Senior PA

A leading UK law firm with a network of offices from the South Coast to Scotland, working together as one national team. An innovative practice and the first top 100 law firm to achieve “Gold Standard” Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm. The lack of barriers between departments, a real lack of hierarchy, zero tolerance for arrogance and pomposity makes Shoosmiths a fantastic place to work.

Led by industry recognised planning partners, our dedicated and experienced team works closely with clients to help achieve their planning objectives. Whether it is general planning advice, the drafting of Infrastructure Agreements or strategic planning advice to facilitate delivery of complex mixed use schemes, our planning team offers a wealth of professional knowledge and advice which is always focused, clear and commercial.

To provide full PA support to the Head of the Real Estate Division and any Partners or Legal Advisors within the rest of the team, as required.

• Diary management, acting proactively where possible and highlighting/managing diary clashes. This will include a number of recurring appointments which will need to be actively managed and deadlines met
• Organising meetings and events internally and externally, which can include complex travel/logistical arrangements and liaising with the BD/Events team to ensure preparations are in place for events
• Collation of internal and external reports, including intricate accounting and updating
• Preparation of correspondence and communicating via all methods of communication
• Preparation of expense claims and overseeing expense claims submitted to the division head
• Monitoring KPIs, budget expenditure and management duties on an ongoing basis, drawing attention to any areas which require the division head’s scrutiny
• Maintain an overall knowledge of the division and provide support where necessary, including firm-wide developments
• Assisting with the preparation of pitches and marketing documents
• Maintaining team sheets and ensuring they are kept up to date with team changes throughout the division
• Overall knowledge of the divisions’ strategies and overseeing performance of the division against these
• Ensure the division head meets the strict HR deadlines, which will require time provisions to be made for the paperwork that will accompany the meetings
• Monitoring of financial performance throughout the division, with the ability to highlight any areas which need to be brought to the division head’s attention
• Keeping accurate meeting minutes
• General secretarial support.

• Previous PA experience in a similar role within the legal industry
• Self-motivated and able to work without supervision and to a high standard
• Excellent and accurate keyboard skills required
• Good working knowledge of various applications – Word, Outlook, digital dictation, Powerpoint and Excel
• Flexible with the ability to adapt to change, new practices and cope under pressure
• Confidentiality is essential due to the nature of the role
• A high level of accuracy is required over all aspects of the role, with a methodical and organised approach taken
• Good organisational skills to ensure that the tasks are effectively scheduled within working time available, and that urgent work is completed and returned within the specified timescales.
• Friendly, helpful, proactive and assertive approach to dealing with queries
• Excellent communication skills and telephone manner
• Ability to prioritise, be organised and efficient
• Ability to work under pressure and take the initiative
• Ability to be proactive and deliver a quality service to both internal and external clients

Shoosmiths is a committed Equal Opportunities employer promoting equality of opportunity. This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.