Harcus Sinclair

Legal Secretary – Litigation Team

Background

Harcus Sinclair is a niche firm of solicitors specialising in commercial financial services litigation in the High Court as well as advising private individuals on family law, trust and tax law and contentious trust and probate litigation. We have 9 partners, 45 fee earners and 11 secretarial and administrative staff. Please see our web site for more information about the firm.

We are seeking to recruit an experienced secretaryto assist partner Alison Meek and 4 litigation solicitors. It is crucial that the candidate can offer high level support as a secretary as well as assistance with general administrative tasks in the litigation practice area. Experience as a litigation secretary is preferred. The successful candidate will join a team of secretaries who answer overspill calls from the switchboard and cover reception for short periods when necessary. Amore detailed job description follows.

Hours of work

Working hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.with one hour off for lunch.The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. although there are often staff on site outside these hours.

Salary and bonus

The starting salary for this role in the range of £36,000 to £38,000 p.a. depending on experience. Staff are paid monthly on the 27th of each month or the nearest working day prior to that if the 27thfalls on a weekend or bank holiday.

A discretionary bonus may be paid annually based on the firm’s performance and your performance in the role after 12 months employment. The firm’s year end is the 5th April.

Holiday Entitlement

The holiday year runs from January to December. Annual holiday entitlement is 25 days per year plus bank holidays. Holiday will be calculated pro rata in the year of joining and is accrued for complete months worked.

Appraisals

We hold appraisals once a year which is a formal opportunity to review progress and set goals. We recognise however that ongoing informal appraisals are important and we welcome any comments staff may have relevant to work and the work environment.

Benefits

After successful completion of your probationary period which is normally 3 months the candidate will be entitled to join the firm’s schemes for the following,

  • Private health insurance
  • Life insurance – the benefit being 4 x salary in event of death.
  • Health Insurance with AXA PPP
  • Interest free travel loan (after 6 months employment)

IT

We use Microsoft Office, Worksite document management software and Bighand digital dictation.

Job Description

We are looking for an experienced legal secretaryto work for a partner and to support other litigation solicitors. The successful candidatewill need to be pro-active, organised, efficient, unflappable under pressure andhave a good telephone manner. A good sense of humour is crucial.

The main duties include,

  • Transcription of correspondence and other documents with special reference to litigation documents/pleadings/witness statements. This will be both audio and copy typing to include drafting engagement letters and bills.
  • Dealing with monthly expense claims and visa card expenses.
  • Checking correspondence for action points.
  • Diary management including the organisation of meetings and booking of rooms
  • Collating papers for client meetings
  • Monitoring incoming emails and actioning as appropriate. Electronic and paper filing
  • Updating critical deadline calendars
  • Drafting client engagement letters
  • Maintaining client records
  • Answering the telephone and taking messages
  • Assisting with billing and credit control
  • Photocopying and filing
  • Updating loose leaf subscriptions
  • Housekeeping of closed files including archiving to an off site storage facility
  • Covering reception on a rota with other secretaries. This includes taking messages, meeting and greeting clients, preparing meeting rooms, making tea & coffee, ordering lunches and clearing meeting rooms after meetings have finished.
  • Other incidental duties that may be required of you from time to time by the partners and office manager of the firm in relation to the administration of the office including covering for other secretaries in their absence.

The successful candidate will ideally have the following skills. Please note that we will ask candidates to do both a typing test and an English spelling and comprehension test as part of the interview process.

  • Accurate audio typing skills
  • Ability to use initiative
  • Excellent spelling and grammar
  • Attention to detail
  • Common sense
  • An ability to deal with sensitive information with discretion
  • A pro-active approach to work
  • A problem solver a “can do” attitude
  • Knowledge of Microsoft Word and Outlook
  • Competency with Excel.
  • An appreciation of deadlines and an ability to work calmly under pressure
  • A flexible approach to tasks with the ability to prioritise work and respond quickly in dealing with urgent requests
  • An excellent telephone manner.
  • A team player (essential in a small firm) with an ability to communicate well with both clients and colleagues
  • Self-motivatedand energetic with the ability to work on own initiative but the confidence to ask for help when needed.
  • A flexible approach to the working day with an appreciation that it may be necessary on occasion (but not often) to work late to finish a task which is urgent.

It is fundamental that the candidate can demonstrate a cheerful, positive attitude and can work flexiblyas part of the firm’s secretarial team to provide the highest quality service to clients.

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