Legal Research Assistant

Porter Dodson LLP; Taunton; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Working

25 days holiday, plus Bank Holidays

Extra Day of Holiday for your Birthday

Private Healthcare

Pension Scheme(s)

Life Assurance

Eye Tests

Flu Jabs

Gym Membership Discounts

Legal Support

Charity fundraising & office socials

Job summary

Porter Dodson LLP in Taunton seeks a Legal Research Assistant to join our Marketing & Business Development team on a hybrid basis. You will collect and analyse client, market and sector data to uncover insights that shape business decisions.

The role focuses on building dashboards in Power BI and Microsoft tools, conducting market research, identifying trends and opportunities, and supporting strategic initiatives with data-led intelligence.

Qualifications

• Analytical and curious mindset with attention to detail.
• Ability to research data and present findings clearly.
• Comfort with learning new systems and tools.
• Strong communicator who can explain results simply.
• Independent, proactive approach to research tasks.
• Interest in legal sector and how data informs decisions.
• Experience with dashboards, BI tools or reporting is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Collect and analyse client, market and sector data.
• Identify trends, opportunities and competitor activity.
• Build and maintain dashboards and reports using Power BI and Microsoft tools.
• Conduct market research and targeted prospect analysis.
• Support strategic business development initiatives through data-led insights.
• Monitor tender and bid opportunities.
• Provide meaningful intelligence to support decision-making across the firm.
• Help identify new ways to use technology, data and AI to improve business development activity.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Data analysis

Independent worker

Strong communication

Problem solving

Curiosity

Attention to detail

Proactive

Adaptable

AI tools awareness

Tools

Power BI

Microsoft 365

CRM systems

Job description

Legal Research Assistant

Department: Central Team

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Taunton

Reporting To: Emma Lang

Description

At Porter Dodson, we're investing in a new and exciting capability within our Marketing & Business Development team and have an opportunity for a Legal Research Assistant to work on a hybrid basis in either our Taunton, Yeovil or Exeter office on a full time, permanent basis.

We're looking for a curious, analytical and commercially minded individual who loves working with data, uncovering insights and helping shape business decisions. This is not a traditional sales or networking role. Instead, you'll become the driving force behind the market intelligence and data analysis that supports our future growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Collect and analyse client, market and sector data.
• Identify trends, opportunities and competitor activity.
• Build and maintain dashboards and reports using Power BI and Microsoft tools.
• Conduct market research and targeted prospect analysis.
• Support strategic business development initiatives through data-led insights.
• Monitor tender and bid opportunities.
• Provide meaningful intelligence to support decision-making across the firm.
• Help identify new ways to use technology, data and AI to improve business development activity.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

We’re interested in hearing from candidates who enjoy solving problems, finding answers in data and helping others make informed decisions and have a real interest in the legal sector. You’ll be naturally curious and enjoy asking questions, investigating information and working things out. You’ll have a genuine interest in the legal sector and be keen to develop your understanding of how research, data and technology are used within a professional services environment.

You’ll ideally be:

• Analytical, inquisitive and comfortable working through problems to find answers.
• Research-focused, with strong attention to detail.
• Confident working with information and able to identify what is relevant and useful.
• Comfortable learning new systems, tools and technologies.
• Able to work independently and take ownership of research tasks.
• A clear communicator who can explain findings in a straightforward way.
• Proactive, adaptable and willing to explore new approaches.
• Interested in developing a broader understanding of the legal and commercial environment.

Experience

You don’t need to have experience across all of the areas below. The role is designed to give you the opportunity to build this knowledge and experience. Exposure to, or an interest in, any of the following would be beneficial:

• Legal research or academic research.
• Data analysis, business intelligence or working with datasets.
• Market intelligence, competitor research or sector analysis.
• CRM systems, databases or information management.
• Microsoft 365 applications, Power BI or similar technology.
• Reporting, dashboards and data visualisation.
• Professional services, legal, financial services or other commercial environments.
• AI tools and emerging technologies, such as Co-pilot.

Desirable

Previous experience or an interest in:

• Conducting structured research and presenting findings.
• Market or competitor intelligence.
• Working with data to identify trends or insights.
• Creating reports, dashboards or visualisations.
• Using AI tools to support research and improve efficiency.
• Understanding how organisations make commercial decisions and how customer or client journeys influence those decisions.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, you will also get:

• Flexible Working
• 25 days holiday, plus Bank Holidays
• Extra Day of Holiday for your Birthday
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme(s)
• Life Assurance
• Eye Tests
• Flu Jabs
• Corporate Gym Membership Discounts
• Legal Support
• Opportunities to get involved with charity fundraising, sports teams and office socials