Legal Secretary

Practice Group / Department:

Job Description

We're Norton Rose Fulbright - a global law firm with over 50 offices and 7,000 employees worldwide. We provide the world's preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. At Norton Rose Fulbright, our strategy and our culture are closely entwined. We know that our expansion will mean little unless it is underpinned by truly global collaboration and we understand that pioneering work only takes place when our people have room to move and think beyond boundaries. As well as the relevant skills and experience, we're looking for people who are innovative, commercial and value the work that they do.

Legal Secretary

Riyadh

Job Description

The Team

The secretarial team currently consists of two Secretaries (including this role). This position reports directly to the Managing Partner of the Riyadh office.

The Role

The Legal Secretary will provide fee earners with effective high-quality Document Production, Practice Administration, BD and PA support that appropriately meet their requirements. These tasks include but are not limited to preparation of complex and often confidential documents, presentations, correspondence and support with effective calendar management; travel arrangements and communication (telephone, email and mail).

The Legal Secretary will be a highly knowledgeable user of key software packages (i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio and Outlook) and will take responsibility for any training needs to improve relevant skills needed to meet the needs of the business. This includes working towards achieving Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) qualifications in the key applications.

This role is intended to embrace a team-working approach, collaborating with lawyers and other members of Business Operations to fulfil the needs of the business. In addition to being assigned to a number of specific lawyers, it is expected that a Legal Secretary will work with every member of the team to ensure that overall needs are met.

The Legal Secretary will be reliable and hardworking, remain calm when working under pressure and apply the right communication to their peers. They must have the ability to work to tight deadlines, distribute workload and be an active team member. The nature of the role also requires a self-starter who is extremely organised with the ability to juggle priorities and work on their own initiative, recognising the need for absolute confidentiality and professionalism. Strong communication skills are essential.

The Legal Secretary will also perform all other duties as necessary.

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work required in this role. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties.

Document Production

• Uses word processing and document management software (Microsoft Office 2010, including PowerPoint & Excel, DocXtools, Adobe etc.) to format, paginate, number and present documents in Norton Rose Fulbright LLP house style
• Proofreads and checks all work for spelling, grammar, formatting and presentation where appropriate to improve work product
• Transcribe dictation, minutes of meetings or taped records of conferences and meetings
• Understands and fully utilises word-processing functions for document preparation such as BigHand
• Proactively works with other members of the team to ensure relevant documentation is attended to in order to meet internal and external clients' expectations and deadlines

Practice Administration

• Conflict checks
• Maintains and updates comprehensive client contact information using Interaction
• Conducting an audit every 6 months to ensure contact information is up to date (this involves printing fee earners IA list and following up with them to ensure they review/amend accordingly.)
• Adding all fee earner BD activity to activity section on IA
• Global Search/Experience Management
• Bids/Credentials
• Matter management (opening/closing files, maintenance, engagement letters)

Business Development Tasks

PA Experience statements and CV's

• CVs: On a bi-annual basis check whether assigned fee earners require any changes made to their CV. This will include printing out and circulating the current version, chasing for and actioning amendments.

Bid process

• Ensure that the bid process, from setting up a non-chargeable matter number through to logging the bid in the bid library, is fully completed in a compliant manner for assigned practice areas. This will include ensuring bids are produced in the correct house style.

Event management of smaller scale events

• Take ownership for smaller scale events (e.g. client lunches and dinners, training sessions, client briefings) in allocated practice area. This will include ensuring events are organised within objectives and budget and adheres to internal best practice procedures and standards.

Clean up of InterAction and send out mailings

• Ensure that the contacts for your relevant practice area are added and updated in InterAction on a regular basis.
• Responsible for sending out practice area client mailings. This will include ensuring the mailing follows best practice procedure and that relevant results are collated and circulated for any follow up.

Team member to other Pas and Tas

• Attending monthly PA Team meetings to support other team members when needed
• Cover for one other PA during holidays within a fixed holiday rota
• Coordinate and delegate tasks to TAs where appropriate, utilising all the resources the firm provides
• Provides proactive administrative and organisational support to the practice area ensuring and promoting quality, excellence and efficiency of service
• Takes responsibility for ensuring that each piece of work is correctly saved and accessible by the fee earner
• Maintains filing per team utilising Firm filing standards on Worksite
• Prioritises and ensures smooth handover of document work to and from other team secretaries
• Liaises with Fee Earners as appropriate in relation to progress of work and anticipated deadlines
• Manages diaries of allocated fee earners in Microsoft Outlook to include:
  • Makes and rearranges appointments, ensures efficient scheduling of meetings, using discretion and judgement when accepting meeting requests
  • Schedules meetings, reserves meeting rooms, coordinates video/audio equipment, and orders food
  • Prepare papers for meetings, proactively seeks out and deals with any necessary paperwork etc.
    • Proactively organises regular catch-up meetings with the fee earners and ensures outcomes are followed up on
    • Plans and coordinates comprehensive travel programs, to include assistance (in the absence of the receptionist) with booking flights and preparation of itineraries etc. in conjunction with the Firm's designated travel management company
    • Forwards LPO to administrator for processing and completes travel and expense reports for reimbursement
    • Assist with PowerPoint presentations and internet research
    • Manages CLPD bookings and monitors CLP credits for fee earners
    • Provides Deal/Matter support
    • Arrange team events, meetings/conferences
    • Attends and contributes proactively to secretarial meetings

Professional skills

• Exhibits professionalism by recognising and adhering to all Firm policies, including attendance guidelines, dress code, security measures, and confidentiality requirements
• Maintains positive, professional, courteous and flexible demeanor when dealing with clients and colleagues
• Proactive in clarifying instructions from fee earners/manager should they be unclear or if deadlines are not made explicit
• Responds to internal and external telephone enquiries politely and professionally
• Supports other members of the team and provides cover as and when necessary to ensure that work is completed to a high standard and meets the required deadlines
• Acts as an expert in the legal secretarial group, fielding questions from others and training less experienced colleagues as needed
• Anticipates and identifies clients'/colleagues' current and future needs
• Shares information and offers ideas and solutions in a team environment

General approach

• Establishes rapport with and trust of fee earners, staff, managers and internal and external clients
• Shows a positive approach and interest in the work of fee earners and the wider team
• Takes ownership of queries: resolves, escalates or identifies alternative contacts as appropriate and uses initiative to actively seek solutions to problems
• Proactively seeks to identify and acts on opportunities to improve skills, processes or ways of working
• Supports fee earners when clients are demanding the work product to be delivered
• Supports and builds collaborative working relationships with own fee earners as well as other members of the team and actively works for the interests of the whole team
• Exercises confidentiality, discretion and personal sensitivity in all aspects of role
• Demonstrates tact and diplomacy in relation to confidential client and/or team matters

Finance, Billing and Compliance

• Supports the Revenue Team by providing WIP reports to fee earners and issuing invoices in a timely manner.
• Ensures that all necessary KYC (Know Your Client) procedures are performed in accordance with the Firm's compliance standards.
• Responsible for opening new matters, managing related documentation, and ensuring that all client details are accurately recorded.
• Liaising with the Revenue team regarding client rates and assisting them with updating client details via intapp.
• Updating partner fee allocations as advised by the finance team.

Skills and experience required

• Established experience of working in a fast paced professional services organisation
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills
• Demonstrative interest in the work of the various practices
• Strong time management and prioritisation skills as will be required to support a demanding group of Fee Earners at different levels of seniority
• Ability to use initiative/problem solve
• Flexible approach as may be required in order to assist the wider team and/or to meet document or client deadlines

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To attract the best people, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, have a sense of belonging, and realize their full career potential.
Our new enabled work model allows our people to have more flexibility in the way they choose to work from both the office and a remote location, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service. We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive employment policies and provide access to programmes and services aimed at nurturing our people's health and overall wellbeing. Find more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams. We strive to create an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any tailored adjustments or accommodations, please let us know here.