Practice Executive

Job Description

Owen Reed is recruiting for a Practice Executive to join a top law firm in London.The candidate will most likely be required to be in the office full time during their first few weeks to be trained and settle in but then it will be inline with our agile 60 policy - 3 days in the office, 2 days at home.Primary Objectives: To provide a consistent superior level of secretarial support to partners, lawyers and Business Services staff in the practice group and work with them to achieve their business aims, client requirements and deadlines in order to deliveran exceptional client experience.Primary Responsibilities:

• Plan for and deliver high quality, accurate work whilst managing deadlines, responding to change and the competing priorities of all work.
• Coordinate and produce accurate compliant documents and correspondence (including drafting engagement), reports and presentations. Utilise other services as appropriate (eg, Printroom, Document Production).
• Establish and maintain effective work practices with partners and lawyers to manage the matter life cycle from file opening to closure/archival. This includes adhering to the firms conflicts process, managing information barriers, contributing to the effectivemanagement of electronic and hard copy content and active legal project management.
• Proactively manage and understand partner and lawyers diaries using business knowledge to prioritise commitments. This will include organising appointments, conferences and meetings via multiple methods (videoconferencing, teleconferencing, client officesoftware etc), considering lead and travel times, and coordinating meeting preparation and post-meeting actions.
• Coordinate detailed, multi-centred travel arrangements and provide detailed itineraries. This includes consideration of short/long term accommodation, visas, offsite meeting requirements and other business commitments. Ensure relevant global travel is includedin the International BD visit report.
  • Coordinate and assist with global visits/visitors.
  • Diarise, manage and coordinate lunches and dinners and other events as required, including reviewing venues and menu planning and ensuring costs are maintained against budget.

• Proactively manage all communications both in and out of the partner and lawyers office and maintain responsibility for ensuring everything is dealt with in a timely fashion:

• Manage own email and partner and lawyers email as required.
• Respond to communications and draft correspondence as appropriate.
• Filter, evaluate and prioritise incoming communications, proactively dealing with queries (including meeting invites) and raising with the partners/lawyers when necessary. Deal with mail/post in the same manner.
• Produce/draft outgoing communications and documents as instructed by the partners and lawyers
• Implement effective telephone call management. Take necessary steps to ensure that team members and business stakeholders are aware of the partner/lawyer/teams and your own movements. Ensure calls and other parties receive a consistent, high quality serviceand manage their expectations.

• Manage the coordination of the billing process including liaising with Revenue, editing of bills, coordinating write-offs and discounts, collating bills and narratives in their final form as per firm policy and process. Manage alternative pricing arrangementsand cross-border invoicing. Liaise with and delegate to the PTAs for their assistance with billing admin throughout.
• Work with the partners and lawyers to meet required WIP, billing and debtor days targets.
• Assist partners and lawyers with their BD responsibilities. This includes producing pitches, proactively updating CVs and credentials, producing International BD visit reports and updating the necessary client information databases in consultation withthe relevant BD representative.
• Help partners and lawyers to build, manage and maintain strong relationships with clients and their secretaries by demonstrating diligence, professionalism and a commitment to providing them with an exceptional experience including being a key point ofcontact for the them and the team. This includes proactively maintaining accurate client contact information and ensuring client related activities are recorded on the relevant databases, and keeping abreast of partner and lawyer BD objectives.
• Delegate administrative tasks to the PTAs and maintain overall responsibility for ensuring:
• Timesheets and all banking and billing admin is completed promptly
• WIP client matter reports are compiled and errors and omissions are rectified.
• Client information is accurate at all times, including client specific requirements, in a timely manner via InterAction)
• Maintain strong knowledge in your own practice area, key matters, business issues and hot topics; so that appropriate priority is given to queries and requests and issues are escalated where necessary.
• Adhere to firm, office and practice group policies and procedures, including those that are formal, informal, documented or verbal.
• Take all necessary steps to ensure you are aware of correct procedures. Maintaining inquisitive, collaborative and vigilant work habits, keeping abreast of changes and developing more efficient work processes. Demonstrate this in your interactions withothers.
• Demonstrate enthusiasm and proactivity in the workplace, including participating in and contributing to secretarial and practice group meetings, firm initiatives, welcoming and settling in new starters, projects, focus groups, pilot groups, team buildingactivities, learning and development sessions and other relevant activities.
• Take responsibility for your own learning, undertake recommended training, keep up to date and comply with firm policies, adopt new or improved firm and practice group recommended work practices, and share information with others about better ways of working.

Keyskills :
Document ManagementLegalSecretarialSecretarial SkillsLegal Service