Executive Assistant

Executive Assistant – Personal and Family / Wills Executry

Based in Edinburgh

JOB PURPOSE

To work as part of a team in the provision of executive assistant / administrative support to the Personal team in our Edinburgh office. To assist the Personal and Family practice area as a whole, whilst ensuring in addition, the provision of an efficient and quality service to Brodies’ external clients.

CORE TASKS

• Diary management – makes and amends appointments, arranges meeting rooms, tracks responses and organises refreshments if required.

• Responsible for taking new client queries (including relevant details of the background to the query).

• Anticipate requirements for meetings i.e. organise papers, produce itinerary, directions, backgrounds/profile information.

• Proactive e-mail management – ensures documentation copied to client folder (as required), flags important emails and ensure dealt with, checking lawyer inbox when out of office/in meetings and actions important/urgent emails where appropriate

• Scan mail save to the document management system (‘DMS’) in the relevant folder, organise and prepare necessary responses for lawyers and paralegals.

• Prioritise and manage multiple projects and follow through on issues in a timely manner.

• Responsible for maintaining practice area organisation during times of holidays/absences for lawyers and paralegals– checking for important mail/voicemail/emails and responding if necessary or passing to another lawyer or paralegal.

• Responsible for ensuring all BigHand and non-BigHand work is complete within required timescales for lawyers and paralegals

• Responsible for inputting data into case management system.

• Maintain intimate knowledge of current affairs in office and able to deal with clients and third parties on a day-to-day basis via e-mail, phone or in person, ensuring that accurate messages are communicated and dealt with professionally and proactively.

• Update contacts and distribution lists in Outlook.

• Proficient in the preparation of Excel spreadsheets.

• Responsible for drafting letters of engagement.

• Organises expense claim forms and collate necessary receipts.

• Pay invoices in compliance with office internal procedures. Follow up process with relevant practice area through to completion ensuring completing appropriate cash form as required.

• Assist with billing, attend team/billing meetings, prepare bill and narratives for lawyers to sign off on and send to appropriate biller for finalising.

• Assist with case management.

• Assist in collating trust bibles.

• Assist in populating and updating internal systems and databases to enable information to be pulled from these databases when necessary.

• Responsible for sharing appropriate documents within the department - ensuring that all presentations are listed on a central database and all templates are available to all members of /practice area

• Undertaking some specialist duties e.g., finance, marketing/business development.

• Complete mail merges when required.

• Implementing standardised system in respect of saving documents saved to DMS.

• File documents in appropriate location both electronically and in hard copy, and organises opening and closing of files and papers when necessary.

• Sourcing travel and accommodation, organising all aspects of travel and anticipating important information and documents that lawyers may need whilst travelling, i.e., timetables, distances, etc.

• Minute taking where appropriate.

• If required type and amend all client correspondence and legal documents (often confidential) to a high standard in compliance with Brodies preferred document styling.

• If required responsible for typing up any PowerPoint presentations as and when required using Brodies formulas and ensuring relevant quantity printed out, together with any hand-outs, in readiness for seminars.

• Liaise with legal document specialist to ensure the completion of all BigHand dictation and documents within the required timescales assisting where necessary

• Proof reads documents to ensure accuracy, formatting and presentation are maintained

• Participate in the rota for lunchtime cover and provide assistance during holidays/absence

• Provide assistance to other executive assistants in the Personal and Family team as required and under the direction of the secretarial engagement manager

• Undertake some specialist duties e.g. finance, marketing/business development projects

• Undertake ad hoc administrative tasks when necessary under the direction of lawyers

• Maintain a tidy office environment in terms of the less paper guidelines

• Be aware of Brodies’ information security policies, and protect information assets from unauthorised access, disclosure, modification, destruction or interference at all times.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Should have knowledge and experience of working within a busy Personal and Family team

• This position is demanding so the successful candidate should be used to working under pressure, often with tight deadlines

• Excellent communication skills and confident in dealing with people at all levels

• A strong team player – willing to go beyond regular duties and help out where needed

• Presents a professional image to clients and other external organisations at all times

• Seeks out opportunities to provide a more efficient and proactive service to lawyers and paralegals

• The successful candidate will be required to be flexible regarding working hours as from time to time it will be necessary to complete work during lunchtime or work on a different timetable – 8:00-16:00 or 10:00-18:00. The core office hours are Monday to Friday 9:00- 17:00.

• Working practices and executive assistant allocations within the practice group will change from time to time and the successful candidate should have an open and flexible attitude to change and a willingness to train within other legal practice areas (CPD)

• Organises and prioritises time effectively

• Uses initiative and able to work independently

• Self-motivated

• Commercial and profit focussed

SKILLS

• Excellent organisational skills

• Ability to multi task and prioritise

• Proficient in the use of Microsoft applications:

• Word – track changes/mail merge

• Outlook – diary management, contacts, tasks

• Excel

• PowerPoint

• Willingness to enhance IT literacy through training

• Experience of Aderant (preferred but not essential)

• Experience of DMS (preferred but not essential)

• Experience of BigHand (preferred but not essential)

• Accurate and competent in document production including formatting and presentation