Practice Assistant

Farrer & Co.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - GBP 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in Greater London is seeking a proactive Secretary with strong organizational skills. You will support Fee Earners in managing client relationships and producing high-quality documents. Essential qualifications include secretarial experience in a law firm and GCSE level English and Mathematics. The role offers flexibility in working patterns within a collaborative environment. Join a firm that values diversity and provides excellent client service.

Qualifications

• Essential previous secretarial experience in a law firm.
• Experience in trademarks and intellectual property is beneficial.
• Must be Qualified to GCSE standard in Maths and English.

Responsibilities

• Manage diaries and workload of Fee Earners.
• Provide excellent client service and manage business development.
• Create high-quality documents quickly and accurately.
• Maintain file management and assist in financial risk management.

Skills

Previous secretarial experience in a law firm

Experience with trademarks and intellectual property

Education

Qualified to GCSE standard, grade C/level 4 in Mathematics and English

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Job description

Overview

Farrer & Co is synonymous with the highest quality legal advice and service.

We advise individuals, families, businesses, financial services, educational and not-for-profit organisations on every aspect of the law, wherever the need arises. From our offices in London we work with trusted professionals around the world to deliver a seamless international service.

Our clients present us with complex and varied challenges. Whether that's a complicated family trust issue, a multinational corporate transaction, or an emerging threat to their reputation, they need clear thinkers who can advise on the best solutions, fast thinkers when speed is of the essence and agile thinkers who can produce a fresh approach to get the job done. That's why they choose us.

Our clients value our in-depth knowledge, technical excellence and diversity of disciplines. But what really binds our long-standing relationships with them is our approach: pragmatic, plain speaking and always steadfast in our values, which we hold dear. Values which mean we gain our clients' trust, always strive to do the right thing, and aim for the best results for them.

Superb client service sits at the heart of everything we do. We are modern lawyers with timeless values.

The Team

Farrer & Co's IP & Commercial team is recognised for its expertise in complex, high-value transactional and advisory work across intellectual property, commercial and information law matters. We advise on everything from international collaboration agreements and brand protection to AI licensing and data protection compliance. Our clients include leading organisations in education, not-for-profit, private wealth and financial services. Many of our matters have an international dimension.

We are consistently ranked as a top practice for publishing, education and art & cultural property. Our work combines technical complexity with sector insight, and we are known for delivering clear, practical advice on issues that often involve cutting-edge technology and innovation.

The team is collaborative and intellectually driven, made up of around six partners, 14 associates, a trainee and four PAs. We work closely with colleagues across the firm, particularly our Corporate, Employment, Charities and Financial Services teams, supporting both transactions and disputes. Our culture is collegiate and forward-thinking, and we pride ourselves on providing varied, challenging work for clients who value quality and creativity.

Responsibilities

Organisational Support

• Effective and proactive diary management, and awareness of Fee Earners' workloads to plan ahead, with minimal supervision
• Processes relevant applications, forms or searches, with minimal supervision
• Has a good knowledge of all systems/processes used within the Department

Client Relationship and Business Development

• Provides excellent service to clients, both internal and external, in a timely and professional manner, presenting a positive image of the Firm at all times
• Acts as a first point of contact for Fee Earners
• Provides assistance in the delivery of marketing communications, and records all business development meetings in the CRM system
• Recognises, respects and honours client confidentiality at all times

Document Production

• Creates typed work of a high quality, formatting in accordance with house style, at high speed, with accuracy and following internal guidelines
• Makes effective use of the Document Management System
• Creates new documents from the Firm’s templates, using contact data from the CRM system where appropriate
• Proof-reads all documents for spelling, grammar and sense, querying wording where appropriate

IT Skills/Systems

• Maintains a high level of proficiency in core IT applications including the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)

File Management

• Adopts a pro-active approach and works with Fee Earners effectively, to maintain regular file management, to ensure all files are up to date, closed and archived, as appropriate
• Keeps accurate records of all files sent to off-site storage via Records

Financial Risk Management

• Prepares bills, as required by Fee Earners
• Prepares AML documentation and obtains relevant documentation from clients in a timely manner, as required by Fee Earners
• Carries out conflict searches and correctly identifies the work type

Skills and Experience

• Previous secretarial experience in a law firm essential. Experience with trademarks, intellectual property & commercial law would be helpful

Education and Qualifications

• Qualified to GCSE standard, grade C/ level 4 (or equivalent) at Mathematics and English essential

Special aspects

• Happy to talk flexibly.This role is suitable for individuals looking to work a minimum 0.8 FTE. Flexible working patterns will be considered within the firm’s agile working framework
• Standard office hours are 09.30 to 17.30 Monday to Friday, but it is essential that the applicant is committed, flexible and prepared to work beyond the normal office hours when necessary and in response to demand
• Farrer & Co operates an agile working framework under which members of the firm are expected to spend at least 40% of their working hours in the office. This is a minimum expectation: individuals may elect or be asked or expected to work more frequently in the office, depending on circumstance
• Farrer & Co is an equal opportunity employer which welcomes applications from candidates from all backgrounds. We look to employ the best candidates regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other protected characteristic
• We are keen to ensure candidates have the best interview experience possible. If you require any adjustments during the interview or application process please let the recruitment team know.

Comments

Farrer & Co conducts a pre-employment screening which includes a Criminal History Background and Credit Check for successful candidates.