Job Description
Owen Reed is looking for an experienced Legal PA to join a collaborative and supportive Commercial Dispute Resolution team. You will provide dedicated support to allocated fee earners, including Partners, while working closely with colleagues to deliver exceptional client service. The team advises entrepreneurial individuals, owner-managed businesses and national and international organisations on complex, high-profile matters. Its work spans domestic and international litigation, appeals, arbitration, restructuring and insolvency, civil fraud and mediation, offering a varied and engaging role. Key Responsibilities Proactively manage fee-earner diaries, arranging meetings and appointments and coordinating meeting rooms, video conferencing, travel, taxis, restaurants and refreshments. Organise domestic and international travel, including visa applications, detailed itineraries and post-trip follow-up. Process and manage expense claims. Monitor fee-earner inboxes during absences, prioritising correspondence, responding where appropriate and maintaining accurate filing in iManage. Support client onboarding, including Know Your Customer checks, matter opening forms and checklists. Act as a primary point of contact for internal and external queries, liaising professionally with clients, Counsel and other parties. Prepare, amend and proofread documents, correspondence and reports to a consistently high standard. Coordinate billing, financial reporting and account forms, working closely with billing teams to ensure timely completion. Record time entries and monitor outstanding time reports on behalf of fee earners. Prepare and maintain electronic and hardcopy bundles, including indexing and pagination. Conduct research using online resources and databases. Maintain accurate electronic filing and document management within iManage. Keep business development and financial systems, reports and trackers up to date. Manage internal and external referral logs and maintain the live capacity tracker for fee earners. Proactively coordinate administrative tasks to support fee-earner efficiency, providing cover and assistance to other PAs as required. Skills and Experience Previous experience in a fast-paced legal services environment, ideally supporting a Commercial Dispute Resolution team. Experience in insolvency and civil fraud would be advantageous. Proven experience supporting senior fee earners, including Partners. Strong organisational, diary management and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise competing demands. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with exceptional attention to detail and accuracy. A proactive, flexible and self-motivated approach. A collaborative mindset and willingness to support colleagues. Strong proficiency in Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams. Experience using BigHand, Elite 3E and iManage would be advantageous. Familiarity with business systems such as Emburse, InTapp Time, OnePlace CRM, DocuSign, TitanFile, Lexis+, CE-File and Adobe Acrobat/Bundledocs. An interest in using AI and emerging technologies to improve efficiency, productivity and working practices.