Legal Secretary - Employment

Owen Reed are recruiting for a Legal Secretary to join a law firm in Chancery Lane.  The Legal Secretary will work within the Employment team.  

The Legal Secretary will provide support with all administrative tasks including management of client files, management of billing and financial activities, client relationship and business development coordination, diary and travel management.

Key Responsibilities of the Legal Secretary
• Diary management:  Arranging and coordinating internal and external meetings; booking meeting rooms and confirming attendees and catering requirements; booking lunches/dinners; liaising directly with clients when required; ensuring that fee earner time is managed effectively at all times
• Travel management:  Organising and booking travel in line with business needs, including researching the most cost effective transport and accommodation, organising currency, visas, ordering taxis, preparing itineraries and other necessary paperwork including details of any business meetings,
location of meetings, providing maps, contact numbers etc; being aware of time zones where applicable
• Billing administration: Managing and coordinating the billing process, including preparation of billing guides and Work in Progress (WIP) reports; liaising with fee earners to discuss what should be billed; producing/reviewing/amending narratives; liaising with the Accounts Team; processing third party invoices; drafting routine billing correspondence and covering letters to be sent out to the clients, checking draft bills are correct, ensuring bills are sent out on time and comply with any specific client Service Level Agreements (SLAs); ensuring client monies are returned at the end of the transaction; closing and archiving files
• Financial management: Logging and reporting all financial activities relating to cases, including inputting time into the time recording system; processing expenses; producing financial and management information reports; reporting and escalating outstanding debts, liaising with credit control as necessary; preparing and sending out correspondence together with relevant supporting documentation
• Client relationship and business development co-ordination: Logging and reporting all business development activities; maintaining up to date client contact information using the InterAction database; maintaining up to date client/matter lists; assisting with preparation of pitches for new business and/or BD/marketing opportunities;
• Event coordination: Coordinating client events, liaising with Business Development and attending events where required
• Document production:  Producing and drafting routine and/or confidential correspondence and documentation including letters, emails, memos and faxes; undertaking brief amendments to documents; proofreading and checking own work and others work for accuracy, consistency and sense to ensure it meets the firm's standards
• Email management: Monitoring fee earner in-boxes flagging emails requiring urgent attention, particularly when fee earners are absent; drafting responses if necessary; directing communications to the appropriate person in a fee earner's absence; filing and scanning of incoming and outgoing emails