This is a broad-based role to provide full secretarial and administrative services, as well as to help provide a first-class professional service for DLA Piper to ensure the smooth running of the Cape Town office. You will also be providing fee earners with effective and high-quality secretarial support that appropriately meets their requirements, enabling them to focus on providing legal services to clients.
The split of responsibilities will be very much dependent upon the day-to-day operational requirements of the Cape Town office.
The job holder will be proactive and capable of working unsupervised. They must possess excellent organisation and communication skills, and a positive, mature and agile approach to work.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Personal Assistant
- To provide a comprehensive PA/secretarial/admin support service, taking ownership and responsibility to ensure the work is undertaken in the most appropriate way to maximise efficiency
- Pro-actively manage and maintain fee earners diaries, making appointments and coordinating internal and external client meetings and ensure all work activities are scheduled effectively, including the identification and resolution of potential challenges and clashes
- Organising meetings, ensuring rooms and conference facilities, video conference facilities are booked, liaising with attendees if necessary both internal and external and making sure that hospitality is in place
- Responding and dealing with external or internal telephone calls and queries in a professional manner and taking clear and concise messages
- Organising travel arrangements through the travel desk, booking and confirmation of reservations, flights, hotels, car transfers, ordering currency and expense claims and producing detailed itineraries. Preparation of key documents including Visas, correspondence(including invitation letters), travel invoices, expense claims, and maintenance/filing of copies
- Typing, amending and re-formatting documents, ensuring that completed documents are delivered accurately and to a consistently high standard
- Organisation of agendas, presentations and meeting papers, including print production and timely distribution and ensuring that fee earners have all documents and adequate preparation time
- Demonstrate flexibility with working practices in line with the business needs, especially in times of pressure/ high workload
- Organise and take responsibility for file management, including closing of files, archiving and ensures that all relevant documents are filed electronically and paper-based, if required
- Assisting fee earners by liaising with the other parties for the composing of the bill for instance other offices globally, following the relevant procedures and prompting fee earners to complete all necessary time recording, or to enter such time recording on their behalf
- Creating bills, disbursements, creating/amending narratives as well as requesting credit notes, inter-office bills, including liaising with international offices
- Carry out client matter opening, client reporting and client balances
- Complete financial reports where required, from internal systems highlighting outstanding monies to be billed and updating particular client financial schedules where necessary
- Manage group and fee earner contacts to ensure they are up to date
- Provide administrative support to fee earners with conflict searches and audit requests
- Take responsibility to ensure that outstanding works on the office following the recent move, are completed in a timely fashion; assist with facilitating any office moves as may be required from time to time
- Ensure the office, reception and meeting room areas are maintained, kept tidy at all times and in excellent condition. Report any maintenance or related problems to the appropriate department immediately as they become apparent. Work in co-operation with colleagues in the Property & Workplace department and in other departments to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the reception and meeting room areas
- Work with the Office Coordinator in the Johannesburg office to manage the contract of cleaners
- Instructing the landlords maintenance team to fix any repairs
- Addressing issues affecting health and safety or working conditions in the office
- Overseeing the filing system and maintaining any filing room
- Providing and maintaining all necessary office furniture and equipment
- Providing administrative support to DLA Piper lawyers and staff visiting the Cape Town office from other offices
- Maintaining office refreshments and snacks, laundry and plants
- Manage car parking arrangements pursuant to Lease, work in co-operation with security teams on car parking and other related areas of visitor management. React efficiently and promptly to any queries, requests or problems
- Oversee security card access and programming including access card database and security system
- Maintain register for all master keys (including lockers)
- Read and understand the requirements of the firms Health and Safety policy and ensure that it is applied appropriately
- Provide support to OMP and the Partnership on all office related requests, events, tasks or feedback
- A proactive self-starter with a mature and pragmatic attitude towards work
- Previous experience in a professional services organisation is preferred
- Very strong people skill, demonstrating the ability to work alongside different types of character
- Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise work calmly and effectively in often demanding situations
- Strong teamwork ethos
- Client service orientated approach
- Excellent problem solving skills and ability to use initiative
- Adopts a can do approach demonstrating a collaborative working style
- Excellent communication skills at all levels
- Demonstrates accountability and professionalism
- Has a good working knowledge and awareness of key business issues
- Demonstrates a desire for self-development
- Demonstrates excellent attention to detail and thorough understanding of fee earner requests
- Demonstrates high level of integrity when dealing with confidential information
In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:
- Be Supportive we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
- Be Collaborative we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
- Be Bold we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
- Be Exceptional we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations
At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do. We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyones voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work.
Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; thats why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.
HYBRID WORKING
We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. Thats why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.
PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING
In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits and where relevant, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and work-related references.
