Secretary

Owen Reed; City Of London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Owen Reed in London is seeking an organised and proactive Secretary to join a law firm on a full-time, permanent basis. You will provide high-quality secretarial support to fee earners, manage diaries, documents, billing and business development activities, working closely with Partners and Associates.

This role requires strong MS Office skills, experience with document management, CRM systems, and a client-focused, discreet approach to work.

Qualifications

• Experience as a secretary in a professional services environment.
• Strong Microsoft applications knowledge.
• Experience with document management and CRM systems.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities under pressure.
• Excellent communication and discretion.

Responsibilities

• Proactively manage fee earners' diaries and coordinate meetings.
• Coordinate travel arrangements and expense claims.
• Maintain electronic and paper filing and document production.
• Support end-to-end billing processes and WIP reports.
• Assist with business development activities and CRM updates.
• Liaise with Partners, Associates, secretaries and clients as needed.

Skills

Organisational skills

MS Office

Diary management

CRM systems

Discretion

Communication

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Client-focused

Scheduling

Tools

InterAction CRM

AX

SharePoint

Job description

Location: London

Job Type: Full Time, Permanent

Reports to: Secretarial Manager

Owen Reed is looking for an organised and proactive Secretary to join a law firm in London on a full-time, permanent basis.

You will provide high-quality secretarial support to fee earners, helping them manage their workloads and focus on delivering legal services to clients. Working closely with Partners, Associates, secretaries and team administrators, you will coordinate diaries, correspondence, documents, billing and business development activities.

Key Responsibilities

Diary & Contact Management

• Proactively manage fee earners' diaries, schedule appointments and coordinate internal and external client meetings, identifying and resolving scheduling conflicts.
• Develop a good understanding of fee earners' clients and build relationships with their PAs.
• Monitor meeting responses and ensure fee earners receive relevant materials and information in advance.
• Arrange conference rooms, video conferencing, taxis, refreshments and restaurants, liaising with internal and external attendees.
• Monitor post and emails, prioritise correspondence and direct enquiries to the appropriate colleagues. Respond to and file emails on behalf of fee earners where appropriate.
• Organise travel through the firm's travel provider, including flights, hotels, transfers, currency, reservations and detailed itineraries.

Administration & Matter Management

• Coordinate photocopying, scanning, printing and document production, delegating to specialist departments and team administrators where appropriate.
• Manage new client and matter opening, following Service Excellence procedures and workbooks.
• Maintain electronic and paper filing, including file closure and archiving.
• Submit travel invoices and expense claims through Chrome River.
• Submit supplier invoices to Accounts Payable and monitor progress.
• Support the end-to-end billing process using AX, proactively coordinating administrative requirements to ensure bills are completed on time.
• Prepare WIP reports for fee earners to review.
• Assist fee earners, the Secretarial Co-ordinator and Group Head with Intapp time recording and reporting.

Business Development & Systems Support

• Maintain accurate InterAction records, adding new contacts, sharing Outlook contacts, updating details and recording marketing and business development activities.
• Prepare contact reports ahead of meetings and pitches.
• Update and maintain information and pages on the SharePoint intranet.
• Support events through speaker CV preparation, formatting materials, RSVP management and responding to delegate enquiries by Teams and email.
• Use InterAction reporting to answer fee earners' questions about attendees.
• Monitor the intranet events calendar, highlight relevant events to fee earners and notify organisers of attendance.

Documents & Correspondence

• Draft letters and correspondence, proofreading all work for accuracy and consistency.
• Prepare agendas, presentations and meeting papers, coordinating printing and timely distribution.
• Chase outstanding papers and ensure fee earners have sufficient preparation time before meetings.
• Submit amendments and formatting requests for bids, pitches and client documents to the Document Management Centre, monitoring progress.
• Source and coordinate updates to fee earner CVs for pitches, meeting Business Development deadlines and completing online submissions where required.
• Coordinate presentations for client training, seminars and conferences through the Document Management Centre to ensure compliance with branding and house style.
• Maintain fee earner CVs on CV Bank and the website, support quarterly reviews and prompt updates following completed deals and cases.

Working Relationships

• Work closely with Partners and Associates on daily priorities and work allocation.
• Collaborate with secretaries and team administrators across practice groups to provide and request support.
• Liaise with the Secretarial Co-ordinator and Secretarial Manager on wider work allocation, escalating issues where required.
• Build effective relationships with colleagues and key stakeholders.

Skills & Experience

• Previous experience working as a secretary within a professional services environment.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft applications.
• Experience working with house styles and branding guidelines.
• Familiarity with document management and CRM systems, OCR/PDF software and financial recording applications.
• A client-focused approach and a strong understanding of teamwork.
• Excellent communication skills and confidence working with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong organisational and self-management skills, with the ability to take ownership and prioritise calmly under pressure.
• A practical, solutions-focused approach to problem solving.
• Excellent attention to detail and discretion when handling confidential information.
• Accountability, professionalism and awareness of business priorities.
• A willingness to develop your own skills and support others.
• The ability to contribute effectively to a diverse and inclusive team.
• A creative and forward-thinking approach to tasks.
• Flexibility to work additional hours, including occasional unsociable hours, when required.
• Commitment to the firm's policies and values.