Legal Secretary - Social Housing (1186)

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich, Sevenoaks and Bristol. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: property, corporate services, litigation and private client advisory.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 5th best law firm to work at in 2024.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 40% of our partnership.

The department

Our highly regarded Social Housing Team acts for a broad range of national and regional RPs, local authorities, private house-builders and funders on a wide range of issues affecting the sector.

Purpose of job

To work as part of a very busy and rapidly growing Social Housing team to provide professional administration support to fee earners.

Accountabilities

• To support and help with the Social Housing Partners, Legal Directors, Team Leaders and Paralegals
• File opening, general file management, file invoice preparation and case management support, including dictation and court bundle preparation support
• Accurately maintain and update client and other relevant contact details on the firm’s database
• Develop and maintain a good level of understanding of firm policy and process
• To carry out photocopying and scanning in accordance with the firm’s paper-lite and clear desk policies
• To proof read all work, checking for spelling and grammar
• Diary management, processing of expense claims and attending to travel and other business development arrangements
• Proactively support other secretaries within the team and provide cover as and when necessary
• Ensure that work is completed to a high standard and meets the required deadlines

The candidate

• Previous administration and/or Secretarial experience essential
• Any experience working with Housing Associations or Local Authority’s welcome but not essential
• Excellent computer/technical skills in particular working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite of software including Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint;
• Excellent spelling and punctuation;
• Ability to communicate with colleagues at all levels of seniority and liaise effectively with other internal departments and external contacts;
• Ability to use discretion;
• Positive and enthusiastic approach to team work;
• Good telephone manner;
• A flexible, highly motivated, proactive and ‘can do’ working style;
• Self-motivated, ability to use initiative and provide pro-active support to the Social Housing team;
• Good organisational skills, able to priorities, make decisions and work effectively within a sometimes pressurised environment;
• Commitment to ongoing learning and development

Equal opportunities

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.

Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment, we offer the following core benefits:

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays (rising with service up to a maximum of 30 days).
• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Agile/Hybrid Working Policy
• Dress for your Day Policy

https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.