Legal Secretary

Job Introduction

We are looking for a Legal Secretary, or an Administrator with a legal background, to join our Newport team.  The successful candidate will be expected to provide a high standard of secretarial support to partners/ lawyers across across the practice.  The position will involve a mixture of home and office working.

Role Responsibility

• Preparing correspondence and documents from digital dictation
• Answering/making telephone calls
• Managing the case management system (as appropriate)
• Keeping case files organised and logical
• Preparing documentation bundles
• Opening/closing of files
• Filing, archiving, photocopying, scanning and faxing
• Assisting with the planning and booking of travel arrangements
• Assisting fee earners with admin tasks e.g. expenses, diarising meetings etc
• Booking client meetings
• Assisting with billing, cash collection and account queries e.g. following-up on outstanding bills
• Assisting with ad-hoc business development and communications activities e.g. client contact reports, delegate packs etc
• Ensuring client contact information is kept up to date and data is accurate
• Helping to maintain a clean office and clear desk
• Working knowledge of our computer systems and packages e.g. Word, Excel and PowerPoint and bespoke DAC Beachcroft packages and DAC Beachcroft branded documents
• Supporting on cost-saving initiatives such as cheaper travel options
• Regularly liaising with fee earners within your group and your STL to keep them updated as to workflows; ensure you keep your fee earners updated re deadlines for work;
• Share knowledge within the team relating to any changes within external client set ups e.g. client contacts leaving/joining the client etc;
• Advising accounts/IT of any change of address/telephone numbers/change of name of any external client so that databases are updated;
• Proof reading speech recognition
• Any other duties as may be reasonably required for the performance of your role

The Ideal Candidate

• Qualified to a minimum of 5 GCSEs (including a grade C in English and Maths) or equivalent
• Previous experience as a legal secretary is preferred with a minimum typing speed of 65wpm
• A secretarial NVQ / Diploma or equivalent would be beneficial but is not essential
• Must have good IT skills, particularly in Microsoft packages
• Demonstrable ability to multitask
• Ability to prioritise a full workload under pressure and the ability to work independently
• An excellent eye for detail with a concern for quality and accuracy
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely orally and in writing
• A focused client service approach
• Team oriented and collaborative approach with a flexible, can do attitude
• Any other duties as may be reasonably required for the performance of your role

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