Secretary - Real Estate

Goodwin; City Of London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in London seeks a highly skilled Legal Secretary to support its Real Estate practice. Responsibilities include managing calendars, preparing legal documents, and facilitating time entry for attorneys. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational and communication skills, experience in a legal setting, and proficiency in Microsoft Office. Join a dynamic team committed to client service and excellence.

Qualifications

• Proven experience supporting senior lawyers in a legal environment.
• Detail-oriented and thrives in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and projects efficiently.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex calendars and arrange meetings for attorneys.
• Proofread and edit legal documents for accuracy.
• Facilitate time entry for attorneys and paralegals.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Confidentiality

Technical proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Analytical skills

Education

High school diploma/GED

College degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

Overview

Join Goodwin’s Global Operations Team, and make a real impact on a global scale. At Goodwin, we work with some of the world’s most successful and innovative investors, entrepreneurs and disruptors in the life sciences, private equity, real estate, technology and financial industries, and where they converge. As part of the Global Operations Team – all business professionals at the firm – you’ll collaborate with colleagues from varied backgrounds and experiences, fostering an environment where cross-functional learning, networking, and collaboration are at the core of what we do.

Here, we’re not just supporting a law firm; we’re partnering with attorneys and clients to deliver cutting-edge solutions in high-stakes litigation and dispute resolution, world-class regulatory compliance and advisory services, and complex transactions. Our commitment to integrity, ingenuity, agility, and ambition drives us, and we’re proud to have been recognised as the “Best Business Team” by The American Lawyer.

This is your opportunity to grow professionally in a dynamic, global environment, surrounded by forward-thinking peers.

We are seeking a highly skilled Legal Secretary to support our Real Estate and Real Estate Hotel & Leisure practice groups. The Legal Secretary will provide vital administrative and executive support to attorneys, paralegals, and business leaders, ensuring seamless delivery of client service and operational excellence. This role is central to upholding our core values of a firm-first mentality, client focus, collaboration, and excellence.

The ideal candidate will be proactive, detail-oriented, and thrive in a fast-paced, high-profile environment. With proven experience supporting senior lawyers in a real estate practice, you will bring strong organizational abilities, polished communication skills, and up-to-date technical expertise to help drive the success of the team and the firm.

What You Will Do

Administrative Support

• You will play a crucial role in managing the daily operations of our legal team. Your responsibilities will include managing complex calendars, arranging meetings, and coordinating travel arrangements for attorneys, paralegals and business leaders. You will manage all aspects of meeting logistics, e.g., booking conference rooms, registering guests, securing equipment, and arranging catering services. Efficiently managing all communication modalities including calls, emails and hard copy mail. you will ensure communications are handled appropriately and in a timely manner. Additionally, you will prepare and process expense reports and check requests, ensuring accurate documentation for timely reimbursement/payment. You will provide backup support to other secretaries, including absence coverage and overflow tasks as needed.

Document Preparation & File Management

• You will be responsible for proofreading and editing legal documents, correspondence, memos, and other communications to ensure accuracy and clarity. You will assist with the preparation, management, and distribution of audit response letters, and maintain organized, up-to-date client and administrative files in the firm’s electronic document management system, ensuring quick document retrieval and compliance with firm policies.

Business Intake/Conflicts

• You will open new client and/or matter numbers, maintain and edit matters, perform conflict checks, and prepare engagement letters, coordinating their signing through DocuSign.

Time Entry/Billing

• You are responsible to facilitate time entry for assigned attorneys and paralegals including input, review, edit and release of time. May support billing process e.g., track billing deadlines, circulate prebills to attorneys for review, etc.

Who You Are:

• High school diploma/GED required
• College degree preferred but not required
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• You possess exceptional organizational skills, allowing you to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously with efficiency and precision. Your ability to prioritize and handle a variety of responsibilities ensures that deadlines are met and operations run smoothly, even in a fast-paced environment.
• You have outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal, enabling you to convey information clearly and effectively. Whether drafting legal documents, corresponding with clients, or collaborating with colleagues, your communication is always professional and articulate, fostering strong working relationships and ensuring accurate information exchange.
• You understand the importance of confidentiality in the legal field and are committed to maintaining the highest standards of privacy and discretion. You handle sensitive information with care, ensuring that all client and firm data is protected and only shared with authorized individuals.
• You are committed to continuous learning and professional growth. You actively seek out opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge, and you value collaboration, working effectively with colleagues to achieve common goals and improve team performance.
• You have a thorough understanding of the firm’s structure and the resources available to you. This knowledge allows you to navigate the organization efficiently, leveraging the right tools and contacts to support your work and contribute to the firm’s success.
• You are proactive in identifying areas for improvement within existing processes and procedures. Your innovative mindset drives you to suggest and implement changes that enhance efficiency, accuracy, and overall effectiveness.
• You possess strong analytical skills, enabling you to find solutions to various administrative challenges. You can assess situations, accurately identify issues, and prioritize workloads effectively, ensuring that problems are resolved promptly, and operations continue with minimal disruption.

Goodwin Procter LLP is an equal opportunity employer. This means that Goodwin Procter LLP considers applicants for employment, and makes employment decisions without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or other legally protected status.

Goodwin is a disability-inclusive employer. Please contact us if you require any disability-related adjustments during the interview process, or would like to have a confidential conversation with a member of the recruitment team. If there are any disability-related reasons which have impacted your profile, we may also be able to make adjustments for these. Please see our Disability-Related Screening Adjustments page if this applies to you. (Disability refers to sensory and physical conditions, long-term health conditions, neurodivergence and mental health conditions).