Legal Support Assistant – Family

Our Family team combines efficient legal support colleagues with trusted and experienced lawyers who together deliver outstanding client care across the full range of family services. Divorce and situations involving children can be distressing and unpleasant so all members of the team work collaboratively to help clients resolve such issues in a caring and sensitive manner with minimal impact.

The team is headed up by Tony Hunt who is a Partner specialising in divorce, private law Children Act proceedings, financial issues and cohabitee disputes. He is also ranked in Band 1 of Chambers & Partners UK and is a Legal 500 recommended lawyer.

Tony is joined in practice in our Plymouth office by Rebecca Giles who is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives with over 27 years’ experience in family law, with particular emphasis on divorce and financial remedy work, cohabitation and TOLATA disputes, private law children work and domestic abuse.

Within our friendly and experienced family team, you will feel supported in what you do whilst enjoying the autonomy to use your initiative and self-manage your working day.

The Role

As a Legal Support Assistant, you will primarily assist Rebecca Giles by providing effective administrative and secretarial support using a bespoke case management system and a wide range of business software applications.

You will be expected to have contact with clients, both in person and by telephone and email, as well as with other law firms and related professional organisations and agencies.

And finally, you will work collaboratively with your colleagues to ensure that the work of the Family team, primarily in the Plymouth office but also across the wider firm when required, is carried out in accordance with the firm’s own standards and you will endeavour to deliver a high quality, efficient and effective professional legal service by ensuring that documentation is prepared and produced to a consistently high standard and within required deadlines.

Who You Are

Your role in the Family team is key so previous experience of working within the legal services profession, particularly in relation to family and divorce work, would be a distinct advantage although not essential, providing you have enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and develop new skills with an interest in new technology and its application in an office environment.

You will be an efficient and effective administrator and a strong team player who is keen to both support and learn from colleagues.

You Will

• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills and will be articulate and able to communicate clearly, concisely and without jargon.
• Be comfortable speaking to clients, both on the telephone and in person, who are distressed due to their personal circumstances which have been affected by a breakdown in a relationship or emotional conflict.
• Have experience of working with a variety of business software packages and a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Be able to develop and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues, clients and other professional contacts.
• Have a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail, as well as a good knowledge of grammar and its application.
• Have the ability to work on your own initiative and under pressure, whilst maintaining a thorough, organised and methodical approach to your work.
• Be flexible and adaptable when necessary.