits offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Wide range of benefits

Qualifications

• Experience in a professional services environment preferred.
• Experience providing executive support to legal professionals valued.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and work well with various stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive Executive Assistant services to local team.
• Coordinate diary appointments and manage multiple lawyers.
• Deliver outstanding client service and manage client/matter tasks.
• Assist with business development and client communication.

Skills

Organisational skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Attention to detail

Multi-tasking

Relationship building

Job description

An exciting opportunity to join our Birmingham office as a 12‑month fixed term and full‑time Executive Assistant.

The role

This role provides comprehensive Executive Assistant services to the local team. To succeed you will work closely with Team Leaders and Regional Executive Services Managers and utilise the internal resources available to you including the Document Production team, Administrative Assistants and Business Services. While you will have a degree of autonomy in how you structure your day, you will still be an integral part of the team you work in. You will be expected to be aligned with the values of the firm, have a good level of client knowledge, strong relationships across the business and, where appropriate, with clients.

The person

Given the challenges of this role, your background and experience will likely include having spent some time working in a professional services environment. You may additionally have experience providing executive services level support to lawyers or similar professionals. You will be a natural organiser who thrives in a role that requires multi‑tasking and working with a variety of people across the business.

The role additionally requires someone who

• manages multiple lawyers and delegates where appropriate using the support teams available;
• is confident in setting and prioritising their own work agenda;
• is organised and methodical in how they approach their work;
• has good written and verbal communication skills;
• has excellent attention to detail, communicates effectively and works well within a team;
• is confident and able to build sustainable relationships with internal and external clients;
• is willing to take on new responsibilities and challenges, while remaining resilient.

The activities

Business development

• Manage and attend team and project meetings, take minutes where required, prepare meeting arrangements including booking travel (this may include overseas travel), rooms, catering, accommodation, desks, equipment and update internal business development calendars;
• Plan, arrange and attend events including liaising with business support teams and updating attendee lists or reports;
• Engage in networking to build relationships and raise the business profile, including use of external media platforms such as LinkedIn, etc;
• Manage email bounce backs, process feedback forms and log referrals and activities;
• Support lawyers with legal directory submissions and update lawyer biographies/CVs and sector pages;
• Assist with updates and newsletters to clients, including adding to mailing lists.

Client service

• Deliver outstanding client service by looking for improvements, speaking up and taking responsibility;
• Receive verbal and written instructions and see them through to conclusion;
• Work proactively and use own initiative to progress tasks;
• Undertake client/matter creation and updating tasks, alerts, reserves, estimating tools and ensure they are kept up to date and accurate throughout matter life;
• Ensure compliance process is followed, including carrying out conflict checks, matter risk assessments and liaising with Central Inception team and clients for ID;
• Run client financial reports;
• Use our digital technology to update and manage in‑house data systems such as Collaborate, Volume Control and Dialogue;
• Participate in the running of helplines, websites, phone calls and logging referrals, which may include liaising with clients, counsel and other professionals;
• Be a point of contact to assist with client and matter contact queries;
• Initial drafting of correspondence and legal documents;
• Coordinate file reviews.

Diary management

• Coordinate diary appointments ensuring papers, itineraries and all other arrangements are in place;
• Add key dates and reminders to diaries and matter files.

Finance and billing

• Hold regular financial housekeeping meetings with lawyers, print billing guides and prepare breakdown of costs and liaise with the finance team;
• Raise draft proformas;
• Help prepare and dispatch client invoices with covering correspondence;
• Liaise with counsel and experts regarding fee notes and outstanding bills;
• Deal with general day‑to‑day client and finance queries;
• Prepare finance forms including generating purchase orders;
• Update internal reporting systems;
• Manage standard annual rate review letters and terms of business;
• Complete timesheet input for sickness/holidays/own time where appropriate;
• Manage lawyer/business support expense claims.

Managing workflow

• Prioritise tasks effectively, including managing emails, monitoring inboxes, meeting deadlines, progressing instructions, providing regular updates and managing expectations;
• Communicate effectively with lawyers and internal support teams, such as Business Support, Administrative Assistants and Document Production teams to meet required deadlines;
• Provide clear instructions and review in order for high quality work to be completed;
• Manage and update specific client spreadsheets;
• Manage multiple lawyers and delegate where appropriate using the support teams available.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

The benefits

As you’d expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits. Click here to find out more about our core benefit offering.

Pre employment screening

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre‑employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three‑year employment history and a self‑declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre‑screening employment process are available upon request.

The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We tell them what they need to know when they need to know it.

We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don’t offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations. Our 1,450 plus people and over 850 lawyers share one vision – achieving more for clients.

By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that is not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. We’re also ranked in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and have been awarded Platinum Investors in People. Our mantra is “Achieve more. Together.”, which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase!

Our values are the principles that help us fulfil our purpose. Our people shape them and live them every day.

Our values

• We’re ambitious – We aim high, we embrace new ideas and we’re passionate about our work;
• We’re open – We communicate openly and honestly to build trust, and we do what’s right;
• We care – We’re committed to each other, our clients, our communities and the planet;
• We collaborate – We’re easy to work with, we offer help willingly and we get things done – together.

And finally

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these.

To find out more about our diversity and inclusion work, visit our website.