Personal Assistant

Williams Lea; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Health Assessment

TechScheme

Job summary

Williams Lea seeks an experienced Personal Assistant to join our team in Cambridge or London. The role offers hybrid working after probation, with 3 days in the office and 2 days at home, based on a 37.5-hour week.

The Personal Assistant provides proactive support to fee earners, manages complex diaries, coordinates meetings, handles billing tasks, and maintains confidential client records in a fast-paced professional services environment.

Qualifications

• Exceptional written and verbal communication
• Strong multitasking abilities
• Discretion and high confidentiality

Responsibilities

• Proactively managing complex diaries for partners and fee earners
• Organising internal and external meetings and greeting visitors
• Handling billing reports, draft bills and related correspondence
• Assisting with finance tasks including cheques, CHAPS/BACS and transfers
• Maintaining client records in the CRM and facilitating matter openings/ closures

Skills

Diary management

Billing & credit control

Client communications

Confidentiality & discretion

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Personal Assistant

Salary : £33,700 per annum for Cambridge based or £40,000 per annum for London based, plus company benefits

Location : Cambridge, CB2 1GE or London, EC1M

Contract : Permanent, Full Time

Shifts: 37.5 hours per week, Monday - Friday, 9am-5:30pm with 1 hour unpaid break

Work model : Potential for Hybrid working after 3 months (3 days office based, 2 days home based)

Williams Lea seeks an experienced Personal Assistant to join our team!

Williams Lea is the leading global provider of skilled, technology-enabled, business-critical support services, with long-term trusted relationships with blue-chip clients across investment banks, law firms and professional services firms. Williams Lea employees, nearly 7000 people worldwide, who provide efficient business services at client sites in often complex and highly regulated environments, from centralised Williams Lea onshore facilities, and through best cost company offshore locations.

Purpose of role

The role of the Personal Assistant is to provide enhanced, proactive support to fee earners to enable them to operate efficiently. The support provided needs to be a seamless legal service to clients. The Personal Assistant role is expected to use a high degree of self-management and initiative and to maintain a high level of confidentiality.

The Personal Assistant supports the Corporate Commercial solicitors at the London, Cambridge or Bath office (circa 15 solicitors of varying levels of need).

The Personal Assistant will act as workflow manager for other support services. This includes delegating and supervising the completion of document production, file management and copying/scanning work which are primarily undertaken by other relevant business support services.

There would be the option of hybrid working after initial training/probation. This will normally be 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home.

Key responsibilities

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Proactively managing complex diaries for both partners and fee earners
• Answering telephone calls in a timely fashion, taking clear and detailed messages
• Organising internal and external meetings. Greeting visitors and arranging client refreshments
• Liaising with clients via email or telephone and acting as a point of contact
• Assisting fee earners in the billing and credit control process. Generating accurate billing reports, draft bills, and accompanying letters in a timely manner
• Assisting fee earners with finance tasks, namely requesting cheques, CHAPS/BACS payments, bank transfers and paying in money received, as appropriate
• Ensuring accurate and timely use of client relationship management tool to facilitate matter opening, maintenance, closure and archiving
• Maintaining up to date client records on the firm's client relationship management tool, including client contact details, client specific requests in relation to billing and bill formats, details of other parties etc in line with the firm's policy and processes
• Co-ordinating fee earner movements and making travel arrangements
• Managing the client and matter inception process ensuring files are opened in a timely manner in accordance with the firm's policies
• Managing the process of submitting partner/fee earners expenses in a timely manner
• Co-ordinating the completion of document production (including digital dictations/manuscript amendments), e-filing and file management, photocopying and scanning services, organising couriers, sending out of letters/faxes etc
• Managing the production of official documents including bundles, court papers, and relevant documents along with liaising with the Courts/Tribunals
• Actively participating in all relevant training
• Demonstrating flexibility with working practices/processes in line with the business need, especially in times of pressure/ high workload
• Assisting other members of the department, both proactively and at the request of the team leader and work effectively with other legal and support departments as required
• Any other relevant duties as reasonably requested by the fee earners or your line manager.

Personal attributes

• Exceptional standard of written and verbal communication
• Proficient multi-tasker
• Competent with the Microsoft Office suite and all forms of technology
• Team player
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Solutions focused
• Have a high level of confidentiality and integrity
• Exceptional attention to detail

Rewards and Benefits

We believe in supporting our employees in both their professional and personal lives. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to:

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part time and fixed term roles)
• Salary sacrifice schemes, retail vouchers - including our TechScheme which can be used on a range of gadgets such as Smart TV's, laptops and computers or household appliances.
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Health Assessment