Job: Litigation Secretary, Liverpool Recruitment Company

Trained in secretarial practice with excellent word-processing and audio skills. Preference is for previous legal secretarial experience or experience of working in an alternative professional office.

The prime role of the legal secretary is to provide direct support to his/her Fee Earner to enable the Fee Earner to operate at optimum efficiency. This will include but will not be limited to the main responsibilities given below. The legal secretary is expected to use a high degree of self-management and initiative.

Main Responsibilities

To deal with typing and inputting of documents and correspondence as directed by fee-earners. To produce a variety of documents from hand-written/typewritten drafts and audio and to produce completed forms from various sources (eg Oyez or Videss). To access and print hard copy of reports, correspondence and documents. To take dictation if required.

To attend clients on the telephone and in person. To take and record accurately any messages and pass on to the appropriate person without unnecessary delay. To respond to clients’ specific requests for information and inform clients about available services. All to be carried out in a professional and friendly manner in keeping with the firm’s standards for client care.

To make appointments, arrange meetings and maintain an up to date diary as required by a fee earner.

To deal accurately with filing, storage and the retrieval of client files in line with the department's filing system.

To deal with the opening and closing procedures of files as specified in the Office Procedures Manual to include the opening, updating and managing of computer files on the Videss Case Management System.

To pay in cheques received without delay and ensure copies of paying in slips are placed on file. Requesting cheques to be despatched, checking the Accounts ledger to ensure money is available before so doing.

To assist with the opening of the post in the mornings if it has not been finished by the time you arrive.

To prepare for despatch outgoing/internal mail. To use correctly recorded delivery labels and identify classes of all outgoing post in accordance with the firm's procedures. To correctly identify and differentiate between DX post and Royal Mail post.

To chase outstanding invoices on a regular basis and passing the file to the Debt Recovery Department if not paid within 3 months or otherwise in accordance with the department’s system.

To arrange for any photocopying or scanning to be done, or to take on the task if the receptionist is not available to undertake the job.

To ensure the confidentiality and security of all practice and client's documentation and/or information.

To cover reception and process incoming and internal telephone calls using the firm's telephone system and deal with visitors, if requested. To take down accurately, and relay, oral and written messages without unnecessary delay.

To receive, sort, distribute and transmit copies of documents electronically i.e. faxes, e-mail etc.

To prepare and serve refreshments as and when required to clients and/or fee earners.

To attend at home visits if so requested either alone or with fee earner.

To act as a witness to signature of documents if so requested.

To operate the firm's quality procedures as specified in the current edition of the Office Procedures Manual and the firm's General House Rules.

To provide support to other secretaries as required.

To provide guidance to junior and temporary secretaries when required to do so.

To undertake any specific training courses as identified by the fee earner you work for, or the Staff Training Partner and overall have a responsibility towards self-development.

To be subject to varying degrees of supervision on a day to day basis liaising with the departmental manager and other partners on a regular basis. To work on own initiative.