Legal PA – Pensions

Shoosmiths LLP; Park Central; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

Shoosmiths LLP is seeking a proactive Legal PA to provide a full secretarial service to Partners and Legal Advisers within the Pensions team. The role requires excellent organisation, initiative, and a talent for managing busy diaries and confidential documents.

Based in a UK-wide pensions team with offices in Birmingham, Reading, and Manchester, the role emphasises accuracy, client interaction, and efficient file management.

Qualifications

• Previous Legal PA experience in a similar role looking after Partners and a broader team
• Self-motivated and able to work without supervision to a high standard
• Good working knowledge of various applications – Word, Outlook, digital dictation (PowerPoint and Excel helpful but not a necessity)
• Taking care and attention to detail and quality in relation to all correspondence and documentation
• Able to integrate within a team
• Flexible with the ability to adapt to change, new practices and cope under pressure
• Excellent presentation skills reflected in their work
• A methodical and organised approach with keen attention paid to every detail
• Good organisational skills to ensure tasks are scheduled within working time and completed on time
• Excellent communication skills and telephone manner
• Ability to prioritise
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Pro-active and deliver a quality service to both internal and external clients
• Adapt and manage differing demands and working patterns

Responsibilities

• Typing of correspondence and documents including reports, deeds, file notes and attendance notes
• Opening and closing client files
• Filing of incoming and outgoing correspondence, emails and other documents and keeping this up to date
• Reconciling payments, compiling, and sending bills
• Chasing bills as per legal adviser instructions
• Expenses
• Monitoring of financial hygiene for the team
• Interaction with clients
• Setting up Docusign envelopes
• Diary management including acting proactively where possible and highlighting diary clashes
• Organising meetings, conferences, travel arrangements etc.
• Occasional photocopying
• Preparing enclosures ready for signing and sending out with the post
• Keeping records of closed files
• Answering the telephone and dealing with routine enquiries

Skills

Legal PA experience

Self-motivation

Organised

Proactive / initiative

Word processing

Outlook

Dictation (digital)

PowerPoint

Excel

Attention to detail

Team player

Prioritisation

Working under pressure

Telephone manners

Tools

Word

Outlook

Digital dictation

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Pensions, Birmingham, Reading, Manchester

Main information

Entry level

Term type:

Permanent

Team:

Pensions

Location:

Birmingham, Reading, Manchester

The role

Providing a full PA and secretarial service supporting the Partners and Legal Advisers and cover for any secretarial absences in the team where necessary. This role requires proactive thinking, exceptional organisation, and the ability to use one’s initiative to support the needs of the team.

The team

Our national Pensions team is highly regarded for providing pragmatic, commercial and timely advice to trustees, employers and pension scheme stakeholders. Ranked Tier 1 in the South East by Legal 500 and Band 1 in the South by Chambers, the team advises on a broad range of pensions matters, delivering tailored, practical solutions through a client-focused and collaborative approach.

Main responsibilities

• Typing of correspondence and documents including reports, deeds, file notes and attendance notes
• Opening and closing client files
• Filing of incoming and outgoing correspondence, e mails and other documents and keeping this up to date
• Reconciling payments, compiling, and sending bills
• Chasing bills as per legal adviser instructions
• Expenses
• Monitoring of financial hygiene for the team
• Interaction with clients
• Setting up Docusign envelopes
• Diary management including acting proactively where possible and highlighting diary clashes.
• Organising meetings, conferences, travel arrangements etc.
• Occasional photocopying
• Where necessary preparing enclosures ready for signing and sending out with the post
• Keeping records of closed files
• Answering the telephone and dealing with routine enquiries

Skills and qualifications

• Previous Legal PA experience in a similar role looking after Partners and a broader team
• Self-motivated and able to work without supervision to a high standard
• Good working knowledge of various applications – word, outlook, digital dictation (power point and excel helpful but not a necessity)
• Taking care and attention to detail and quality in relation to all correspondence and documentation
• Able to integrate within a team
• Flexible with the ability to adapt to change, new practices and cope under pressure
• Excellent presentation skills reflected in their work
• A methodical and organised approach with keen attention paid to every detail
• Good organisational skills to ensure that the tasks are effectively scheduled within working time available, and that urgent work is completed and returned within the specified timescales
• Excellent communication skills and telephone manner
• Ability to prioritise
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Ability to be pro‑active and deliver a quality service to both internal and external clients
• Adapt and manage the differing demands and working patterns

The firm

Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve ‘Platinum Standard’ Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm.

We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.

Shoosmiths is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term conditions. The Disability Confident scheme replaced the Two Ticks Positive about Disabled People scheme. We had been accredited as a two tick employer for many years - Disability Confident broadens and develops that original commitment, and demonstrates we have adopted a proactive approach to employing disabled people and developing their abilities.

As part of our accreditation, we commit to interviewing any applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for each vacancy. In some circumstances we may only be able to interview those that best meet the essential criteria due to the volume of applications received.

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to and usable by everyone. If you have a disability or long-term condition and would like to receive information in a different way, or need us to make any adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please get in touch with the Talent Acquisition team on [e-mail] . We can consider your needs and requirements, and how we can assist you to apply for our roles. For example we can provide a copy of our application via email so that you can complete it using your own accessibility software.

Equal opportunities

Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues.

This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.

If you’d like to learn more about this opportunity or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Carlotte Williams at [e-mail]