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.

The role:

You will work as part of a team to provide secretarial and administrative support to help our legal teams deliver great service to our clients.

Your key duties will be:

• providing timely and effective support to requests for assistance from members of the team
• producing accurate correspondence and documentation; this includes the use of digital dictation
• 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
• 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

Skills and experience you will have:

• a minimum of 2 years’ experience working in a legal secretarial role, ideally within a private client team
• fast and accurate audio-typing skills
• 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
• excellent oral and written communications skills
• excellent organisational skills, flexibility and the ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously

Key competencies you will need:

• to be ambitious and enthusiastic to provide an excellent ‘audio typing’ service to the team
• to work well in a team and develop good working relationships with colleagues and others
• to have confident interpersonal skills with the ability to liaise openly and clearly with colleagues and clients
• the ability to produce a high standard of work, often to tight deadlines, whilst maintaining accuracy and good attention to detail
• the ability to demonstrate professionalism, proactivity, and initiative

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.