Junior Team PA within Private Client

Macfarlanes; Greater London; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Macfarlanes is recruiting a Junior Team PA to join our Private Client group. You will provide high-level, tailored support to partners and fee earners, manage diaries and meetings, assist with billing, and support business development activities.

You’ll work from the team hub and participate in ad-hoc projects and client events. The role emphasizes professional development in a collaborative environment, with the first six months requiring four days in the office per week to aid onboarding and

Qualifications

• Two years’ experience as an admin/PA in a law firm or professional services firm.
• Accurate typing, spelling, grammar and proofreading skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide high level tailored support to partners, fee earners, business development and marketing teams.
• Assist with diary management, including meetings and conference calls with reception, room bookings, IT and facilities.
• Understand and complete accounts payments and expense forms procedures.
• Work from the team hub and support end-to-end billing with the billing coordinator; use Aderant system where required.
• Assist on ad-hoc projects, manage bundles, organise client functions and BD events.
• Handle enquiries from internal and external callers and relay messages promptly.
• Be the first port of call for potential new instructions and build relationships across the firm.
• Assist in obtaining client due diligence and preparing engagement letters.
• Attend training to develop specialist expertise (billing, reporting, knowledge management) to support the wider practice.
• Update InterAction with client information, meetings, BD events and travel.
• Organise smaller BD events and ensure activities are tracked in InterAction.
• Run weekly BD report for the department.
• Utilise document production with clear instructions and deadlines.
• Ensure matter inception sections are completed for better tracking.

Skills

PA experience

Typing accuracy

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

We are recruiting a Junior Team PA to join our Private Client group.

About Macfarlanes

Macfarlanes is a pre-eminent law firm that serves a global client base in private capital, private wealth, M&A and disputes. Personal connection, an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to excellence are at the heart of our firm. These values drive our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.

We are big enough to undertake the most complex and demanding mandates yet small enough to know each other well and to be agile, adapting to the needs of our clients. We seek to strengthen the firm by recruiting talented people from all backgrounds who want to build long-lasting and impactful careers with us. Our culture is challenging and supportive, creating an environment where individuals can thrive.

What this means for you

Joining Macfarlanes mean being part of a collaborative, approachable team who want you to succeed. You’ll be encouraged to get involved and recognised for your contribution.

We take your development seriously. Our learning and development programmes are second to none and are designed to help you strengthen your skills.

Above all, you’ll be part of a firm where we all work together as part of a cohesive and supportive team, value your efforts and help you to thrive.

The team

Our Private Client group consists of 12 Partners, four Senior Counsel, 32 Associates, eight Trainee Solicitors, one Public Policy Senior Advisor, three Senior Advisors, one Head of Private Client Policy, one Senior Knowledge Lawyer and three Paralegals. The practice is supported by a team of PAs which consists of one Business Support Manager, four Senior Team PAs, three Team PAs, two Junior Team PAs and one Administration Assistant.

The role

Key duties will include:

• provide a high level of tailored support to partners, fee earners, business development and marketing teams;
• assisting with diary management, including setting up meetings and conference calls which often involves liaising with reception, room bookings, IT support and facilities;
• understanding and completing the accounts payments and expense forms procedures;
• working from the team hub;
• understanding the end-to-end billing process and assisting fee earners and the department billing coordinator (if applicable) with all aspects of the billing process as required, including using our Aderant system;
• assisting on ad-hoc projects as and when required, for example managing bundles, organising and assisting with client functions, seminars etc;
• handling enquiries from internal and external callers and relay messages promptly;
• demonstrate awareness at all times that you are the “face of the firm,” e.g. the first port of call for potential new instruction;
• building relationships across the firm;
• assisting fee earners and the risk management team to obtain and collate client due diligence and assisting in the preparation of client engagement letters;
• attending training to develop specialist expertise (e.g. billing, client reporting, knowledge management support) to support the wider practice group;
• update InterAction with client information and meetings, BD events/meetings, travel and business cards;
• organise smaller BD events such as lunches, dinners and drinks and ensuring these activities are tracked in InterAction;
• run weekly BD report for the department;
• utilising document production and ensuring that all typing, document formatting and redaction work is sent with clear instructions and deadlines; and
• ensure all appropriate sections are completed on matter inception for better tracking of experience.

This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive. It is anticipated that duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the practice area.

During the first six months of employment, you may be required to attend the office four days per week to support onboarding, training and collaboration. Your line manager may adjust this requirement based on your progress and business needs.

The candidate

Broadly, we want to recruit an individual that fulfils the following criteria:

Qualifications, experience and technical skills

• two years’ experience as an admin/PA in a law firm or professional services firm;
• intermediate user knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint; and
• accurate typing, spelling, grammar and proof-reading skills.

Personal attributes

• excellent communication and people skills;
• must be a team player, whilst also being keen to take responsibility for their own duties;
• good organisational and administrative skills with the ability to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines;
• adaptable and flexible in an ever-evolving role;
• self-motivated and proactive, able to act on their own initiative and problem solve;
• ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines whilst maintaining an excellent attention to detail; and
• a professional and presentable manner.

Application screening

Any offer of employment with us is subject to our pre-employment checks which are conducted by a third-party screening provider. These checks will be initiated with your consent, and your CV will be sent to the provider by us. The screening will include but is not limited to your employment references, professional and academic qualifications including grades and any criminal records. Your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks.

Our commitment to inclusion

Inclusion is one of our key priorities and it is a goal we are actively working towards. We believe that an inclusive, forward-thinking culture is intrinsically important and enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work. We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

As part of this commitment, we will ask you certain diversity data questions. We would really appreciate you and/or your recruiter completing these questions when submitting an application to Macfarlanes as this data enables us to measure our progress and identify any actions needed to continue to support an inclusive culture. This data is anonymised to maintain the privacy of applicants. If you have any questions relating to how this data is used, please contact a member of the recruitment team.

Should you require any adjustments during the application and/or interview process, please do not hesitate to inform your recruiter or a member of the recruitment team. Please note, the job description is available in other accessible formats (for example, large print).

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, please email the recruitment team at [e-mail].