Legal PA

Job description

We are looking for a Legal PA to support the Corporate Litigation team within our Risk Advisory Services group based in our Dubai office.

Group: Risk Advisory Services

Location: Dubai

Type of contract / Hours of work: 5 days per week / 40 hours

About the business

Here at Pinsent Masons we bring together the best people to get the job done. We're naturally curious, constantly learning, listening, and growing. We'll truly value your ideas. You'll be joining an award-winning, hardworking and commercially minded team, where you'll have the opportunity to work with leading experts and form meaningful relationships, while making a difference. You'll get the opportunity to be involved in varied and challenging work, working in an open and supportive environment to deliver outstanding results.

Purpose of the role

Provide proactive and professional Legal PA support to the Corporate Litigation team within our Risk Advisory Services group in Dubai. Services are to be delivered to the business in a manner consistent with the increasingly competitive environment in which the firm operates.

This role is intended to embrace a team-working approach, collaborating with lawyers and other members of Business Operations to fulfil the needs of the business. In addition to being assigned to a number of specific lawyers, it is expected that a Legal PA will work with every member of the team to ensure that overall needs are met.

Support may need to be provided to staff from more than one business unit and numbers and content of the group may change from time to time to reflect the current structure of the firm.

Candidate overview

At least 1-2 years PA experience in a busy environment required, preferably in a law firm or professional services

Willingness and enthusiasm to work with and support the group and wider office

High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office applications

Tact and diplomacy to deal with confidential matters

Communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people and colleagues at all levels

Efficient with great communication skills

Ability to manage his or her to-do list and prioritise and juggle effectively

Key responsibilities

Client service

Your responsibility to deliver excellent service to our clients

Building and maintaining effective relationships with both internal and external clients and their teams and developing knowledge of their business

Actively contributing to client service initiatives in the group, including attending client events and seminars where required

Developing and maintaining core sector understanding to support delivery of optimum client service

Planning & organisation

How you use your organisational skills to ensure the lawyers you work with have the information they need on a daily basis:

Liaising regularly (at least on a weekly basis) with lawyers to identify work commitments and prioritising your workload accordingly

Proactively identify areas of responsibility and tasks you can take ownership of

Diary management across multiple time zones, including arranging meetings and appointments, both internally and externally, ensuring the Outlook diary is up to date and holds all the necessary information in relation to the appointment including taking responsibility for booking travel, meeting rooms and arranging for necessary equipment and refreshments

Proactive advance monitoring of lawyers' diaries, reminding them of diary commitments and taking responsibility for the provision of all supporting paperwork and necessary information for each meeting

Liaising with the travel company to make travel and accommodation arrangements, including flights, hotels and transfers, keeping lawyers advised of any changes in scheduling and ensuring they have an accurate and up-to-date itinerary and all the relevant travel details are in the Outlook diary

Liaising with Business Operations to resolve problems on lawyers' behalf and taking ownership of the issue, following up where appropriate

Delegation of appropriate work types or requests to all available support services in order to promote optimum efficiency

Managing communications

How you assist lawyers in their communications with colleagues and clients:

Taking ownership of answering lawyers' telephone calls when they are unavailable, taking accurate messages and passing them on promptly, trying to assist and answer any non-legal queries if possible and ensuring the caller receives a satisfactory response

Screening, prioritising and dealing with lawyers' incoming e-mails, post and voicemail when lawyers are out of the office, acknowledging receipt and responding where able and appropriate

Management and co-ordination of lawyers' e-mails

Preparing presentation slides and materials for internal or external meetings and events

Drafting letters, memos or notes (non-legal content) in a literate and professional manner

Document & file management

How you ensure that the documentation we produce is of the highest quality and our files are accurate and up to date:

Proactively ensuring that Document Services is utilised effectively

Managing production of documents (produced in-house and externally), co-ordinating changes made including taking responsibility for the consistency of those documents (e.g. formatting, numbering, CompareDocs etc.)

Coordinating typing of audio files, drafting correspondence, producing documents, letters, e-mails and memos

Opening client files, including completing conflict searches and money laundering checks in conjunction with lawyers, preparation of client engagement letters, collating all the relevant information required and maintaining client files on a day-to-day basis, including delegation of filing where required

Ensuring documents are filed on iManage with correct file and matter details so that they can be located easily

Undertaking regular reviews of files and papers for lawyers, checking account balances and liaising with lawyers to ensure that all files which are not current are archived and deeds are put in storage

Business development / relationship management

How you can contribute to developing the firm’s business and maintaining excellent relationships with our clients and potential clients:

Inputting uniform practice group credentials into the Credentials Database in a timely manner

Organising events in conjunction with Business Development including logging responses into InterAction and attending events to meet and greet clients where necessary

Undertaking research on clients, potential clients and new business initiatives or opportunities, including putting together briefing packs as and when required

Preparing and collating knowhow for the team

Collating information for preparation of regular client updates or reports as and when required, including subscribing to relevant alerts in InterAction and maintenance of general client information

Assisting lawyers with follow-ups to business development meetings, for example drafting thank you letters, diarising reminders or arranging follow-up meetings

Collating information for preparation of bids, tenders, proposal documents, team sheets and client briefing documents and preparing the first draft of documentation where appropriate, including keeping lawyers' CVs up to date

Assisting with preparing and amending PowerPoint slides for presentations, brochures and bid documents

Maintaining up-to-date contact details in InterAction for all lawyers' contacts, prompting lawyers to complete an InterAction report following meetings or completing the report on their behalf

Knowledge of key business development materials for the practice area

Actively assisting the Business Development team with events, such as sourcing venues for roundtables and fireside chats, including site visits, venue bookings, RSVP management and speaker coordination

Billing, financial & project management

How you can assist lawyers in managing their matters and projects and utilise our systems to the maximum benefit:

Attending internal client or project meetings to take notes and assisting with action points if required

Assisting lawyers with the billing process, agreeing in advance dates for billing, delegating requisition of pre-bills and coordinating with the lawyers for sign off

Utilising Aderant to assist lawyers with financial queries and subscribing to relevant alerts in order to provide information to lawyers

Developing good knowledge of the firm’s accounts procedures

Assisting lawyers with client account balances to ensure all funds are returned after a matter is completed

PA / TA team member

How you act as a team member to other PAs and TAs:

Attending monthly PA team meetings to support other team members when needed

Cover for other PAs during holidays within a fixed holiday rota

Coordinate and delegate tasks to the office Team Administrators where appropriate, utilising all the resources the firm provides

What happens next?

Once your application has been submitted and reviewed, our recruitment team will share the outcome with you. We typically hold two interview stages per vacancy providing the opportunity to meet two members of the hiring team at each stage. The first stage is typically conducted virtually and the second stage typically in person at the office in which the role would be based. However, we strive to remain flexible depending on the requirements of the role or the candidate.