Personal Assistant

The Firm is looking to recruit a highly-experienced and high-performing Personal Assistant within itsCommercial IP/IT/DCL team. This role will require a bright, enthusiastic and personable individual withexcellent PA skills. The successful candidate will also work closely with the other Personal Assistants toprovide seamless support to the team., PAs are expected to anticipate the support their fee earners require across a number of areas includingM&BD, billing, travel, document support and production and inbox management. Candidates must provideseamless support for their allocated fee earners, acting as an extension of support for their fee earners.Whilst PA roles vary depending on the department, all PAs are expected to be competent in the coreresponsibilities listed below:

• Dealing with highly confidential, private and often sensitive information.
• Monitor and filter all emails, recording / diarising / flagging action points on important requirements.
• Make travel arrangements and work on often complex travel itineraries.
• Extensive and pro-active diary management.
• Reviewing fee earner's inbox and actioning relevant tasks including drafting initial responses.
• Provide accurate and regular maintenance of complex electronic and paper filing systems.
• Update and maintain electronic case management systems.
• Proof reading and checking all work for spelling, grammar, formatting, presentation and sense.
• Familiarity with the team's relevant legal processes.
• Operate as a supportive team member providing holiday, lunchtime and absence cover for other PAs
as required; ensuring all phone calls are picked up and being prepared to help out when others are busy.
• Cover front of house duties when required., InterAction - Responsible for proactively ensuring all their fee earners' client/ contact information is up
to date, are on the relevant mailing lists and BD activity such as lunches, coffee, dinners etc are recorded as an activity.
• GARS (one of our internal M&BD applications) - Responsible for recording all relevant activity for their
fee earners. This includes pitches, BD trips, work experience and event/ conference attendance.
• Pitches/ credentials documents - assist M&BD with the preparation of these documents by using
PitchPerfect in Word and PowerPoint to ensure all information is up to date and on-brand.
• Managing and updating Chambers submissions and referees, co-ordinating with relevant partners.
• Managing logistics for fee earners attendance at events/ conferences etc with input from BD regarding
the budget.
• Assisting with the coordination of Bristows client-focused events, particularly where their fee-earner
has direct involvement in the event or the objective of the event is aligned to their BD goals.
• Proactively seeking and attending upskilling/ training on the CRM systems (such as GARs and
InterAction) as our use of each system will evolve over time.Billing
• Assisting with the management of Work In Progress alongside the allocated Revenue Controller.
• Ensuring accuracy of prebills, via editing and amendments within Prebill Manager to ensure accuracy
and in accordance with client specific billing requirements, including specific fee rates if applicable.
• Take an active role in ensuring the prompt dispatch of final invoices, via ebilling or other methods.
• Maintain accurate records of expenses/ disbursements/ fees for client billing.
• Liaising with credit control department to monitor payment of invoices and responding to internal and
external requests for additional documentation and information.
• Build and manage relationships with clients to assist with the smooth running of the billing process.
Document Production
• Producing and amending business critical legal documents on Word with speed and accuracy.
• Maintain databases and spreadsheets in Excel.
• Produce PowerPoint presentations including charts, graphs, client pitches and proposal documents.
• Initiate draft responses to written correspondence in a fee earner's absence.
  
  Prior experience of working as a Legal Personal Assistant to lawyers at partner level is required
• Very strong verbal and written communication skills
• Proactive and intelligent approach, able to use initiative to find solutions
• Resilient and calm under pressure
• Very high level of computer literacy
  
  Bristows is a market leading law firm with a global client base across our core sectors of life sciences
and technology. The firm has maintained its high standing in the market with the exceptional quality of our lawyers, the strength of our scientific and legal expertise and our unique firm culture driven by our core values., With around 300 staff and partners in total and one UK location, we are able to maintain a friendlyatmosphere where everyone is able to get to know each other and many policies and practices canoperate on a trust basis.We are based in modern offices at Blackfriars and very much value face to face collaboration and thesocial element of working relationships. We have introduced a Remote Working Policy which enables staffto work in an agile way - we do not monitor attendance but simply ask that everyone spends more time inthe office than out of it, typically three days a week for full time staff.Our firm values, which we very much "live", are Ambition, Bravery, Curiosity and Friendliness. Theseunderpin all that we do across both our client work and our internal strategic decision making. We aresignatories to the Mindful Business Charter and take our commitment to staff welfare and work lifebalance very seriously.None of our lawyers have billing targets which means we can focus on doing the best for our clients whilealso having the time and capacity to assist each other in a genuinely collaborative working culture. No oneis competing for hours and everyone knows they can enjoy downtime when it arrives.Reward & benefitsOur salary and bonus structure reflects our absence of billing targets and collaborative culture and anybonus is paid as a simple percentage bonus across the whole firm. We have a flexible benefits packagethat is kept under regular review and is designed with the wellbeing of our staff and their families at itsheart.Diversity & inclusionAt Bristows we are committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion for all, and we are a proudsignatory of the Law Society's Diversity and Inclusion Charter. As a firm, and as individuals, we do all wecan to treat people fairly and with mutual respect. This commitment enriches our work and our workinglives and has played a key part in our success over the years. It is our policy to provide equalopportunities for all employees and job applicants in relation to recruitment, selection, pay, training,working conditions and promotion opportunities regardless of age, disability, gender, gender affirmation,marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.