Practice Assistant
Clyde & Co · London
Role: Practice Assistant
Location: London
Department: Financial Institutions / Directors & Officers (FIDO)
Working arrangement: 2 days (14hrs) per week (Monday & Tuesday)
Contract: Permanent, part-time
Client Relationship Management
• Become an active part in the care of clients and be wholly familiar with contacts/clients
and dealing with basic client queries as appropriate.
• Manage the production of documents and check returned work produced by the
Document Production team/speech recognition for accuracy/formatting, before it is
passed to the relevant lawyer.
• Taking and making client related calls, dealing with and handling message taking as
appropriate.
• Liaise with Client & Marketing and provide support for scheduling tender meetings,
directory interviews, client training etc.
• Manage Interaction and ensure new prospects, clients and contacts, activities and
business development information are added.
• Responsible for keeping up to date with client specific protocols and processes,
implementing, providing guidance and training to others where necessary and ongoing
monitoring.
Administrative
• Responsible for files to be opened and closed and supervise general filing requirements
and record keeping and production of engagement letters ensuring compliant 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 the involvement in
preparation of pitches and presentations, scheduling meetings e.g. tenders, directories,
internal clients.
• Work with business development managers on the maintenance of CRM to ensure key
client contacts are in Interaction and ‘bounce-backs’ e.g. contacts with rejected email
addresses are reviewed, updated or archived from system.
• Assisting in the organisation of internal and external events, seminars and conferences
(vulture).
• Manage diaries, ensuring they are up-to date, anticipating requirements e.g. associated
travel /accommodation bookings, meeting rooms, drafting itineraries, preparing
agendas, preparing and circulating papers.
- Produce and maintain Excel spreadsheets as required.
- First point of contact for the team, dealing with queries and acting on initiative to provide
exceptional client service, promoting and developing ownership within the teams.
• Assisting in the tender process – liaising with Business Development, collating
outstanding information, assisting with draft/final submissions.
- Arrange for the preparation and collation of internal sector newsletters and briefings
- Arrange photocopying, printing, organising couriers, sending out letters, faxes etc
- Receiving instructions via digital dictation for tasks and acting upon the same
- Maintaining LinkedIn profile, updating connections and adding new activity
- Checks CVs, copies of old tenders
- Manages enquiry inboxes, and website queries
Communication
• Key point of contact for allocated Partners, Fee Earners and Clients to maintain
relationships and ensure a high level of support is always provided by the team.
• Monitor post and/or emails and dealing with as appropriate ensuring all client related
correspondence is passed on to an appropriate Fee Earner and actioned as necessary;
proactively responding to and drafting responses on behalf of others, prioritising emails,
collating necessary paperwork and e-filing.
• Liaising with and providing support to their immediate colleagues in the department, and
where practical, other legal and support departments as requested by Hub Leader.
Assisting others where there is spare capacity or it is evident that a colleague needs
assistance with their workload.
• Answering phone calls for other members of the team when they are away from their
desk and participating in a lunch time telephone rota within the Practice Assistant team.
• Minute taking, following up designated actions to ensure completion ahead of the next
meeting.
- Liaison with and taking direction from your Legal Support Manager
- Liaise with the Legal Support Managers over any planned absences, arranging cover as
necessary and communicating this to the relevant Fee Earners.
Processing
• Responsible for managing priorities and workloads to ensure deadlines are met.
Liaising with Hub Leader/Legal Support Managers where challenges arise.
• Responsible for managing the creation and maintenance of data rooms and client
information in accordance with case milestones.
• Responsible for ensuring client and matter data is maintained and updated within
appropriate systems, raising requests with the BAU team as appropriate.
- Online applications e.g. Companies House, Land Registry, Searchflow, CRU forms
- Undertaking searches and completion of requisite forms and submissions
- Ensuring compliance with firm wide/department policies and procedures
Customer Service
- Arranging and attending team meetings
- Liaising 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
Essential Skills & Experience
- Advanced knowledge of document management/case management systems
- An effective communicator with the ability to establish and build client relationships;
striving to provide exceptional service at all times.
- Customer/client service focused
- Proven experience of managing high level client facing tasks and priorities, with a
hands-on, practical approach.
- Effective at investigating issues and seeing a problem through to conclusion
- Conscientious, taking personal responsibility for own work and accountability for its
delivery and quality.
• Excellent team player, sharing in team goals to provide excellent quality and efficiency
of service, 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 when appropriate to ensure
areas of concern are resolved effectively.
• Well organised and methodical with excellent attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in all
client communications and deliverables.
Technical Skills
- Experience of working in a legal or professional services environment
- An aptitude for providing top level organisational support, anticipating support needs,
producing documents and client communications of the highest standard.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Offic
The Firm
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.
Our Commitment
Clyde & Co is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. Our values encourage us to support fairness, celebrate diversity and prohibit all forms of discrimination in the workplace to allow everyone to excel at work. Therefore, we welcome and encourage all applications from suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background or identity. Learn more about our interview process.
A Note on Privacy
This is the job description as constituted at present; however, Clyde & Co reserves the right to reasonably amend it in accordance with the changing needs of the business.