Legal Practice Assistant

Overview

Mayer Brown is an international law firm positioned to represent the world’s major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in their most important and complex transactions and disputes. We are recognised by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do.

We are a collegial, collaborative, and diverse firm where highly motivated individuals with an unwavering commitment to excellence receive the opportunity, support, and development they need to grow, thrive, and realise their greatest potential all while supporting the Firm’s client service principles of excellence, strategic partnership, commercial instinct, integrated strengths, innovation, and collaboration across our international firm.

If you enjoy working with team members whose defining characteristics are exceptional client service, initiative, professionalism, responsiveness, and adaptability, you may be the person we are seeking to join our Legal Practice Support Team as a Legal PA in our London office.

The Role:

This role is for a proactive and highly competent Legal Practice Assistant who can operate successfully during pressurised and often intense periods around financial closings, within a fast‑paced and highly detail‑oriented environment. The position provides client‑focused and business‑focused legal practice and administrative support to a small group of partners and their practices.

Responsible to:

Secretarial Team Leader and Partners/Associates in the Finance Group.

From time to time it may be necessary to make changes to the secretarial allocations within the group. Any such changes would be discussed with you.

Hours:

Standard hours are 9:30am to 5:30pm with flexibility in accordance with the needs of the business.

Our current working from home policy allows for two days working from home, subject to business need.

The Legal Practice Support Team is expected to provide cover within the office five days per week, so working from home days must be coordinated with the Legal Practice Assistant Team Leader.

This policy is subject to change and does not form part of contractual terms.

Technical:

• Take full ownership of diaries, proactively managing all appointments, meetings and related logistics, working with partners to ensure that their schedules run smoothly and that they are where they need to be, at the scheduled meeting time, and that they are prepared for each meeting
• Proactively manage diary conflicts and take appropriate action on queries or clashes
• Assist with new matter opening and heavy coordination of multiple counter parties
• Arrange travel requirements, understand individual's personal preferences and manage all arrangements from start to finish including journey details, itineraries, accommodation, visa requirements, currency) and update diary to reflect all information
• Preparing material (often using PowerPoint) for presentations.
• Coordinate the billing process on behalf of the partners, proactively organising WIP and other financial management meetings, working with the wider department and Client Administrators to ensure billing processes meet deadlines
• Take ownership of financial and matter management processes for the team, for example coordinating chasing up unpaid bills
• Typing and amending correspondence and documents, which are with complex numbering, cross referencing and schedules and undertaking amendments as necessary.
• Accurate proofreading of documents, paying particular attention to headers/footers.
• Assisting with timesheet posting if required.
• Use and update Inter Action, including running reports, working with the data to compliment the partners' practice and strategic/BD plans.
• Prepare New Matter memos, ensuring accuracy and correct spelling of companies/individuals/checking with fee earners where necessary.
• Complies with all internal policies, procedures and processes and keeps technical skills up to date (i.e. identifies where refresher/new training is required in response to any changes in the role).
• Photocopying, filing and other general administrative duties

Personal…