Legal Secretary

The successful candidate will report to the partners and office manager, delivering efficient administrative and secretarial support to fee earners across our Central London office. The role involves ensuring smooth management of legal files, preparing and proofreading documents to firm standards, overseeing diaries and client communications, and assisting fee earners with file progression and compliance requirements.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide high‑quality secretarial support to solicitors and associates, including typing and formatting legal documents, correspondence, witness statements, court bundles and statutory filings; ensure accuracy, consistent formatting and timely delivery of all documentation.

• Open, maintain and close client files in the case management system in line with firm procedures; keep comprehensive file notes, organise electronic and paper files and ensure documents are filed correctly on the document management system.

• Manage diaries and meeting arrangements for fee earners, coordinate internal and external meetings, book meeting rooms and prepare papers; organise travel and accommodation when required.

• Act as primary point of contact for clients by telephone, email and in person; take and relay messages, respond to routine enquiries, and escalate substantive legal or compliance issues to the appropriate fee earner promptly.

• Prepare and process standard forms and filings including Companies House submissions, court forms and other regulatory paperwork under supervision; ensure deadlines and statutory requirements are met.

• Assist with billing administration by recording time and disbursements, preparing fee notes and expense claims, and liaising with the finance team to resolve queries.

• Support file progression by tracking tasks and deadlines, chasing outstanding information from clients and third parties, and preparing completion packs and post‑completion paperwork as directed.

• Work closely with paralegals and junior legal staff to prioritise workload, share knowledge of internal processes and contribute to continuous improvement of secretarial practices.

Key skills and experience:

• Proven experience working as a legal secretary or senior secretary in a law firm or legal environment, with experience supporting fee earners across transactional or contentious matters.

• Excellent audio‑typing and proofreading skills with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail; ability to produce polished documents under time pressure.

• Confident user of case management and document management systems together with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Outlook, Excel); experience of document automation and e‑bundle software is desirable.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise competing tasks, manage deadlines and adapt to changing demands while maintaining a client‑focused approach.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to build productive relationships internally and with clients and third‑party advisers.

• Good numeracy and basic understanding of billing processes; comfortable handling confidential financial information and raising queries with the finance team as required.

• Awareness of confidentiality, data protection and anti‑money laundering requirements relevant to legal practice and the competence to follow firm compliance procedures.