Legal PA

Pinsent Masons

1mo ago

Job
Full-time
Senior Level
Legal
Dubai

AI generated summary

You must be proactive, organized, reliable, and adaptable, excelling in diary management, client interaction, and teamwork while maintaining professionalism and confidentiality under pressure.
You will manage diaries, coordinate travel, handle communication, prepare documents, support client service initiatives, assist with billing, and maintain client files to ensure efficient operations.

Requirements

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented individual who relishes the opportunity to work in a successful and growing team.
The ideal candidate will be extremely proactive, particularly in relation to diary management, meeting planning and travel arrangements, anticipating needs to contribute to the smooth operations of the team.
The candidate will excel in client interaction.
The candidate will have a flexible and adaptable approach, be reliable with a strong work ethic.
The candidate must remain calm under pressure, communicate effectively with peers, and meet tight deadlines.
They should be capable of executing and distributing workload efficiently and actively participating as a team member.
The role requires an experienced PA who is extremely organized, able to juggle priorities, and work independently while maintaining absolute confidentiality and professionalism.
Strong communication skills are a must.

Responsibilities

Your responsibility to deliver excellent service to our clients
Building and maintaining effective relationships with both internal and external clients and their teams and developing knowledge of their business
Actively contributing to client service initiatives in the group, including attending client events and seminars where required
Developing and maintaining core sector understanding to support delivery of optimum client service
Liaising regularly (at least on a weekly basis and daily where appropriate) with lawyers to identify work commitments and prioritising your workload accordingly
Proactively identify areas of responsibility and tasks you can take ownership of
Diary management for lawyers including arranging meetings and appointments, both internally and externally, ensuring the Outlook diary is up to date and holds all the necessary information in relation to the appointment including taking responsibility for booking travel, meeting rooms and arranging for necessary equipment and refreshments
Proactive advance monitoring of lawyers' diaries, reminding them of diary commitments and taking responsibility for the provision of all supporting paperwork and necessary information for each meeting
Liaising with the travel company to make travel and accommodation arrangements keeping lawyers advised of any changes in scheduling and proactively ensuring they have an accurate and up to date itinerary and all the relevant travel details are in the Outlook diary
Liaising with Business Operations to resolve problems on lawyers' behalf and taking ownership of the issue, following up where appropriate
Delegation of appropriate work types/requests to all available support services in order to promote optimum efficiency
Taking ownership of answering lawyers' telephone calls when they are unavailable, taking accurate messages and passing them on promptly, trying to assist and answer any non-legal queries if possible and ensuring the caller receives a satisfactory response
Screening, prioritising and dealing with lawyers' incoming e-mails, post and voicemail when lawyers are out of the office, acknowledging receipt and responding where able and appropriate
Management and co-ordination of lawyers' e-mails
Preparing presentation slides and materials for internal/external meetings and events
Drafting short letters, memos or notes (non-legal content) in a literate and professional manner
Proactively ensuring that Document Services is utilised effectively
Managing production of documents (produced in-house and externally), co-ordinating changes made including taking responsibility for the consistency of those documents (e.g. formatting, numbering, CompareDocs etc).
Coordinating typing of audio files, drafting correspondence, producing documents/letters/e-mails and memos
Opening client files, including completing conflict searches and money laundering checks in conjunction with lawyers, preparation of client engagement letters, collating all the relevant information required and maintaining client files on a day to day basis, including delegation of filing where required
Ensuring documents are filed on iManage with correct file and matter details so that they can be located easily
Undertaking regular reviews of files and papers for lawyers, checking account balances and liaising with lawyers to ensure that all files which are not current are archived and deeds are put in storage
Inputting uniform practice group credentials into the Credentials Database in a timely manner
Organising events in conjunction with Business Development including logging responses into InterAction and attending events to meet and greet clients where necessary
Undertaking research on clients, potential clients and new business initiatives or opportunities, including putting together briefing packs as and when required
Collating information for preparation of regular client updates or reports as and when required, including subscribing to relevant alerts in InterAction and maintenance of general client information
Assisting lawyers with follow-ups to business development meetings, for example drafting thank you emails, diarising reminders or arranging follow-up meetings
Collating information for preparation of bids, tenders, proposal documents, team sheets and client briefing documents and preparing the first draft of documentation where appropriate, including keeping lawyers' CVs up to date
Maintaining up to date contact details in InterAction for all lawyers' contacts, prompting lawyers to complete an InterAction report following meetings or completing the report on their behalf
Knowledge and ensure timely provision of key business development materials for the lawyers and their practice area including liaising with lawyers and BD to ensure that relevant social media accounts (LinkedIn etc.) and the Pinsent Masons Web presence is kept regularly updated with business specific materials
Attending internal client or project meetings to take notes and assisting with action points if required
Assisting lawyers with the billing process, agreeing in advance dates for billing, delegating requisition of pre-bills and following up on the same, drafting narratives and covering letters (if required) and coordinate with the lawyers for sign off
Utilising Aderant to assist lawyers with financial queries and subscribing to relevant alerts in order to provide information to lawyers
Developing good knowledge of the Firm's accounts procedures, coordination of cheque requisitions, TT and BACS authorisations and processing client monies and ensuring all supporting paperwork is completed promptly and accurately with partner authorisation
Assisting lawyers with client account balances to ensure all funds are returned after a matter is completed
Attending monthly PA Team meetings to support other team members when needed
Cover for other PA during holidays within a fixed holiday rota
Coordinate and delegate tasks to TAs where appropriate, utilising all the resources the firm provides

FAQs

What is the job title for this position?

The job title for this position is Legal PA.

Where is this job located?

This job is located in Dubai.

What is the working schedule for this position?

The working schedule for this position is 5 days per week with a total of 40 hours.

What type of contract is offered for this role?

The position offers a standard employment contract.

What is the main purpose of the Legal PA role?

The main purpose of the Legal PA role is to deliver services consistent with the increasingly competitive environment of the firm and to support lawyers and business operations through effective teamwork.

What are the key responsibilities of a Legal PA?

Key responsibilities include client service, planning and organization, managing communications, document and file management, business development/relationship management, billing and financial project management, and acting as a team member to support other PAs and TAs.

What qualities are sought in an ideal candidate for this position?

The ideal candidate should be highly motivated, detail-oriented, proactive, flexible, adaptable, reliable, and possess strong communication skills, with the ability to remain calm under pressure and meet tight deadlines.

Are there opportunities for professional development within this role?

Yes, the role encourages collaboration and offers opportunities for developing professional relationships within the firm and contributing to client service initiatives.

Is the Legal PA position intended for team collaboration?

Yes, the position emphasizes a team-working approach, collaborating with lawyers and other members of Business Operations.

What skills are required for effective diary management in this role?

Effective diary management requires strong organizational skills, proactive communication with lawyers, and the ability to prioritize workloads based on work commitments.

Pinsent Masons

Multinational law firm with offices across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia

Law

Industry

1001-5000

Employees

1796

Founded Year

Mission & Purpose

Pinsent Masons is a multinational law firm with a reputation for delivering high-quality legal advice rooted in its deep understanding of the sectors and geographies in which our clients operate. Our expertise is recognised globally. In recent years we have achieved more tier 1 rankings in The Legal 500 UK guide than any other firm, and been counted among the most innovative law firms in Europe and Asia Pacific by the Financial Times. With over 1,500 lawyers operating from 27 locations throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, we are well-placed to advise on complex multi-jurisdictional matters across a full range of legal disciplines. The firm has significant international credentials in the global energy, infrastructure, financial services, real estate and technology, science and industry sectors. Pinsent Masons looks at your business needs differently. This means we don't just apply lawyers to solve clients' problems; we deploy a wider range of professional disciplines, enabled by people, process and technology, to deliver a global professional service with law at its core.