Senior Practice Assistant

Senior Practice Assistant

Administration and Operations All Practice Areas Charlotte, NC

At K&L Gates, we are looking for smart, imaginative and hard-working people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas to join us. Perhaps our search for talented visionaries and your search for important and impactful work lead to the same place.

The global law firm of K&L Gates is seeking a Senior Practice Assistant to join the Charlotte office.

This Senior Practice Assistant will work directly with multiple lawyers and other timekeepers in the Corporate and M&A Practice area to provide support and complete daily administrative tasks. Those in this role possess practice area-specific job knowledge and focus on support with the goals of accuracy, attention to detail, meeting deadlines, and task completion. They demonstrate organizational skills, the ability to prioritize, utilize excellent judgment in decision-making, and communicate effectively verbally and in written form.

Practice Assistants must be able to work independently and within a team, maintain a positive attitude, and treat others with respect. Confidentiality with Firm and client matters must be observed at all times, and adherence to all Firm policies and procedures is required.

• Creating, editing, and proofreading correspondence and practice area-specific legal documents, generating document comparison reports, document and binder assembly, mailings
• Creating and editing charts and spreadsheets containing basic formulas
• Creating and editing PowerPoint presentations
• Assisting with new business intake process (submitting conflict checks, drafting file opening requests, drafting engagement letters)
• Maintaining an organized system for electronic files, including scanning files and running critical checks to ensure files and records are saved properly to the Firm’s document management system
• Maintaining an organized system for physical files including intake, retention, retrieval, and transfer of records
• Coordinating, entering, and editing daily time recording for timekeepers
• Preparing monthly client invoices (including reviewing bill narratives, making non-substantive edits, attention to pertinent details such as billing rates, client billing requirements, applicable discounts, etc., forwarding to and following-up with reviewers, submission, status tracking, and transmittal to clients)
• Drafting alternative fee arrangements
• Preparing and submitting expense reimbursement reports
• Coding and submitting vendor invoices for payment
• Utilizing Firm resources, such as internal library, Internet, etc. to perform research
• Providing administrative support such as Continuing Legal Education tracking, attorney licensing renewals, etc.
• Coordinating arrangements, logistics and obtaining required approvals for domestic and international travel utilizing the Firm’s travel provider
• Answering and placing telephone calls, maintaining timekeeper calendars and client contact lists, scheduling meetings and coordinating logistics
• Assisting with training and providing orientation for new and/or less experienced staff members
• Assisting other Practice Assistants and Senior Practice Assistants with overflow work, providing back-up legal and/or reception support, providing support at client services functions and events
• Providing occasional marketing and business development support
• Performing other relevant administrative duties as directed by manager, lawyers, practice area leaders, coordinators or department heads to assist with practice development initiatives and project work

• Excellent client service skills
• Positive attitude and team synergy
• Developing and maintaining effective relationships with internal and external clients
• Using sound judgment and demonstrating flexibility in decision-making and problem resolution to achieve positive business results
• Communicating effectively (oral and written), with a concentration on spelling and grammar, including being able to listen, remind, suggest, offer assistance to colleagues and lawyers and to share information clearly and professionally and coordinate across teams and departments to improve and…