Legal PA

Shoosmiths - UK Law Firm of the Year Winner at the Legal Week British Legal Awards 2015.

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.

With expert solicitors in England and Scotland, and international links through the exclusive World Service Group, our Family Team are particularly well placed to advise on domestic and cross-border jurisdictional issues.

Whilst the focus of the team is the financial consequences of relationship breakdown, we also provide expert advice regarding issues concerning children.

We work with our clients to achieve a fair and practical solution to what are often complex disputes. Our clients benefit from the early identification of the issues in their case and our strategic approach to removing the obstacles to settlement. Where possible we aim to resolve all matters by negotiation but will take vigorous action when it is in our clients' interest to do so.

You will be joining our Family team providing PA and secretarial support to an Associate providing a comprehensive and quality service for our clients.

• Deal with dictation and production of letters and documents, including dictated tasks.
• To ensure that files are kept tidy and up to date.
• Assist with distribution of post and make enquiries to locate post with no reference, sort post and ensure collection by mailroom by required times.
• Attend any training sessions arranged by the Department at the reasonable request of a Manager.
• Deal with photocopying and scanning of documents. 
• Attend to file retrieval, putting files away and general filing and archiving procedures.
• Ensure prompt collection, sending and delivery of faxes.
• Perform messenger service, take telephone messages to competent standard, collect and deliver items within office and locally.
• Attend to file closures and inception of files.
• Ensure timely delivery of indents to accounts.
• Meet personally with clients when your supervisor is not available and on occasion attend conferences with clients.  
• Fully conversant with accounts procedures billing and credit control.

The ideal candidate will be both effective and confident when communicating with team members and clients whilst maintaining a polite, courteous and friendly manner.  They will have high standards of personal organisation and time management skills.  The individual must have a good attention for detail with dealing with e.g. file management and document production and have the ability to use their own initiative and manage the supervisors work when away from the office.

You will have a minimum of 2 years previous experience as a Legal P.A. previous experience of working within a Family department is highly desirable. You must have excellent keyboard skills, as you will be required to obtain typing speeds to a minimum of 60wpm with excellent accuracy and a good eye for detail.  You must have an excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office including word, powerpoint and excel. 

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.