Paralegal

Porter Dodson LLP; Sherborne; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A legal firm in Sherborne is seeking a Paralegal to support the Private Client team. This role involves assisting with estate administration and drafting wills and powers of attorney. The ideal candidate should possess strong organisational and interpersonal skills, along with good IT skills, to provide high-quality legal support. Benefits include competitive salary, flexible working, and private healthcare among others.

Benefits

25 days holiday, plus Bank Holidays

Extra Day of Holiday for your Birthday

Flexible Working

Private Healthcare

Pension Scheme(s)

Life Assurance

Eye Tests

Flu Jabs

Corporate Gym Membership Discounts

Legal Support

Opportunities for charity fundraising and office socials

Qualifications

• Excellent organisational skills and ability to work flexibly to deadlines.
• Strong administrative skills essential for legal support.
• Experience in a law firm environment providing legal support is preferable.

Responsibilities

• Assist on all aspects of Estate Administration and drafting legal documents.
• Open files and prepare client engagement documentation.
• Review client ID documents for compliance with Money Laundering obligations.
• Attend client meetings and take comprehensive notes.
• Provide proactive administrative support and matter management.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Organisational skills

Proactive attitude

Excellent IT skills

Tools

Microsoft Office

Outlook

Job description

Paralegal

Department: Private Client

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Sherborne

Description

We have an excellent opportunity for a Paralegal to join our Private Client team in Sherborne to assist on all aspects of Estate Administration, and to draft Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. This role will assist the Legal Advisors by providing administrative support in a way that is conducive to enabling them to operate at optimum efficiency. The successful applicant will undertake some fee-earning work with special emphasis on drafting straightforward legal documents and proactively assisting clients with a view to building relationships with clients and taking on basic, repeat instructions from clients directly.

Key Responsibilities

• Open files, prepare and send initial client engagement documentation.
• Review client ID documents to ensure compliance with Money Laundering obligations and internal policies.
• Ensure all email correspondence and attachments are entered on to Peppermint and Matter Summary Sheets are updated accordingly.
• Draft straightforward legal documents using the precedents provided, filing documents online where appropriate and develop skills to deal with more complex transactions.
• Contribute to the maintenance of a strict diary note of deadlines and timescales relevant to Legal Advisor(s) matters.
• Attending client meetings with advisors and taking comprehensive notes.
• Drafting documents for clients, including Wills and LPAs
• Assisting with Probate, paying out legacies, distributing Estates and ensuring ongoing communication with beneficiaries.
• Ensure all photocopying and scanning is accurate; take responsibility for checking photocopying/scanning done by Office Assistant.
• Attend to clients on the phone and in person, accurately recording any messages and passing on to the appropriate person without delay.
• Provide proactive administrative support and matter management tasks that include but are not limited to keeping up to date with progress on matters; identifying follow up actions needed; proactively contributing to team billing and file closures where appropriate., WIP, disbursement and debts, file closure and residual balances.
  
  

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Working closely with the fee earners in our Private Client department, this role would best suit someone who is proactive and enthusiastic, with great interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with people at all levels. Excellent organisational skills and the ability to work flexibly to deadlines will be important. Strong administrative skills are essential, along with commitment to delivering a high-quality and professional service in a cost-effective manner. More technical requirements include excellent IT skills including the use of Microsoft office and Outlook. Ideally you will have experience in a law firm environment providing legal support to fee earners but welcome applications from those who feel they meet the requirements of the role.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, you will also get:

• 25 days holiday, plus Bank Holidays
• Extra Day of Holiday for your Birthday
• Flexible Working
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme(s)
• Life Assurance
• Eye Tests
• Flu Jabs
• Corporate Gym Membership Discounts
• Legal Support
• Opportunities to get involved with charity fundraising, sports teams and office socials