Legal Secretary - EPI - Bristol

DAC Beachcroft Dublin; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international law firm in Bristol seeks a dedicated Secretary to support the Employment team. You will manage various secretarial tasks, ensuring excellent client service and compliance with firm protocols. This role offers flexible working arrangements, with a combination of in-office and remote work. Previous legal or professional services experience is essential, along with advanced skills in Microsoft Office and document management systems.

Qualifications

• Experience in a legal or professional services environment is crucial.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and produce documents effectively.
• Excellent customer service approach and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide secretarial support to the Employment team.
• Manage correspondence and case management tasks.
• Ensure compliance with client protocols and procedures.

Skills

Experience in a legal or professional services environment

Aptitude for managing multiple priorities

Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office

Excellent customer service

Strong attention to detail

Tools

Document management systems

Job description

Department: Employment, Pensions and Immigration - Bristol

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Bristol

Description

Working as part of a team, you will provide excellent secretarial support to the Bristol Employment team and across other practice groups. You will act as a point of contact for lawyers, ensuring the effective completion of their work and undertaking a variety of secretarial tasks. You will deliver a high‑quality, comprehensive workflow management and organisational service to lawyers in the group and exceptional client service.

Hours: 9.00-17.00 Monday to Friday. This role is hybrid working with two days in the office and three days working from home.

Key Responsibilities

• Client Relationship Management
  • Keep up to date with client specific protocols and processes, implement and provide guidance and training to others, and monitor ongoing compliance.
• Administrative
  • Handle outgoing correspondence including electronic communications and encryption of documents using secure data transmission methods in line with client requirements.
  • Manage case management system, adding outgoing correspondence and associated documentation on behalf of fee earners.
  • Offer assistance wherever possible.
• Firm wide
  • Understand that DAC Beachcroft is an international firm and work with awareness of this structure to operate as one team/brand.
  • Act in the best interests of the firm at all times internally and externally.
  • Operate in a regulated environment, effectively managing risk and compliance issues including data security.
  • Work in partnership with others to manage and mitigate commercial risk.
  • Collate enclosures for outgoing correspondence, instructions to Counsel, experts, etc., using electronic bundling and encryption software.
  • Maintain general knowledge of the case management system and run ad‑hoc documents.
  • Manage email – filing, saving, locating, deleting, and responding where applicable, and refer incoming mail to others as necessary and manage inboxes on behalf of colleagues.
  • Print, file, photocopy, scan, fax and archive documents as required.
  • Keep client contact information up to date.
  • Update document bundles for fee earners.
  • Keep case files organised and logical.
  • Assist with incoming billing and accounts queries.
  • Answer and make telephone calls.
  • Book client meetings.
  • Assist with the planning and booking of travel arrangements.
  • Assist with ad‑hoc business development and communications activities such as client contact reports and delegate packs.
  • Maintain a level of individual knowledge required for the role.
  • Occasionally prepare correspondence and documents from digital dictation.
  • Help maintain a clean office and clear desk.
  • Handle confidential information in line with the firm’s data security protocols.
• Communication
  • Be the key point of contact for lawyers to maintain relationships and provide high‑level support.
  • Monitor post and emails, ensuring all client‑related correspondence is logged, passed on, or acted upon, prioritising emails and collating necessary paperwork and e‑filing.
  • Liaise with and provide support to immediate colleagues and other legal and support departments as needed.
  • Answer phone calls for other team members when they are away from their desk.
  • Liaise with and follow direction from your Senior Team Leader.
  • Communicate any planned absences, arrange cover where necessary, and keep relevant lawyers informed.
• Financial
  • Assist lawyers with billing related tasks.
  • Review and update time allocation and disbursements, ensuring appropriate matter allocation.
  • Request cheques, bank transfers and pay incoming money where appropriate.
  • Support the coordination of the WIP process.
  • Handle matter‑related finance administration including BACs and TTs.
  • Process expenses.
• Customer Service
  • Arrange and attend team meetings.
  • Liaise with lawyers, STLs and Secretarial Managers to take instruction and coordinate work requirements.
  • Consistently update service users on progress where appropriate.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Experience of working in a legal or professional services environment.
• Aptitude for managing multiple priorities, producing documents and client communications of the highest standard.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Advanced knowledge of document management/case management systems.
• Excellent customer and client service approach; striving to provide exceptional service at all times.
• Customer/client service focused.
• Proven experience of managing client‑facing tasks and priorities, with a hands‑on, practical approach.
• Effective at investigating issues and seeing problems through to conclusion.
• Conscientious, taking personal responsibility for own work and accountability for its delivery and quality.
• Excellent team player, sharing in team goals to provide excellent quality and efficiency, and willing to take on new responsibilities and challenges.
• Positive can‑do attitude with the ability to adapt to change.
• Confidential and discreet, redirecting information when appropriate to resolve concerns effectively.
• Well‑organised and methodical with excellent attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in all client communications and deliverables.