Legal Executive Assistant

Ropes & Gray LLP; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 77,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Professional development

Career growth

Collegial culture

Job summary

Ropes & Gray LLP is seeking a Legal Executive Assistant (LEA) in Chicago to support lawyers with day-to-day operations, client communications and intricate scheduling across multiple time zones.

The role emphasizes confidentiality, professional presentation, and proactive problem-solving in a hybrid on-site setting. Candidates should bring a college degree and advanced MS Office skills for efficient document handling and billing workflows.

Qualifications

• MS Office proficiency including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal and written/verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Composes, edits and proofs documents and correspondence with high accuracy.
• Manages multiple calendars and coordinates meetings across lawyers, offices and time zones.
• Arranges travel using approved tools and adheres to travel policies.
• Provides superior client service with internal and external clients and maintains confidentiality.
• Supports timely and accurate billing through proformas, timekeeping and expense processing.
• Contributes to project management and data tracking using Excel.
• Maintains open, collaborative communication with teammates and management.
• Participates in training and mentorship activities to support team development.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills

MS Office

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Education

College degree or equivalent

Job description

About Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top three on The American Lawyer's prestigious A-List for eight consecutive years and #1 on Law.com's UK A-List twice in the past three years - rankings that honor the "best of the best" law firms.

The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.

The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.

Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

Overview

Why become a Legal Executive Assistant (LEA) at Ropes & Gray? Because with great responsibility comes great opportunity. An LEA works alongside industry-leading lawyers to serve as a right hand and joins the practice as an integral member of the group. An LEA plays a vital role in managing day-to-day activities by managing the flow of information while screening, organizing and prioritizing requests from both internal and external clients.

Being an LEA at Ropes & Gray is a challenging and rewarding career ideal for a self-starter with high energy who can work independently and identify creative solutions to complex business problems.

• Supports and demonstrates fluency in the Firm’s Trusted Advisor and Proactive Assistance programs.
• Demonstrates a professional demeanor in appearance and behavior.
• Maintains strict confidentiality in all interactions.
• Possesses exceptional verbal and written communication skills adhering to proper business writing standards while demonstrating a keen eye for detail in informal and formal communications.
• Works effectively with other departments, seeking solutions to business problems and demonstrates a solid ability to communicate with all levels of the organization.
• Possesses strong interpersonal skills, maintains a positive and professional attitude at all times (i.e. an openness to constructive feedback and a flexibility to adjust behavior or performance as needed) and demonstrates an intellectual curiosity and continuous drive to improve service.

Responsibilities

Inbox and Document Management

• Composes, edits and proofreads correspondence, presentations and other documents while demonstrating exceptional technological/document production skills.
• Ensures related documents and emails are stored in the appropriate iManage Workspaces.
• Organizes and maintains paper and electronic files in accordance with Firm records retention policies, as needed.

Calendar and Meeting Management

• Demonstrates an exceptional understanding of Microsoft Outlook while utilizing creative problem solving to solve challenging scheduling requirements. Manages multiple calendars and supports scheduling requirements across multiple lawyers, clients, offices and time zones.
• Proactively coordinates internal/external meetings with limited direction. Arranges proper logistics based on meeting requirements (visitor offices, conference room, video conference and dial-in number, as appropriate), requiring meticulous attention to scheduling logistics and details.

Travel

• Applies best practices when arranging travel, utilizing agent assist and on-line tools appropriately and maintains up-to-date travel preferences (frequent flyers, Known Traveler Number, passport, etc.).

Client Service – Relationship Management

• Provides superior client service with internal and external clients displaying a proactive, "can do" attitude when meeting with clients via zoom, by telephone and/or in person.
• Acts as the gatekeeper prioritizing conflicting needs. Handles matters confidentially, expeditiously, proactively and independently and follows through on tasks until successful completion.
• Maintains a professional relationship with other legal counsel, agencies and professionals.

Billing Management

• Efficiently reconciles and processes expenses. Reviews inbox, diary entries, calendar and other items to classify business and personal expenses. Reviews Chrome River and American Express Card to allocate expense items. Obtains receipts from lawyer or other means if available. Collaborates with internal or external resources to address all outstanding Chrome River or AMEX items within payment window, running inquiries when necessary.
• Actively manages timekeepers’ diaries. Creates draft entries based on knowledge of lawyer activity, review of inbox, diary entries or other knowledge. Edits and reviews entries to ensure conformity to best practices. Proactively manages lawyers to ensure entries meet submission deadlines. Obtains subject matter expert level knowledge of the billing process.
• Proactively communicates and collaborates with assigned billing coordinators. Coordinates the proper review of proformas, tracks, edits and updates, and facilitates final approval of bill to ensure timely delivery to client. Assists in meeting targets and year-end deadlines.

Project Management

• Proficiency in Excel for data tracking and reporting, supporting operational processes with accurate and timely information.

Teamwork

• Fosters open and frequent communication with teammates to ensure smooth and expeditious support.
• Maintains collaborative and respectful relationships with teammates, managers, and firmwide colleagues, in line with the firm’s core values and one-firm approach.

Training and Professional Development

• Actively contributes to secretarial huddles and other team related activities.
• Participates in focus groups, lunch and learns, and other knowledge sharing activities including the mentor program, when necessary.
• Maintains subject matter level expertise in the Firm’s core applications and understands and adheres to best practices.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:

Performs other work-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• College degree or equivalent.
• Expert proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) applications.
• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to seamlessly perform and prioritize multiple tasks with excellent attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with internal and external lawyers, staff and clients.
• Expert written and verbal communication skills.
• Proactive approach to problem-solving and strong decision-making capability.

Compensation and Total Rewards Package

Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well-being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below and represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity.

• Chicago: $77,000 - $117,450

Working Conditions

This position requires hybrid on-site presence as an essential function of the role. Consistent and predictable on-site presence is required for ongoing business continuity, professional development and effective collaboration with colleagues and management.