Legal Secretary to Head of Family and Childcare – Canterbury

GT Stewart Ltd; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 40,000 - GBP 60,000; Full time

Job description

Legal Secretary to Head of Family and Childcare – Canterbury

Location: Canterbury Office
Salary: Starts at £24,570.00
Working Hours: Full-time, office-based
Contract: Permanent

We are looking for an experienced and highly organised Legal Secretary /Legal Assistant to support the Head of the Family and Childcare Department in our busy Canterbury office. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a dynamic and supportive team at a leading multi-office, multi-service Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners firm.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Provide comprehensive PA and secretarial support to the Partner heading the Family and Childcare team.
• Review and manage partner’s inbox daily, identifying urgent, sensitive and high-priority client matters.
• Triage incoming correspondence and take appropriate action.
• Draft client emails for partner’s approval.
• Allocate and delegate work to appropriate team members.
• Monitor progress and ensure work is completed within required timeframe.
• Co‑ordinate between partner and support staff to ensure matters keep moving.
• Arranging and booking Counsel and / or internal cover of hearings and diary management.
• Proactively manage and maintain the Partner’s diary, schedule appointments and coordinate meetings.
• Accurately type legal documentation and correspondence from audio dictation.
• Liaise with clients, Counsel, and other professionals with professionalism and tact.
• Handle telephone calls, emails and correspondence on behalf of the Partner.
• Assist with file management and the organisation of legal documents, court bundles and case materials.
• Provide general administrative support, including booking travel and managing expenses as required.

Your Profile

You will ideally:

• Have at least three years’ experience in a Legal Secretarial or Practice Assistant role within a family or childcare law environment.
• Be highly organised, with the ability to prioritise multiple tasks and remain calm under pressure.
• Possess fast, accurate audio typing skills and experience managing busy professional diaries.
• Be confident using Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Communicate clearly and professionally, both in writing and verbally.
• Demonstrate a high level of attention to detail and accuracy in all work.
• Be professional, articulate, and able to build and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues, clients, and external contacts.
• Show a positive, can‑do attitude and willingness to take initiative, even with tasks outside your usual remit.
• Be discreet, tactful, and trusted to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately.
• Demonstrate enthusiasm for supporting others and being part of a high‑performing team.

Working with us

We offer a friendly, supportive and modern working environment, with significant investment in IT and administrative support to ensure efficient, paperless working.

Employee benefits include:

• Two days of remote working per week following successful completion of probation
• Generous annual leave starting at 23 days plus bank holidays, increasing with service
• Pension scheme with employer contributions
• Firm‑provided laptop and IT support
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Bi‑annual firmwide parties (Summer and Christmas)
• A collaborative and professional working culture
• Annual appraisals and salary reviews

If you are interested in applying, please email your CV and cover letter to our HR team at [e-mail].