Legal PA - Private

Hybrid (London, UK) Owen Reed Ltd

Owen Reed is looking to recruit an experienced Legal PA to join the Private department of a prestigious law firm.

This is an excellent opportunity for a proactive, highly organised and dependable Legal PA to provide comprehensive administrative and operational support to a group of busy fee earners.

Working as part of the firm’s collaborative Legal Operations team, the successful candidate will deliver a seamless and professional service to lawyers and clients. The role requires exceptional attention to detail, sound judgement and the ability to manage competing priorities within a fast-paced and confidential environment.

Key Responsibilities

Matter Management

• Support fee earners and Senior Legal PAs throughout the complete client and matter lifecycle.
• Liaise closely with the firm’s client onboarding and compliance teams to ensure all necessary information and documentation is obtained, issued and accurately stored.
• Assist with new matter openings, retainer letters, conflict checks, searches, Customer Due Diligence and Know Your Customer requirements.
• Maintain accurate electronic and hard-copy files in accordance with the firm’s established filing procedures.
• Ensure inactive matters are closed and archived promptly, with client funds returned where appropriate.

Financial Management and Billing

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the firm’s billing procedures and financial systems.
• Assist fee earners and Senior Legal PAs with the preparation of accurate bills and client financial information.
• Ensure matters are established with the correct rates, discounts and billing arrangements.
• Monitor outstanding invoices and liaise with Credit Control when required.
• Assist with the accurate and timely processing of disbursement invoices and payments.
• Support the collection and administration of money on account.

Fee Earner Support

• Act as a professional first point of contact for assigned fee earners, handling calls, emails, correspondence and meeting requests with discretion.
• Draft and respond to routine business correspondence on behalf of fee earners when appropriate.
• Provide comprehensive diary management across multiple time zones.
• Arrange internal and external meetings, calls and appointments, following up where necessary.
• Prepare and process expense claims accurately and promptly.
• Provide additional business and administrative support as required.

Travel Management

• Coordinate complex domestic and international business travel through the firm’s approved travel provider.
• Prepare clear and detailed travel itineraries.
• Ensure travel expenses are captured, approved and processed in accordance with firm policy.

Business Development

• Organise client breakfasts, lunches, dinners and other business development activities.
• Record referrals and contacts accurately within the InterAction CRM system.
• Maintain CRM contact lists and support related business development administration.

Delegation and Coordination

• Delegate filing, archiving, scanning, photocopying, courier arrangements and contact updates to the Business Administrators.
• Work closely with the Document Production Unit, delegating document formatting, typing, amendments, house styling and proofreading assignments.
• Liaise effectively with Legal Support Services, the Global Capability Centre and other specialist departments.
• Take ownership of delegated tasks and ensure they are followed through to completion.

Team Support

• Contribute to a positive, supportive and cohesive working environment.
• Provide effective cover for Senior Legal PAs and other Legal Operations colleagues when required.
• Work flexibly across Legal Operations teams in response to changing business needs.
• Take full responsibility for managing and prioritising an individual workload.
• Communicate transparently regarding working arrangements and consistently honour commitments to the team.
• Demonstrate a genuine commitment to the firm’s values and its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.
• Select a relevant focus area or specialism to develop new skills and contribute to the firm’s broader business operations strategy.

Skills and Experience

• Previous administrative or PA experience gained within a professional services environment; legal sector experience would be highly advantageous.
• Outstanding organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and respond positively to changing demands.
• Advanced proficiency across Microsoft Office applications and a confident approach to learning new systems and technology.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a proven ability to produce precise, consistently high-quality work under pressure.
• A methodical and process-driven approach, particularly when working within compliance and quality-control frameworks.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trusted working relationships with individuals at all levels.
• A collaborative and flexible attitude, with a willingness to support additional fee earners and colleagues when required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, combined with a warm, polished and professional manner.
• A proactive, self-motivated and solutions-focused approach to work.
• The utmost discretion when handling sensitive, personal and confidential information.