Float Legal Secretary

Birketts is a full service, top 100 UK law firm, operating in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, Norwich and the surrounding areas.

With a rich heritage spanning over 150 years we’ve built an enviable track record advising businesses, institutions and individuals in the UK and internationally.
Throughout our history our ethos has remained simple: we provide clear legal advice and value and insight to our clients.

We set out to truly understand our clients’ needs and help realise their ambitions.

We believe that through this approach and a combination of technical excellence and high quality service we can develop long-lasting partnerships and become our clients' solicitor of choice.

At Birketts, our passion is to provide and deliver high quality legal advice but we also deliver a great experience when it comes to your career too!

Birketts is currently recruiting for a Secretary to come and join our friendly and proactive central team. The Secretarial Support team provide a wide range of flexible administrative support to all teams across the firm; including (but not limited to) copy typing, document production, dictation, billing, production of letters, file opening and closing and formatting of documents.

We encourage and enable smart working and flexibility and we are currently anticipating that this will be a full time role, but would be potentially flexible for someone looking for at least 4 days per week (must include Mondays and Fridays).

This team secretarial role requires you have a technical ability to produce and amend documents with speed and accuracy; format, paginate, number and present documents in Birketts LLP 'house style' and proof read all work, checking for spelling and grammar.

You will proactively work with the fee earners to ensure relevant documentations are produced to meet clients’ expectations and deadlines, manage diaries in Outlook and make all necessary travel arrangements.

Preparing papers for meetings and dealing with any necessary paperwork following meetings attended by fee earners will be a further accountability as well as:

• Process all forms including new client form, new matter form, money laundering form, training course booking forms etc;
• Prepare narratives and bills and keep billing files up to date;
• Immediately clarify instructions from fee earners should they be unclear or if deadlines are not made explicit;
• Respond to internal and external telephone enquiries politely and professionally and take accurate telephone messages(name/number/company), passing them on to the relevant fee earners etc.

We are seeking a secretary who can show a positive approach and interest in the work that the fee earners are undertaking; someone who can show initiative when responding to queries and actively tries to seek solutions to problems and supports when clients are demanding the work  be delivered.

Building a working relationship with fee earners and other members of the team is critical to the success of this role and actively getting involved in working activities within the team. 

Birketts will require the secretary to have the following skills:

• Proven experience of working as a Secretary 
• Previous experience of using a digital dictation tool – ideally Bighand
• Typing speed of at least 50 wpm
• Excellent spelling and punctuation
• Excellent written and verbal communications and ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of individuals
• Excellent IT skills, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• Positive and enthusiastic approach to team work
• Good telephone manner
• Adaptable and flexible
• Self-motivated, ability to use initiative and provide pro-active support to fee-earners
• Ability to remain calm and work under pressure to meet strict deadlines
• Commitment to ongoing learning and development.

We are committed to recruiting individuals on merits of suitability for each role, on the basis of qualifications and experience. All applications are treated fairly and equally regardless of sexual orientation, race, disability, religious beliefs and any other protected characteristic, ensuring that there are equal opportunities at all stages of the recruitment process.

Benefits

One of the best things about joining Birketts is our rewards package. At Birketts we’re appreciative of the people who work for us and our rewards package is reviewed regularly to reflect that. You can expect to receive:

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays
• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Agile Working Policy
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share / Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Paid CSR day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Season Ticket Loan
• Subsidised gym membership
• Eye Care Voucher
• Private Healthcare - BUPA
• Life Assurance   - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Dress for your Day Policy
• Discounted legal services.

For further details about this exciting role, please email harriet-griffiths@birketts.co.uk.