Practice Assistant

Department: White Collar Crime

Contract: 12-Month FTC

Location: London

Working arrangement: Hybrid (3 days in office per week)

The Team

As the single point of contact for Partners and the completion of their work, the role will 
undertake all aspects of the Practice Assistant role, or where appropriate, manage the 
workflow by utilising Team Assistants and Document Production, retaining ownership and 
accountability of all tasks through to completion. Provide a high quality, comprehensive 
workflow management and organisational service to fee earners in the group and 
exceptional client service.

Key Responsibilities

Client Relationship Management

Become an active part in the care of clients and be wholly familiar with contacts/clients 
and dealing with basic client queries as appropriate.

• Manage the production of documents and check returned work produced by the
  Document Production team/speech recognition for accuracy/formatting, before it is 
  passed to the relevant lawyer.
• Taking and making client related calls, dealing with and handling message taking as 
  appropriate.
• Liaise with Client & Marketing and provide support for scheduling tender meetings, 
  directory interviews, client training etc.
• Manage Interaction and ensure new prospects, clients and contacts, activities and 
  business development information are added.
• Responsible for keeping up to date with client specific protocols and processes, 
  implementing, providing guidance and training to others where necessary and ongoing 
  monitoring.

Administrative

• Responsible for files to be opened and closed and supervise general filing requirements 
  and record keeping and production of engagement letters ensuring compliant at all 
  times.
• Monitor and manage key dates for clients and ensure compliance procedures are up to 
  date on all files and matters.
• Support fee earners in business development activities including the involvement in 
  preparation of pitches and presentations, scheduling meetings e.g. tenders, directories, 
  internal clients.
• Work with business development managers on the maintenance of CRM to ensure key 
  client contacts are in Interaction and ‘bounce-backs’ e.g. contacts with rejected email 
  addresses are reviewed, updated or archived from system.
• Assisting in the organisation of internal and external events, seminars and conferences 
  (vulture).
• Manage diaries, ensuring they are up-to date, anticipating requirements e.g. associated 
  travel /accommodation bookings, meeting rooms, drafting itineraries, preparing 
  agendas, preparing and circulating papers.
• Produce and maintain Excel spreadsheets as required.
• First point of contact for the team, dealing with queries and acting on initiative to provide 
  exceptional client service, promoting and developing ownership within the teams.
• Assisting in the tender process – liaising with Business Development, collating 
  outstanding information, assisting with draft/final submissions. 
• Arrange for the preparation and collation of internal sector newsletters and briefings 
• Arrange photocopying, printing, organising couriers, sending out letters, faxes etc 
• Receiving instructions via digital dictation for tasks and acting upon the same
• Maintaining LinkedIn profile, updating connections and adding new activity
• Checks CVs, copies of old tenders
• Manages enquiry inboxes, and website queries

Communication

• Key point of contact for allocated Partners, Fee Earners and Clients to maintain 
  relationships and ensure a high level of support is always provided by the team. 
• Monitor post and/or emails and dealing with as appropriate ensuring all client related 
  correspondence is passed on to an appropriate Fee Earner and actioned as necessary; 
  proactively responding to and drafting responses on behalf of others, prioritising emails, 
  collating necessary paperwork and e-filing.
• Liaising with and providing support to their immediate colleagues in the department, and 
  where practical, other legal and support departments as requested by Hub Leader. 
  Assisting others where there is spare capacity or it is evident that a colleague needs 
  assistance with their workload.
• Answering phone calls for other members of the team when they are away from their 
  desk and participating in a lunch time telephone rota within the Practice Assistant team.
• Minute taking, following up designated actions to ensure completion ahead of the next 
  meeting.
• Liaison with and taking direction from your Legal Support Manager
• Liaise with the Legal Support Managers over any planned absences, arranging cover as 
  necessary and communicating this to the relevant Fee Earners.
• Processing
• Responsible for managing priorities and workloads to ensure deadlines are met. 
• Liaising with Hub Leader/Legal Support Managers where challenges arise.
• Responsible for managing the creation and maintenance of data rooms and client 
  information in accordance with case milestones.
• Responsible for ensuring client and matter data is maintained and updated within 
  appropriate systems, raising requests with the BAU team as appropriate.
• Online applications e.g. Companies House, Land Registry, Searchflow, CRU forms
• Undertaking searches and completion of requisite forms and submissions
• Ensuring compliance with firm wide/department policies and procedures

Customer Service

• Arranging and attending team meetings
• Liaising with Fee Earners, Hub Leaders and Legal Support Managers to take instruction 
  and liaise on work requirements.
• Consistently and appropriately update service users on progress where appropriate
• Regularly offer assistance wherever possible

Essential Skills & Experience

• Advanced knowledge of document management/case management systems
• An effective communicator with the ability to establish and build client relationships; 
  striving to provide exceptional service at all times.
• Customer/client service focused
• Proven experience of managing high level client facing tasks and priorities, with a 
  hands-on, practical approach.
• Effective at investigating issues and seeing a problem through to conclusion
• Conscientious, taking personal responsibility for own work and accountability for its 
  delivery and quality.
• Excellent team player, sharing in team goals to provide excellent quality and efficiency 
  of service, with a willingness to take on new responsibilities and challenges.
• Positive can-do attitude with the ability to adapt to change 
• Confidential and discreet but able to redirect information when appropriate to ensure 
  areas of concern are resolved effectively.
• Well organised and methodical with excellent attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in all 
  client communications and deliverables.

Technical Skills

• Experience of working in a legal or professional services environment
• An aptitude for providing top level organisational support, anticipating support needs, 
  producing documents and client communications of the highest standard.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office

The Firm

When you work at Clyde & Co, you join a team of 500 partners, 2,400 lawyers, 3,200 legal professionals and 5,500 people in nearly 70 offices and associated offices worldwide. Our values are the principles that guide the decisions we make, unite us in our endeavours and strengthen our delivery, for both our clients and our firm. We work as one, excel with clients, celebrate difference and act boldly. We are committed to operating in a responsible way by progressing towards a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities and clients it serves. We are devoted to providing an environment in which everyone can realise their potential, using its legal and professional skills to support its communities. We do this through pro bono work, volunteering and charitable partnerships, and minimising the impact it has on the environment, including through our commitment to the SBTi Net-Zero standard and the setting of ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Our Commitment

Clyde & Co is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. Our values encourage us to support fairness, celebrate diversity and prohibit all forms of discrimination in the workplace to allow everyone to excel at work. Therefore, we welcome and encourage all applications from suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background or identity. Learn more about our interview process.

A Note on Privacy

Please take a moment to read our privacy notice. This describes what personal information Clyde & Co (we) may hold about you, what it’s used for, how it’s obtained, your rights and how to contact us as a data subject.

If you are submitting a candidate as a Recruitment Agency Partner, it is an essential requirement and your responsibility to ensure that candidates applying to Clyde & Co are aware of this privacy notice.

This is the job description as constituted at present; however, Clyde & Co reserves the right to reasonably amend it in accordance with the changing needs of the business.