Legal Secretary (Clinical Risk) - Leeds (6-9 month FTC)

Job Introduction

DACBeachcroft has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Legal Secretary to join and support our busy Clinical Risk team on a 6 to 9 month fixed-term contract. This role will be full-time and hybrid, based out of our Leeds office.

Working as part of a team, you will be required to provide an excellent standard of secretarial support to the Clinical Risk team. You will also be required to provide support across the other practice groups as and when required. Working individually and as a team to act as a point of contact for lawyers and to ensure the effective completion of their work, as well as undertaking a variety of secretarial tasks (as listed below). Provide a high quality, comprehensive workflow management and organisational service to lawyers in the group and exceptional client service.

We are a Disability Confident employer and guarantee to interview anyone with a disability, long term health condition or neurodiversity whose application meets the essential criteria for the role.  If this applies to you and you feel you meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy as set out in this advert then please contact recruitment@dacbeachcroft.com in confidence, quoting the reference number for this vacancy in the subject box of your email, and a member of the Recruitment team will be in touch.

Role Responsibility

Client Relationship Management

• 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

• Handle outgoing correspondence including electronic communications and encryption of documents using secure data transmission methods in line with client requirements
• Manage/General knowledge of external Client's case management system including adding outgoing correspondence and associated documentation on behalf of fee earners
• Collate enclosures for outgoing correspondence, instructions to Counsel, experts etc using electronic bundling and encryption software
• General knowledge of case management system including running ad hoc documents 
• Liaise with external parties regarding enclosures/encryption/discs/assisting with use of secure systems and supply passwords
• Email management – filing, saving, locating, deleting, responding where applicable and referring incoming mail to others as necessary and managing Inbox on behalf of colleagues as and when required
• Update document bundles for fee earners
• Keep case files organised and logical
• Assist with incoming billing and accounts queries
• Book client meetings
• Assist with the planning and booking of travel arrangements
• Assist with ad-hoc business development and communications activities e.g. client contact reports, delegate packs etc.
• Occasional preparation of correspondence and documents from digital dictation

Communication

• Key point of contact for lawyers 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 lawyer 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 STL. Assisting others where there is spare capacity or it is evident that a colleague needs assistance with their workload

Financial

• Assisting lawyers with billing related tasks
• Reviewing and updating time allocation and disbursements ensuring appropriate matter allocation
• Request cheques, bank transfers, and paying in money received, as appropriate 
• Supporting the co-ordination of the WIP process
• Dealing with matter related finance administration to include BACs, TTs etc.
• Processing expenses

Customer Service

• Arranging and attending team meeting
• Consistently and appropriately update service users on progress where appropriate

The Ideal Candidate

• Experience of working in a legal or professional services environment
• An aptitude for managing multiple priorities, producing documents and client communications of the highest standard
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications
• Advanced knowledge of document management/case management systems
• An effective communicator with an excellent customer and client service approach; striving to provide exceptional service at all times
• Customer/client service focused
• Proven experience of managing 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

About the Company

We are a leading international legal business with over 2,500 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Central America, the USA, Australia and Germany.

We are a broad-based commercial firm with a strong heritage in insurance, health and real estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory capability. We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for all of the UK’s top-ten insurers, we are market leaders in the provision of strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to providers and commissioners in the health sector, and in real estate we advise all of the UK’s top-12 housebuilders.

We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 142 Chambers UK 2021 practice area and individual lawyer rankings. In Legal 500 UK 2021, the firm received a top tier ranking for 37 of its practice areas, and 58 DACB lawyers were singled out in the ‘Leading Individual' rankings.

Our successes have been recognised by the legal industry and the markets in which we operate. These accolades include two top prizes in the ‘Excellence in Business Development’ and ‘Excellence in Technology & Innovation’ categories of the 2020 Law Society Excellence Awards – the highest accolade for law firms in England & Wales. Our health sector team won the ‘Crisis Management Team of the Year’ award at the 2020 British Legal Awards for its support to the NHS at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our Cyber & Data Risk team received the ‘Business Development Innovation Award’ at the 2020 Legal Innovation Awards, as well as ‘Cyber Law Firm of the Year’ at the prestigious Insurance Insider Cyber Rankings Awards, for its market-leading suite of digital tools to help our clients prepare for and respond to cyber and data risk crises.

Our vision is to be leading business advisers, recognised for our insight and our outstanding commitment to clients, and for being the place where talented people want to work. For further details on our work and our culture, please visit www.dacbeachcroft.com.

Application Details

At DAC Beachcroft, we don’t just accept your differences we celebrate them.  From bespoke solutions for our clients, to treating you like an individual.  Our strength comes from your diverse ideas and bringing the whole you to work. So if you’re good at what you do, come as you are.  We welcome direct applications and are happy to talk flexible working.

We also want you to be at your very best.  Please feel free to let us know of any changes we can make at any point in the recruitment process that will help support your application.  If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV.  Your application will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.

Note for Recruitment Agencies – the DAC Beachcroft recruitment team is responsible for managing all current vacancies through direct hiring and referrals wherever possible.  We do work with recruitment agencies and where we require external support we will formally release those vacancies to the agencies on our Preferred Supplier List deemed best placed to assist us.  Speculative CVs sent by any agency to any DAC Beachcroft employee without a specific request by the recruitment team will not be accepted and with no introduction fee applicable.  Our recruitment team can be contacted at recruitment@dacbeachcroft.com

DAC Beachcroft