Legal Support Assistant The Role Key Responsibilities Essential Skills & Experience

Clyde & Co; Manchester; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in Manchester seeks a Legal Support Assistant. Responsible for managing document production, client communication, and supporting fee earners. The ideal candidate will have advanced knowledge of document management systems and a strong client service approach. Join our team and contribute to a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Benefits

Healthcare

Retirement planning

Wellbeing initiatives

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing client-facing tasks.
• Ability to adapt to change with a positive attitude.
• Excellent team player with willingness to take on new responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage document production and verify accuracy.
• Handle client communications and billing tasks.
• Support fee earners in business development activities.

Skills

Document management/case management systems

Effective communication

Client service approach

Investigating issues

Excellent attention to detail

Job description

Overview

As the single point of contact for Partners and Fee Earners, the role will undertake all aspects of the Legal Support Assistant role, or where appropriate, manage the workflow by utilising Administrative Assistants and Document Production, retaining ownership and accountability of all tasks through to completion. Provide a high quality, comprehensive workflow management and organisational service to Fee Earners in the group and exceptional client service.

Responsibilities

• Manage the production of documents and check returned work produced by the Document Production team, verify speech recognition for accuracy/formatting, before it is passed to the relevant lawyer.
• Taking and making client related calls, handling messages as appropriate.
• Manage interaction and ensure new prospects, clients and contacts, activities and business development information are added.
• Keep up to date with client specific protocols and processes; implement, provide guidance and training to others where necessary; ongoing monitoring.
• Open and close files, supervise general filing requirements and record keeping; production of engagement letters ensuring compliance at all times.
• Monitor and manage key dates for clients and ensure compliance procedures are up to date on all files and matters.
• Support fee earners in business development activities, including preparation of pitches and presentations, scheduling meetings (tenders, directories, internal clients).
• Manage diaries, ensuring they are up to date; anticipate requirements (travel/accommodation bookings, meeting rooms, drafting itineraries, preparing agendas, circulating papers).
• Produce and maintain Excel spreadsheets as required.
• First point of contact for the team, dealing with queries and taking initiative to provide exceptional client service; promote and develop ownership within the team.
• Arrange for the preparation and collation of internal sector newsletters and briefings.
• Arrange photocopying, printing, organising couriers, sending out letters, faxes, etc.
• Receive instructions via digital dictation and act upon them.
• Key point of contact for Fee Earners and Clients to maintain relationships and ensure a high level of support is provided by the team.
• Monitor post and/or emails; ensure client related correspondence is passed to the appropriate Fee Earner and actioned; proactively respond and draft responses on behalf of others; prioritise emails, collate necessary paperwork and e-file.
• Liaise with and provide support to immediate colleagues and, where practical, other legal and support departments as requested by Hub Leader.
• Answer phone calls for other team members when they are away; participate in a lunch-time telephone rota within the Practice Assistant team.
• Take minutes and follow up designated actions to ensure completion ahead of the next meeting.
• Liaise with and take direction from the Legal Support Manager; coordinate planned absences and arrange cover as necessary.
• Assist fee earners with billing related tasks.
• Review and update time allocation and disbursements, ensuring appropriate matter allocation.
• Request cheques, bank transfers, and paying in money received as appropriate.
• Support the coordination of the WIP process.
• Deal with matter related finance administration including APRs, BACs, TTs.
• Process expenses and manage priorities and workloads to ensure deadlines are met; liaise with Hub Leader/Legal Support Managers when challenges arise.
• Manage the creation and maintenance of data rooms and client information in accordance with case milestones.
• Ensure client and matter data is maintained and updated within appropriate systems; raise requests with the BAU team as appropriate.
• Handle online applications (e.g., Companies House, Land Registry, Searchflow, CRU forms) and undertake searches and completion of requisite forms and submissions.
• Ensure compliance with firm wide/department policies and procedures.
• Arrange and attend team meetings; liaise with Fee Earners, Hub Leaders and Legal Support Managers to take instruction and liaise on work requirements.
• Consistently and appropriately update service users on progress where appropriate; regularly offer assistance wherever possible.

Qualifications / Skills

• Advanced knowledge of document management/case management systems.
• Effective communicator with excellent customer and client service approach; strives to provide exceptional service at all times.
• Proven experience of managing client-facing tasks and priorities with a hands-on, practical approach.
• Effective at investigating issues and seeing a problem through to completion.
• Conscientious; takes personal responsibility for own work and accountability for its delivery and quality.
• Excellent team player with a willingness to take on new responsibilities and challenges.
• Positive can-do attitude with the ability to adapt to change.
• Confidential and discreet but able to redirect information to resolve areas of concern effectively.
• Well organised and methodical with excellent attention to detail; ensures accuracy in all client communications and deliverables.

About Clyde & Co

When you work at Clyde & Co, you join a team of 500 partners, 2,400 lawyers, 3,200 legal professionals and 5,500 people in nearly 70 offices and associated offices worldwide. Our values are the principles that guide the decisions we make, unite us in our endeavours and strengthen our delivery, for both our clients and our firm. We work as one, excel with clients, celebrate difference and act boldly. We are committed to operating in a responsible way by progressing towards a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities and clients it serves. We are devoted to providing an environment in which everyone can realise their potential, using its legal and professional skills to support its communities. We do this through pro bono work, volunteering and charitable partnerships, and minimising the impact it has on the environment, including through our commitment to the SBTi Net-Zero standard and the setting of ambitious emissions reduction targets.

We offer a range of tailored benefits and support, including healthcare, retirement planning and wellbeing initiatives. Clyde & Co is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. Our core values encourage us to support fairness, celebrate diversity and prohibit all forms of discrimination in the workplace to allow everyone to excel at work. Please take a moment to read our privacy notice carefully. This describes what personal information Clyde & Co (we) may hold about you, what it's used for, how it's obtained, your rights and how to contact us as a data subject. If you are submitting a candidate as a Recruitment Agency Partner, it is an essential requirement and your responsibility to ensure that candidates applying to Clyde & Co are aware of this privacy notice.