Legal Secretary

Type: Full Time, Permanent Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5.00pm, 5 days a week (37.5 hours maximum). We will however, consider applicants wishing to work part-time. You will need to clarify that this is your preference, at the point of applying for this role.

Overview

France+Associates are recruiting for a role as “Administration Support” to work on a full or part-time basis for our busy, ever-growing practice based in Huddersfield! The firm specialises in architectural and surveying services within the insurance industry.

Our award-winning practice specialises in very rewarding work, in which we adapt, extend, and build houses for truly inspirational clients!

Your Role & Responsibilities

This role is ideally suited for a person who has worked in the legal, insurance or wider property industry, having experience of the day to day running of an office and need for administration support.

The applicant will be required to work in the Company’s administration department, which includes attending to reports from Expert Witness and Architecture/Surveying department. The successful candidate will deal with email administration, typing and preparing high quality reports within strict deadlines, liaising with clients and agents, and arranging visits.

If experience is limited with regard to the legal and insurance industry, the applicant will be supported to undertake further training within the company and via any suitable third-party training providers. Minimum of 2 years’ experience required, or relevant qualifications.

Due to the nature of the type of work you will be dealing with it will be important to be office based, with the opportunity for working from home on occasion.

What is Expected of You

· The applicant must be based in the UK and able to commute to Huddersfield daily.

· Provide professional and timely duties, i.e., telephone and e-mail responses.

· Strong typing, numerical accuracy, an eye for detail and speed are essential to keep up with numerous dictated letters and reports required by our clients, often within tight turnaround times.

· Prepare and send quotations and assist with queries raised as a result, including providing estimates of travel time/expenses.

· Strong IT/word processing skills to be able to prepare high-quality, formatted reports and quotations.

· Opening files and downloading legal bundles from Data Rooms/solicitor’s links.

· Arranging appointments for Accommodation Experts to make home visits, including planning the journeys to efficiently maximise their time out on surveys.

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

· Filing both paper and electronic files on a regular basis.

· Keeping spreadsheets and workflow/client information databases up to date.

· Provide direct administrative support to our Expert Witness Department.

· Booking transport/hotels for colleagues.

· Diary Management of our expert witness and scheduling of meetings.

· Organisation of workload, deadlines, trials and conferences.

· Provide assistance to any visitors to the office.

· Positivity, enthusiasm for the role and professionalism.

· Establishes rapport quickly.

· Effective and regular communication within the team and other sectors of the business.

· Be a proactive member of the team, with excellent time management and work prioritization skills, together with a willingness to assist other sectors of the business when required.

Key Skills & Qualifications

• Proven track record of building strong, positive relationships within the workplace.
• Organised with an attention to detail and a thorough approach to your work, with ability to self-check spelling and grammatical structure of letters/reports without assistance.
• Proficiency with Microsoft, Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams and Time Recording software, plus a good knowledge of all computer systems relevant to your role.
• Knowledge of SharePoint preferred but not essential.
• Experience of working as a Legal Secretary.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in line with data protection regulations.
• Excellent networking and relationship building skills (internal and external).
• Flexibility to cope with the varying demands of the role, the right candidate must have excellent multi-tasking skills and work well under pressure.
• Relevant qualifications within your role as a Legal Secretary or experience of more than 2 years.

Personal Qualities

• Honest and genuine
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Team player
• Dedicated and conscientious
• Trustworthy
• Able to work on own initiative
• Innovative to help resolve a problem/issue which may unexpectedly arise
• Sense of humour
• Flexibility to support the team when deadlines arise

Employment & Educational Background

• Experience of working as a Legal Secretary or similar
• Good general education
• Experience of working with sensitive and confidential data required.

Company Benefits

• Free on-site Parking
• Private Healthcare "Top up"
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Pension contributions
• Loyalty scheme to increase holiday entitlement.
• Opportunity to work from home on occasion after probationary period, but being primarily based in the office is necessary for this post.
• Sick pay