The role

To provide competent and proactive legal secretarial and administrative support to partners, managers and associates in the Dubai office. The legal secretarial role is responsible for providing a high quality, comprehensive workflow management and organisational service to fee earners in the practice group, retaining ownership and accountability of all tasks through to completion whilst delivering exceptional client service.

Key responsibilities

Client Relationship Management

• Become an active part in the care of clients and be wholly familiar with contacts/clients and dealing with basic client queries as appropriate.

• Taking and making client related calls, dealing with and handling message taking as appropriate.

• Liaise with Client & Marketing and provide support for scheduling tender meetings, directory interviews, client training etc.

• Manage InterAction and ensure new prospects, clients and contacts, activities and business development information are added.

• Responsible for keeping up to date with client specific protocols and processes, implementing, providing guidance and training to others where necessary and ongoing monitoring.

Administrative

• Responsible for files to be opened and closed and supervise general filing requirements and record keeping and production of engagement letters ensuring compliant at all times.

• Support fee earners in business development activities including the involvement in preparation of pitches and presentations, scheduling meetings e.g. tenders, directories, internal client.

• Create and amend high volumes of documents, correspondence and e-mails, using audio dictation and manuscripts, to a high degree of accuracy and often to tight deadlines; tracking changes in completed documents using Track Changes.

• Assisting in the organisation of internal and external events, seminars and conferences.

• Manage diaries, ensuring they are up-to date, anticipating requirements e.g. associated travel /accommodation bookings, meeting rooms, drafting itineraries, preparing agendas, preparing and circulating papers.

• First point of contact for the team, dealing with queries and acting on initiative to exceptional client service, promoting and developing ownership within the teams.

• Assisting in the tender process - liaising with Business Development, outstanding information, assisting with draft/final submissions.

• Receiving instructions via digital dictation for tasks and acting upon the same.

• Billing administration including liaising with clients regarding outstanding invoices.

Communication

• Key point of contact for allocated Partners, Fee Earners and Clients to maintain relationships and ensure a high level of support is always provided by the team.

• Monitor client related correspondence and ensure it is passed on to an appropriate fee earner and actioned as necessary; proactively responding to and drafting responses on behalf of others, prioritising emails, collating necessary paperwork and e-filing.

• Liaising with and providing support to their immediate colleagues in the department, and where practical, other legal and support departments as requested by Team Leader.

• Assisting others where there is spare capacity, or it is evident that a colleague needs assistance with their workload.

• Minute taking, following up designated actions to ensure completion ahead of the next meeting.

Processing

• Responsible for managing priorities and workloads to ensure deadlines are met. Liaising with Team Leader where challenges arise.

• Responsible for managing the creation and maintenance of data rooms and client information in accordance with case milestones.

• Responsible for ensuring client and matter data is maintained and updated within appropriate systems, raising requests with the BAU team as appropriate.

• Ensuring compliance with firm wide/department policies and procedures.

Customer Service

• Arranging and attending team meetings where necessary.

• Liaising with fee earners and Team Leader to take instruction and liaise on work requirements.

• Consistently and appropriately update service users on progress where appropriate.

• Regularly offer assistance wherever possible.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Advanced knowledge of document management/case management systems.

• An effective communicator with the ability to establish and build client relationships; striving to provide exceptional service at all times.

• Customer/client service focused.

• Proven experience of managing high level client facing tasks and priorities, with a hands-on, practical approach.

• Effective at investigating issues and seeing a problem through to conclusion.

• Conscientious, taking personal responsibility for own work and accountability for its delivery and quality.

• Excellent team player, sharing in team goals to provide excellent quality and efficiency of service, with a willingness to take on new responsibilities and challenges.

• Positive can-do attitude with the ability to adapt to change.

• Confidential and discreet but able to redirect information when appropriate to ensure areas of concern are resolved effectively.

• Well organised and methodical with excellent attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in all client communications and deliverables.

Technical Skills

• Experience of working in a legal or professional services environment.

• An aptitude for providing top level organisational support, anticipating support needs, producing documents and client communications of the highest standard.

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office.

Business Services Competencies

Clyde & Co is committed to providing extensive, personal and professional developments opportunities for our people enabling them to be highly effective in their current role as well as assist them to fulfil their career aspirations.

The competencies are used to inform all aspects of Business Services career development. They vary across levels and different business areas and fall under the following areas:

• Technical Excellence

• People and Team

• Client/Stakeholder Relationships

• Service Delivery and Commercial Awareness

• Personal Effectiveness

About the firm

Clyde & Co is a leading global law firm, helping organisations successfully navigate risk and maximise opportunity in the sectors that underpin global trade and commercial activity and enable global prosperity, namely: insurance, aviation, marine, construction, energy, trade and natural resources.

Globally integrated, Clyde & Co offers a comprehensive range of contentious and non-contentious legal services and commercially-minded legal advice to businesses operating across the world. It is committed to operating in a responsible way by progressing towards a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities and clients it serves and provides an environment in which everyone can realise their potential, using its legal and professional skills to support its communities through pro bono work, volunteering and charitable partnerships, and minimising the impact it has on the environment including through a commitment to the SBTi Net-Zero standard and the setting of ambitious emissions reduction targets.

The firm has 490 partners, 2400 lawyers, 3200 legal professionals and 5500 people overall in nearly 70 offices and associated offices worldwide.

Clyde & Co in the Middle East and Africa

With over 34 years\' experience in the region and the largest presence of any international law firm in the Middle East, we pride ourselves on being able to help clients recognise and overcome the challenges of doing business in the Middle East and Africa.

In the Middle East, our more than 55 partners and 150 legal professionals work from five offices located across the region. Our Dubai office acts as a central hub for our Middle East and Africa regional operations that include, in the Middle East, offices in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Doha in Qatar, Cairo in Egypt and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Our large regional presence enables us to support our clients across the full spectrum of their corporate and commercial needs throughout the GCC and wider Levant.

Our deep sector knowledge covers insurance, energy, transport, infrastructure, marine and trade as well as aviation, education, finance, healthcare, hospitality, and technology.

Clyde & Co