Legal Secretary

Shakespeare Martineau is a Top 50 law firm that combines creativity, commerciality and clarity. We work with blue-chip companies, leading organisations, high street brands and individuals across the country.

As enterprising and original thinkers, we’re driven to create exceptional experiences for our clients and our people. We handle personal and business-critical issues and game-changing deals across many dynamic sectors. It’s stimulating and rewarding.

We’re hardworking and deeply ambitious about creating opportunities for our employees; to move forward and achieve our ambition together. We provide an environment in which you’re supported to reach your potential.

Our people have a blend of excellent technical and business skills with the talent to do things differently.

Here you’ll find top quality work, cutting edge training, high profile clients, and supportive colleagues. We think it could be time you joined us.

Our highly skilled and experienced Private Capital group provide a wide range of services and advice empowering families to define their unique long-term goals and legacy. We undertake various Family and Private Client work at all levels and across many sectors.

Our Private Client team, including 13 members of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), provide a wide range of services and advice empowering families to define their unique long-term goals and legacy. We offer advice on the following areas of Private Client law: Capital Tax planning including advising on the most appropriate structures via Wills, Trusts & Family Investment Companies, the creation and administration of Trusts including tax compliance, accounting services and professional Trusteeship, administration of estates (simple to complex), Lasting Powers of Attorney and  Court of Protection work, the creation and administration of Charitable Foundations  and personal tax advice and compliance. Our clients’ profiles consist of family business owners, landed estates, newly acquired wealth, private individuals with inherited wealth and their families and Trustees of substantial trusts.

Our specialist Family team combine unsurpassed expertise with a sound understanding of Family law to provide exceptional solutions for every aspect of our clients’ needs. We provide advice to clients at every stage of their lives, whether they are planning for their own futures or making sure their loved ones are looked after. We assist clients with the planning, preparation and drafting of living together and pre and post nuptial agreements as well as guiding them sensitively through the complexities of separation, divorce, finance and matters relating to children. We are very much at the coal-face of Family Law and heavily involved in Resolution and the Law Society.

The role:

We are looking for a Legal Secretary to join our Private Client and Family teams in our office based in Milton Keynes, part of the firm’s Private Capital group.

You will provide secretarial and administrative support to help our team to deliver a great service to our clients.  

Your key duties will be:

• providing timely and effective support to requests for assistance from members of the team
• working with the team to produce management information reports and updates for clients
• attending to clients in person and on the phone taking messages and assisting where appropriate
• using a case management system to process and progress files
• opening and distributing the post
• managing file opening, closure and archiving
• producing bills and other financial administration
• managing diaries for the team, planning and organising meetings and making travel arrangements
• organising and maintaining departmental filing systems and document storage
• photocopying, scanning, faxing, printing, filing and other general administrative tasks
• producing accurate correspondence and documentation including the use of digital dictation
• providing assistance to the wider office as directed

Skills and experience you will have:

• a minimum of 3 months’ previous organisational and administrative experience, ideally gained working in a legal secretarial role
• a minimum grade C pass at GCSE (or equivalent) in English Language and Mathematics
• confidence with IT systems to include Microsoft Word, Excel and ideally PowerPoint
• fast and accurate keyboard skills

Key competencies you will need:

• the ability to work well in a team and develop good working relationships with colleagues and others
• confident interpersonal skills with the ability to liaise openly and clearly with colleagues and clients
• to have an excellent telephone manner
• to be able to produce a high standard of work, often to tight deadlines, whilst maintaining accuracy and good attention to detail
• the ability to prioritise well and be able to cope with changing demands
• the ability to manage your own workload unprompted and on your own initiative
• to be able to demonstrate professionalism, flexibility, and self confidence

About you - you will be:

• highly enthusiastic, willing to go the extra mile and be happy to go beyond the job description
• respectful towards others and have a positive, willing and ‘can do’ attitude
• keen to learn, interested in driving your own career progression and be proactive in taking ownership of this

Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. Details of the checks can be found here.

Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.