Practice Executive

Owen Reed is looking for an experienced, proactive and highly organised Practice Executive to join the Corporate Group of a top law firm in London on a permanent contract.

Working Pattern: Full time

Location: London

Contract Type: Permanent Contract

The Opportunity

Primary Responsibilities

• Plan for and deliver high quality, accurate work whilst managing deadlines, responding to change and the competing priorities of all work.
• Coordinate and produce accurate compliant documents and correspondence (including drafting engagement), reports and presentations. Utilise other services as appropriate (eg, Printroom, Document Production).
• Establish and maintain effective work practices with partners and lawyers to manage the matter life cycle from file opening to closure/archival. This includes adhering to the firm’s conflicts process, managing information barriers, contributing to the effective management of electronic and hard copy content and active legal project management.
• Proactively manage and understand partner and lawyers’ diaries using business knowledge to prioritise commitments. This will include organising appointments, conferences and meetings via multiple methods (videoconferencing, teleconferencing, client office software etc), considering lead and travel times, and coordinating meeting preparation and post-meeting actions.
• Coordinate detailed, multi-centred travel arrangements and provide detailed itineraries. This includes consideration of short/long term accommodation, visas, offsite meeting requirements and other business commitments. Ensure relevant global travel is included in the International BD visit report.
• Coordinate and assist with global visits/visitors.
• Proactively manage all communications both in and out of the partner and lawyers’ office and maintain responsibility for ensuring everything is dealt with in a timely fashion:
• Manage own email and partner and lawyers’ email as required.
• Filter, evaluate and prioritise incoming communications, proactively dealing with queries (including meeting invites) and raising with the partners/lawyers when necessary. Deal with mail/post in the same manner.
• Implement effective telephone call management. Take necessary steps to ensure that team members and business stakeholders are aware of the partner/lawyer/team’s and your own movements. Ensure calls and other parties receive a consistent, high quality service and their expectations are managed.
• Manage the coordination of the billing process including liaising with Revenue, the editing of bills, coordinating write-offs and discounts, collating bills and narratives in their final form as per firm policy and process. Manage alternative pricing arrangements and cross-border invoicing. Liaise with and delegate to the PTAs for their assistance with billing admin throughout.
• Work with the partners and lawyers to meet required WIP, billing and debtor day’s targets.
• Assist partners and lawyers with their BD responsibilities. This includes producing pitches, proactively updating CVs and credentials, producing International BD visit reports and updating the necessary client information databases in consultation with the relevant BD representative.
• Help partners and lawyers to build, manage and maintain strong relationships with clients and their secretaries by demonstrating diligence, professionalism and a commitment to providing them with an exceptional experience including being a key point of contact for the them and the team. This includes proactively maintaining accurate client contact information and ensuring client related activities are recorded on the relevant databases, and keeping abreast of partner and lawyer BD objectives.
• Delegate administrative tasks to the PTAs and maintain overall responsibility for ensuring:
• Filing is up to date and undertaken regularly;
• Timesheets and all banking and billing admin is completed promptly
• WIP client matter reports are compiled and errors and omissions are rectified.
• Client information is accurate at all times, including client specific requirements, in a timely manner via InterAction)
• Files for archiving are returned and retrieved following firm guidelines
• Maintain strong knowledge in your own practice area, key matters, business issues and ‘hot topics; so that appropriate priority is given to queries and requests and issues are escalated where necessary.
• Demonstrate enthusiasm and proactivity in the workplace, including participating in and contributing to secretarial and practice group meetings, firm initiatives, welcoming and settling in new starters, projects, focus groups, pilot groups, team building activities, learning and development sessions and other relevant activities.
• Take responsibility for your own learning, undertake recommended training, keep up to date and comply with firm policies, adopt new or improved firm and practice group recommended work practices, and share information with others about better ways of working.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience

• Typing speed minimum of 55wpm with 98% accuracy
• Intermediate to Advanced skill level with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel and Word).
• Basic skill level with Visio.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a demonstrated ability to building effective and trusting relationships with people internally and externally to the firm.
• Proven high level organisational and time management skills with the ability to think ahead, prioritise workload, respond to and manage changing circumstances and work under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent client and business focus
• Strong judgement and problem-solving ability
• Demonstrated high level experience as a Secretary/PA working in a professional services environment (legal experience is desired). Minimum of four years’ experience at this level.

Competencies

Personal Leadership

• Takes pride in their work and inspires confidence by consistently delivering quality work
• Acts on own initiative without being prompted
• Maintains composure under pressure by finding ways to manage their reactions to challenging situations
• Strives to excel by taking responsibility for their own development, seeking feedback and looking for ways to develop themselves personally and professionally

Connects and Collaborates with People

• Treats people with respect and in a fair and consistent way
• Adopts a positive communication style, even when challenged by others
• Builds and maintains genuine relationships and their network across the firm

Contributes to the Success of Others

• Recognises how their work contributes to and affects the work of others, and prioritises and communicates accordingly
• Takes an interest in others’ work objectives, and identifies opportunities to assist others by readily volunteering their help

Achieves Results

• Pays attention to the quality and accuracy of their work
• Anticipates potential issues and takes action to address these
• Monitors progress of tasks and follows up with others so that work is completed and delivered on time
• Suggests new ideas or ways of doing things

Enhances the Client Experience

• Identifies the client’s requirements and works with others to deliver these
• Brings a client service mindset to their interactions with others
• Shows a willingness to go the extra mile to deliver great service

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