Executive Assistant

Executive Assistant – Personal and Family / Family

Located in Edinburgh

Job Purpose

To work as part of a team in the provision of executive assistant/administrative support to the Family team. To assist our Family team, where support is required, and the Personal and Family practice area as a whole, whilst ensuring, in addition, the provision of an efficient and quality service to Brodies’ external clients.

Core Tasks

• Diary management – makes and amends appointments, arranges meeting rooms, tracks responses and organizes refreshments if required.
• Responsible for taking new client queries (including relevant details of the background to the query).
• Anticipate requirements for meetings, i.e. organise papers, produce itinerary, directions, backgrounds/profile information.
• Proactive e‑mail management – ensures documentation copied to client folder (as required), flags important emails and ensures they are dealt with, checks lawyer inbox when out of office/​in meetings and actions important/​urgent emails where appropriate.
• Scan mail, save to the document management system (DMS) in the relevant folder, organise and prepare necessary responses for lawyers and paralegals.
• Prioritize and manage multiple projects and follow through on issues in a timely manner.
• Maintain practice area organisation during times of holidays/absences for lawyers and paralegals – checking for important mail/voicemail/emails and responding if necessary or passing to another lawyer or paralegal.
• Ensure all BigHand and non‑BigHand work is complete within required timescales for lawyers and paralegals.
• Input data into case management system.
• Maintain intimate knowledge of current affairs in office and deal with clients and third parties on a day‑to‑day basis via e‑mail, phone or in person, ensuring that accurate messages are communicated and dealt with professionally and proactively.
• Update contacts and distribution lists in Outlook.
• Proficient in the preparation of Excel spreadsheets.
• Draft letters of engagement.
• Organize expense claim forms and collate necessary receipts.
• Pay invoices in compliance with office internal procedures, follow up process with relevant practice area through to completion ensuring completing appropriate cash form as required.
• Assist with billing, attend team/billing meetings, prepare bill and narratives for lawyers to sign off on and send to appropriate biller for finalizing.
• Organize transfer of time from lawyer's suspense account to relevant matter number.
• Assist with case management.
• Assist in collating trust bibles.
• Assist in populating and updating internal systems and databases to enable information to be pulled from these databases when necessary.
• Share appropriate documents within the team – ensuring that all presentations are listed on a central database and all templates are available to all members of the practice area.
• Complete mail merges when required.
• Implement standardized system in respect of saving documents to DMS.
• File documents in appropriate location both electronically and in hard copy, and organize opening and closing of files and papers when necessary.
• Source travel and accommodation, organize all aspects of travel and anticipate important information and documents that fee earners may need while travelling (e.g., timetables, distances, etc.).
• Minute taking where appropriate.
• Type and amend all client correspondence and legal documents (often confidential) to a high standard in compliance with Brodies preferred document styling.
• Type up any PowerPoint presentations as required using Brodies formulas and ensure relevant quantity printed out, together with any hand‑outs, in readiness for seminars.
• Liaise with legal document specialist to ensure completion of all BigHand dictation and documents within required timescales, assisting where necessary.
• Proofread documents to ensure accuracy, formatting and presentation are maintained.
• Participate in the rota for lunchtime cover and provide assistance during holidays/absence.
• Provide assistance to other executive assistants in the Personal and Family team as required and under the direction of the secretarial engagement manager.
• Undertake some specialist duties e.g. finance, marketing/business development projects.
• Undertake ad hoc administrative tasks when necessary under the direction of lawyers.
• Maintain a tidy office environment in terms of the less paper guidelines.
• Be aware of Brodies’ information security policies and protect information assets from unauthorised access, disclosure, modification, destruction or interference at all times.

Person Specification

• The position is demanding, so the successful candidate should be used to working under pressure, often with tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills and confidence in dealing with people at all levels.
• A strong team player – willing to go beyond regular duties and help out where needed.
• Present a professional image to clients and other external organisations at all times.
• Seek out opportunities to provide a more efficient and proactive service to lawyers and paralegals.
• Be flexible regarding working hours as, from time to time, it will be necessary to complete work during lunchtime or work on a different timetable – 8:00‑16:00 or 10:00‑18:00.
• Adapt to changing working practices and executive assistant allocations within the practice group; have an open and flexible attitude to change and a willingness to train within other legal practice areas (CPD).
• Organize and prioritize time effectively.
• Use initiative and work independently.
• Self‑motivated.
• Commercial and profit focused.

Skills

• Excellent typing skills.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize and organize.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft applications: Outlook – diary management, contacts, tasks; willing to enhance IT literacy through training.
• Experience of Aderant (preferred but not essential).
• Experience of DMS (preferred but not essential).
• Experience of BigHand (preferred but not essential).
• Accurate and competent in document production including formatting and presentation.