Legal Administrator

Birketts; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Long Service holiday

Private Healthcare with BUPA

Staff Profit Share and Individual Per

Salary sacrifice

Life Assurance

Job summary

Birketts seeks a proactive administrator to join our Residential Real Estate team in a busy professional environment, providing first-class administrative support to clients and colleagues.

You will handle file lifecycles, client and office payments, and the preparation of high-quality legal documents, ensuring accurate and timely delivery. The role requires superb organisational skills and a client-focused approach, with a collaborative team mindset.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in an administrative, secretarial or business support role.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and Excel.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a professional and client-focused approach.
• Outstanding organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise a varied workload effectively.
• A meticulous eye for detail and a commitment to producing work of the highest standard.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full lifecycle of files from opening to completion and closure.
• Process client and office payments accurately and efficiently.
• Produce, format and amend a wide range of legal documents with speed and accuracy.
• Ensure documentation follows Birketts LLP house style and is of the highest standard.
• Prepare onboarding, anti-money laundering and training documentation as required.
• Maintain electronic and paper filing systems, keeping records organised and up to date.
• Act as first point of contact, handling internal and external telephone enquiries.
• Manage busy diaries, coordinate meetings and arrange travel as required.

Skills

Administrative experience

Microsoft Office

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning over 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: real estate, corporate services, dispute resolution and private client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges and opportunities they may face. Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do.

With our ambition to succeed comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our Responsible Business strategy. Birketts is a certified B Corporation, and diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 45% of our partnership as of 1 April 2026.

The team you will join

Our Residential Real Estate team sits within our wider Real Estate Division. The team work collaboratively across the Birketts' offices adopting a 'one team' approach in everything they do, with client service at the heart of the practice.

The work you will be doing

As a key member of our team, you'll play an essential part in keeping matters running smoothly, providing first-class administrative support and ensuring an exceptional experience for both clients and colleagues.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing the full lifecycle of files, from opening new matters through to successful completion and closure.
• Processing client and office payments accurately and efficiently.
• Producing, formatting and amending a wide range of legal documents with speed, accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ensuring all documentation is presented to the highest standard and in line with Birketts LLP house style.
• Preparing and processing key administrative forms, including new client and matter onboarding, anti-money laundering documentation and training requests.
• Maintaining accurate electronic and paper filing systems, ensuring records remain organised and up to date.
• Acting as a professional first point of contact, responding to internal and external telephone enquiries.
• Managing busy diaries, coordinating meetings and arranging travel where required.

What we are looking for

We're seeking a proactive and highly organised administrator who thrives in a busy professional environment and takes pride in delivering exceptional support. You'll have strong attention to detail, excellent communication skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities with confidence and accuracy.

To be successful in this role, you'll have:

• Previous experience in an administrative, secretarial or business support role.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and Excel.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a professional and client-focused approach.
• Outstanding organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise a varied workload effectively.
• A meticulous eye for detail and a commitment to producing work of the highest standard.
• A positive, can-do attitude and the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.
• The confidence to manage tasks independently while maintaining excellent levels of service and responsiveness.

Hybrid Working

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. During your 3 month probation period, there will be a requirement to be in the office full time whilst you are developing in the role. Once you have successfully passed probation, this role attracts a split of 80% office days and 20% working from home days per week.

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

• Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance

As a B Corporation, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.

If you require this advert in an accessible format, please visit https://diversityjobsgroup.com/company/birketts/

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

At Birketts, we recognise the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal profession and recruitment. We welcome innovation and understand that candidates may use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we expect all applicants to use AI responsibly and ethically.

Our expectations regarding AI use in applications:

• Your application should reflect your own voice, experiences, and insights. AI may assist in structuring or refining your responses, but it must not replace your personal input.
• Do not use AI to misrepresent your qualifications, experiences, or skills. Any form of exaggeration or fabrication may result in rejection from the process.
• If you have used AI tools to assist with your application, be prepared to discuss how and why you used them during the interview process.
• Do not submit content generated by AI tools that may include personal or sensitive data not intended for public disclosure.
• AI-generated content should be reviewed and edited by you to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the role and our firm’s values.

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment practices. The use of AI should enhance, not compromise, your application. We encourage candidates to demonstrate critical thinking, commercial awareness, and a genuine interest in our firm.

If you have any questions about our expectations or the use of AI in your application, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team via [e-mail]