Executive Assistant

ROLE OVERVIEW //

We are recruiting for an Executive Assistant to be based at the firm’s Head Office in London. The role is to work Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm (although as with all client-led industries a degree of flexibility is required), alongside a wider team of Executive Assistants and Administrators.

The successful candidate will work in the heart of our market-leading Disputes and Investigations practice, providing professional and client-focused support to our Head of DI Knowledge, the wider Professional Support Lawyer team and other business services stakeholders, undertaking complex tasks and projects and playing a critical role in managing all routine and daily administrative tasks.

This role is an excellent opportunity for someone who is sufficiently experienced to influence stakeholders, build strong working relationships, and is keen to provide an exceptional service working within a challenging and demanding environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES //

The key responsibilities of this role are set out below and there may be others which are not listed. You may be required on occasion to work outside our normal working hours of 9:30am to 5:30pm.

• Act as gatekeeper for all stakeholders/ managers (e.g. take and share messages, manage expectations of callers, pass queries on to other fee earners/managers where appropriate).
• Use initiative to manage email accounts and to develop and maintain systems to promote efficiency.
• Build strong relationships with, and develop and maintain a comprehensive knowledge of, clients, mandates and projects.
• Extensive and proactive diary management (to include understanding team preferences, highlighting and rectifying clashes, marking holidays/absences where appropriate, ensuring Outlook invitations are responded to and understanding team priorities for the day).
• Organise meetings including all ancillary arrangements (e.g. book meeting rooms and refreshments, arrange and provide technical support, and proactively prepare any necessary document packs).
• Organise and support conferences, events and hospitality, to include managing invitations and RSVPs, arranging payment, travel, restaurants/venues and any necessary equipment, supporting the preparation and distribution of name badges, attending events.
• Attend and contribute to team meetings, to include collating and circulating agendas and progressing action points as appropriate.
• Manage the administration of Group training programmes, including by:

Taking ownership of the planning process to ensure that relevant milestones are diarised and brought to team members’ attention, preparatory meetings are scheduled, tracker documents are up-to-date, and training materials are flagged for updating;

Liaising with relevant teams to secure appropriate room bookings;

Managing calendar invitations;

Organising and assisting in the production of slides and other relevant training materials;

Liaising with speakers and other relevant parties; and

Recording and reporting attendance using relevant IT and HR systems.

• Own and maintain all relevant data, for example in relation to training programmes, events and client relationships, to include creating and maintaining rolling ‘to-do’ lists and prompting stakeholders/managers as necessary.
• Build strong relationships with Partners, fee earners and other business services teams and maintain effective and efficient use of business support services.
• Identify and facilitate knowledge sharing within peer group and wider team, and provide team support to cover absences and during times of increased workflow.
• Maintain a comprehensive knowledge of, and ensure compliance with, quality standards, and the firm’s policies in general.
• Facilitate training sessions for legal staff and provide end-to-end support, to include liaising with providers, clients and attendees, booking rooms or event spaces, providing any documentation required (before and after), providing technical support in the training sessions (as required).
• Update intranet pages, as required.
• Collate BD activities for the group.
• Maintain the Market Intel Tracker, checking claimant firms’ websites for any new class actions that may be of interest to the group.
• Support the BD team with overlapping tasks and projects, as necessary, which may include updating marketing lists on our internal CRM system, updating brochures, updating LinkedIn alumni lists, preparing legal directory submission documentation, preparing referees for same, plus arranging meetings with Partners and legal directory personnel.
• Undertake additional ad hoc duties to support the group, as identified by your stakeholders/Practice Support Manager/group partners and as necessary.

CANDIDATE PROFILE //

Candidates for this position must have:

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint).This role will demand extensive use of these packages and will also require excellent administrative skills and experience.
• Excellent audio skills and typing speeds.
• Excellent attention to detail and use of grammar.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work well within a team/be a strong team-player, and to interact at all levels.
• The ability to build strong relationships with internal and external clients.
• Commercial and financial acumen and a solution-focused attitude.
• Accuracy and pride in their work product.
• A collaborative attitude and be supportive of the business and its initiatives, plus a willingness to get to grips with new technology, taking the training opportunities provided by the firm.
• The ability to confidently manage and prioritise a varied workflow, and to remain proactive and flexible at all times.
• The ability to anticipate and identify potential problems and provide innovative solutions.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to multi-task, keep calm under pressure and work to tight deadlines.
• Experience of working in a diverse team whilst fostering an inclusive team culture.
• An adaptable nature and be open to change, with a willingness and confidence to make suggestions for change where appropriate.
• A high level of professionalism and integrity; displaying the highest standard of professional ethics.