Secretary

Farrer & Co is synonymous with the highest quality legal advice and service.

We advise businesses, financial services, educational and not-for-profit organisations, individuals and families on every aspect of the law, wherever the need arises. From our offices in London we work with trusted professionals around the world to deliver a seamless international service.

Our clients present us with complex and varied challenges. Whether that's a complicated family trust issue, a multinational corporate transaction, or an emerging threat to their reputation, they need clear thinkers who can advise on the best solutions, fast thinkers when speed is of the essence and agile thinkers who can produce a fresh approach to get the job done. That's why they choose us.

Our clients value our in-depth knowledge, technical excellence and diversity of disciplines. But what really binds our long-standing relationships with them is our approach: pragmatic, plain speaking and always steadfast in our values, which we hold dear. Values which mean we gain our clients' trust, always strive to do the right thing, and aim for the best results for them.

Superb client service sits at the heart of everything we do. We are modern lawyers with timeless values.

The firm fosters a welcoming and inclusive environment. From the minute you walk through the door, you are greeted by warm and friendly people. We recruit the best, and we work with inspirational people who are keen to share their knowledge. Our employees embody our values of integrity, excellence and partnership, and this means that our people develop lasting relationships around the firm.

We provide broad legal assistance and expertise to the charity and not-for-profit sector, covering all the areas affecting institutions in these sectors, and those engaging with them.  The Team are the source of innovative solutions for clients across the UK and overseas.

We are looking for an extremely organised and proactive secretary to provide a high level of professional support to their allocated Fee Earners as well as other members of the Department. The candidate will be experienced in their specialist area but will be expected to be flexible to cover the broader remit of the Department. They will be highly motivated, display outstanding attention to detail and have the ability to multitask with ease.  It is essential that they are a strong team player with a positive, up-beat approach.

Organisational Support

• Effective and proactive diary management, and awareness of Fee Earners' workloads to plan ahead, with minimal supervision
• Processes relevant applications, forms or searches, with minimal supervision
• Has an excellent knowledge of all systems/processes used within the Department
• Is professional and maintains effective communications with clients and Fee Earners
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge and understanding of Fee Earners' matters to enable a proactive support service
• Researches new clients/contacts and prepares bios before meetings, and conducts basic research (on-line or otherwise) for Fee Earners when required
• Arranges travel and any other activities on behalf of others, where appropriate
• Uses initiative and takes a pro-active approach to work by regularly seeking ways to improve the level of secretarial support provided to Fee Earners and to the wider Department, developing techniques and systems for coping with time and deadline pressures

Client Relationship and Business Development

• Provides excellent service to clients, both internal and external, in a timely and professional manner, presenting a positive image of the Firm at all times
• Acts as a first point of contact for Fee Earners
• Provides assistance in the delivery of marketing communications, and records all business development meetings in InterAction, and sets up reminders where follow-ups are needed with prospects on InterAction or other systems/logs as required
• Recognises, respects and honours client confidentiality at all times
• Organises business development meetings and events for Fee Earners, and assists in the production of business development materials in liaison with Marketing
• Demonstrates a good knowledge about the type of work that the Department carries out, in order to be able to assist with new client enquiries
• Enables the Firm to provide bespoke communications to key contacts by being aware of particular client requirements and ensuring that these are catered for where possible
• Proactively builds an understanding and knowledge of clients and organisations to help Fee Earners develop future relevant opportunities for both their Team and other areas of the Firm

Document Production

• Creates typed work of a high quality, formatting in accordance with house style, at high speed, with accuracy and following internal guidelines
• Makes effective use of the Document Management System
• Creates new documents from the Firm’s templates, using contact data from InterAction where appropriate
• Proof-reads all documents for spelling, grammar and sense, querying wording where appropriate
• Proactively uses initiative to compose and send on behalf of Fee Earners, correspondence requiring focused concentration and attention to detail
• Acts as a role model and mentor to others in document production. Assisting and advising Fee Earners on house style. Works with IT to help to develop, improve and test document production templates and Department precedents

IT Skills/Systems

• Has attained super-user level of proficiency in core IT applications including the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and is sought out as a source of help from others in the Department
• Makes suggestions for additional training, as required
• Works with IT to help to develop and improve systems, acting as a focal point for testing and providing constructive and professional feedback

File Management

• Adopts a pro-active approach and works with Fee Earners  effectively, to maintain regular file management, ensuring all files are up to date, closed and archived, as appropriate
• Keeps accurate records of all files sent to off-site storage via Records
• Re-profiles any incorrect e-filing, works with the Team to address issues and supports the transition to a paperless office where possible

Financial Risk Management

• Prepares bills (including bill narratives) with minimal supervision, as required by Fee Earners
• Prepares AML documentation and obtains relevant documentation from clients in a timely manner, as required by Fee Earners and advises of client AML procedures
• Carries out conflict searches and correctly identifies the work type
• Liaises with credit control and alerts Fee Earners of unpaid bills
• Deals with time-recording matters as required by Fee Earners
• Regularly monitors finance related KPIs
• Pro-actively manages billing processes in accordance with Department's billing cycle
• Has an excellent knowledge and application of the Firm's procedures in billing, AML, credit control and debt management, and acts as a mentor to others in the Department

• Has excellent timekeeping and prioritises work effectively
• Is flexible, reliable, co-operative and has a professional approach to work
• Works as a positive, friendly and helpful team player
• Communicates in a positive and constructive manner and always interacts in good faith and demonstrates effective listening
• Uses initiative and takes a proactive approach to work by regularly seeking ways to improve secretarial support
• Positively supports and promotes change within the Department
• Acts as a role model in promoting and championing new ideas and supporting the Firm’s change programmes
• Adjusts approach to work as the demands require
• Respectfully and confidently puts forward solutions when dealing with competing demands from Fee Earners or others in the Department
• Functions effectively under pressure and acts with confidence and composure

• Qualified to GCSE standard, grade C (or equivalent) at Mathematics and English essential
• Previous secretarial experience in a law firm essential

• The hours of work for this opportunity are 9:30am to 5:30pm but it is essential to be committed, flexible and prepared to work beyond the normal office hours when necessary and in response to client demand.