Practice Assistant (Real Estate) - Leeds

Job Introduction

Due to an internal promotion, DAC Beachcroft has an exciting opportunity for an experienced and knowledgeable Practice Assistant (PA) to join our Real Estate team on a full-time, permanent, hybrid basis. This role can be based at a number of our office locations across the country. 

Reporting into the Hub Leader (HL), the main responsibility for this role is for the Practice Assistant (PA) to act as the single point of contact for partners, with responsibility for the completion of their work, PAs will undertake a variety of secretarial tasks (as listed below) and, where appropriate, will manage the workflow by utilising Administrative Assistants (AAs) and the Central Transcription Unit (CTU), retaining ownership and accountability of all tasks through to completion. 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

• 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 CTU 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 Clients & Markets to assist with the organisation of, and providing support for, scheduling client events, tender meetings, client training etc.
• Assist with the organisation of tenders and pitches to ensure the document creation process is managed effectively and to the highest standards, liaising with appropriate contributors as necessary
• Manage client contacts 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
• Manage and monitor the key dates process for clients and ensure compliance procedures are up to date on all files and matters
• Support lawyers in business development activities including the involvement in preparation of pitches and presentations, scheduling meetings e.g. tenders, internal client etc.
• Work with business development managers on the maintenance of CRM to ensure key client contacts are stored 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
• 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
• Along with HL, 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
• Produce and maintain Excel spreadsheets as required
• 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
• Uploading documents to PDF docs and editing documents using the same
• Arrange photocopying, printing, organising couriers, sending out letters, faxes etc.

Communication

• Key point of contact for allocated Partners 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 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 clients and contacts involved in client matters, taking the lead on ensuring actions are taken forward, addressing queries personally and escalating as necessary
• 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 (HL). Assisting others where there is spare capacity or it is evident that a colleague needs assistance with their workload
• Minute taking, following up designated actions to ensure completion ahead of the next meeting
• Liaise with the HL over any planned absences, arranging cover as necessary and communicating this to the relevant lawyers
• Assist HL and act as a coach to develop the team to the highest standards

Financial

• Assist partners and business development for client and event billing and credit control process
• Responsible for the completion of complex billing; ensuring bills are prepared to the highest standards of accuracy and it’s undertaken within the team in accordance with the contractual requirement
• Request cheques, bank transfers, and paying in money received, as appropriate 
• Reviewing and updating time allocation and disbursements ensuring appropriate matter allocation
• Taking overall responsibility for the client billing process, ensuring compliance with client protocols at each stage
• Anticipating and dealing with matter related finance administration to include BACs, TTs etc.
• Supporting the co-ordination of the WIP process
• Managing expenses

Processing

• Responsible for managing priorities and workloads to ensure deadlines are met.  Liaising with HL/SM where challenges arise
• Responsible for managing the creation and maintenance of data rooms and client information in accordance with case milestones
• Responsible for managing client and matter data, ensuring it is maintained and updated within appropriate systems, raising requests as appropriate
• Online applications e.g. Companies House, Land Registry, Searchflow, 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 partners, lawyers, LSAs, Hub Leader and SM's to take instruction and liaise on work requirements
• Consistently and appropriately update service users on progress where appropriate

The Ideal Candidate

• Significant experience of working in a legal or professional services environment is essential
• 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 is essential
• Advanced knowledge of document management/case management systems is essential
• 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 is essential
• 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
• Ability to lead, motivate and develop people
• 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 2,900 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Milan, Rome, Singapore, Argentina Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, 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