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About the Role

To provide fee-earners with proactive and high-quality secretarial support that appropriately meets their requirements, enabling them to focus on providing legal services to clients and reducing the need for them to undertake administrative tasks.

Responsibilities

Proactively manage and maintain fee-earners' diaries, scheduling appointments and co-ordinating internal and external client meetings and ensure all work activities are scheduled effectively, including the identification and resolution of potential challenges and clashes.
Monitor individual responses for meetings and update fee-earner(s) as required. Ensure fee-earners have relevant materials and information in advance of each meeting.
Arrange the booking of conference rooms, video conference facilities, taxis refreshments, restaurants, and liaising with meeting attendees, both internal and external.
Monitor and respond to post and/or emails, prioritising correspondence to enable fee-earners to focus on urgent matters and using initiative to route emails to the appropriate individuals for swift response and action; wherever possible, respond to and file emails on behalf of fee-earners to reduce volume.
Organise travel arrangements through the firm’s travel company, booking and confirmation of reservations, flights, hotels, car transfers, ordering currency and expense claims and producing detailed itineraries.
Perform day-to-day administrative tasks such as photocopying and scanning.
Effectively manage new client matter opening and any additional tasks and duties relating to this process, following Service Excellence workbooks and process throughout.
Organise document management, including closing of files, archiving and ensure that all relevant documents are filed electronically and paper-based, if required.
Deal with and submit travel invoices and expense claims using Chrome River.
Submit invoices for payment through the Accounts Payable team and monitor progress.
Demonstrate an understanding of the end-to-end billing process and AX (Financial system); assist fee-earners by proactively leading on relevant administrative processes, to ensure that bills are completed within required timeframe.
Prepare WIP reports to be reviewed by fee-earners.
Support fee-earners, Secretarial Co-ordinator or Group Head on time recording (Intapp), including reporting as required.
Support fee-earners with maintenance of InterAction; ensure new business contact details are entered and contacts from fee-earners Outlook address book are shared, updating changes of contact and entering activities when a M&BD activity is planned with a client or target by own fee-earner, proactively downloading and printing reports on contacts ahead of meetings and pitches with the contact.
Support team in updating information on the SharePoint intranet or in managing and maintaining particular pages.
Support fee-earners with the preparation of speaker CVs and formatting of speaker materials, RSVP management for events sponsored by own fee-earner by responding to MS Team calls and email enquiries from interested delegates, responding to fee-earners’ queries about attending delegates using InterAction reporting function, notifying own fee-earners about events that are coming up in their/other office when visiting using intranet events calendar and notifying the organiser if fee-earner wishes to attend.
Draft letters and correspondence as required.
Proof-read all work to ensure that completed documents are delivered accurately and to a consistently high standard.
Prepare agendas, presentations and meeting papers, including print production and timely distribution and chasing papers for meetings and ensuring that fee-earners have papers and adequate preparation time.
Submit edits and format changes to bids, pitches and other client documents to Document Management Centre and monitor progress.
Source fee-earners’ CVs for pitches and co-ordinate the update of the CVs for the pitch then submission to the BD contact by required deadline and/or submission of pitch documents where online submission is required.
Support with presentations for client training, seminars and conferences if required by submitting to Document Management Centre to ensure they meet the firm’s branding and house style guidelines.
Maintain fee-earner CVs on CV Bank and the website to include entering content changes as directed by fee-earners, and proactively support the quarterly CV review by printing all versions of own fee-earners’ CVs from CV bank for review and mark-up, proactively asking fee-earners about adding new deals and cases to their CV upon completion of a matter.

Requirements

Experience working as a secretary within a professional services environment.
Good working knowledge of all Microsoft applications.
Experience of working with house-styles and branding.
Good working knowledge of document and client relationship management systems, OCR/PDF software and financial recording applications.
Client service orientated approach.
A proven working understanding of teamwork.
Problem solving skills and solutions focused.
Advanced communication skills at all levels.
Self-management, ability to take ownership and excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise work calmly and effectively in a pressurised environment.
Accountability and professionalism.
Business and organisation awareness.
Ability to develop self and others.
Attention to detail and discretion with confidential information.
Able to work effectively as part of a diverse and inclusive team.
Creative and forward-thinking approach to tasks.

Skills

Diary management
Contact management
Meeting coordination
Travel arrangements
Administrative tasks
Document management
Billing processes
Time recording
Client relationship management
Presentation preparation
CV maintenance
Microsoft applications
House-styles and branding
OCR/PDF software
Financial recording applications
Teamwork
Problem solving
Communication
Organisational skills
Attention to detail
Discretion

Location

London

Work Type

Full Time
Permanent
Hybrid

Experience Level

Secretary experience in a professional services environment

Benefits

Bonuses dependant on role/level
Private medical insurance
Pension contribution
Global skills academy for learning opportunities
Range of social and sports committees
Summer and winter parties
Monthly get togethers
Range of diversity networks

About the Company

Simmons & Simmons is a place where dynamic minds thrive.
Culture is built on work that matters, working on inspirational and thought-provoking projects, using influence to create positive impact for clients, society and the planet.
Ensures everyone’s voice is heard from day one, irrespective of job title, qualification, or background.
Encourages an enquiring mind and sharing ideas that can drive the firm forward.
Provides a platform to excel through innovative learning and development opportunities, enabling career ambitions and doing things never thought possible.
Brings together the best legal advice from established legal teams with non-traditional capabilities via Simmons & Simmons Solutions that enhance, expand and differentiate the Simmons offering.
Proud to rank as a top 30 Employer for Working Families and a top 25 Employer for Social Mobility.
Has a range of social and sports committees, summer and winter parties and monthly get togethers.
Has a range of diversity networks to connect people and celebrate differences which is integral to its inclusive culture.
All UK offices have their own artwork collections – including Damien Hurst and Tracey Emin pieces in the London office.
Has a long-standing history in supporting the art community especially up-and-coming artists.
Recently introduced a Strategic Advisory Council which is a mix of associates and business services who will propose strategic initiatives that align with the firm's mission and support the delivery of its Business Plan, shaping the future of its next-generation law firm.

Equal Opportunity

Committed to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to equal opportunities in employment.
Believes in equality of opportunity, irrespective of race or ethnicity, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re-assignment and gender identity, marriage or civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity.
This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment.
Ensures that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly during the recruitment and selection processes.
Seeks to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work.
Supportive of flexible working arrangements wherever possible.