Practice Assistant (Junior Clerk) (2020) Pump Court Tax Chambers
Salary: £31,000
Type: Full time
Location: London
About Pump Court Tax Chambers
Pump Court Tax Chambers is a leading specialist tax set, recognised for its expertise across the full spectrum of UK and international tax law. Chambers is renowned for its exceptional advocacy, technical excellence and client service, acting for businesses, individuals, professional advisers and public bodies. The clerking team plays a vital role in supporting members of Chambers and ensuring the efficient delivery of services to clients.
About the Role
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Practice Assistant (Junior Clerk) to join the clerking team. Reporting to the Team Leader, the successful candidate will provide first-class clerking and administrative support to barristers while assisting with the day-to-day management of practices. This role offers an excellent opportunity for an individual looking to build a long-term career within barristers' chambers and gain exposure to all aspects of legal practice management.
Job Summary
- Providing an efficient clerking service to all members of chambers.
- Assisting the Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader in the day-to- day smooth functioning of the practices of the team of barristers designated to your team.
- Deputising for the Deputy Team Leader as and when required, where agreed in advance with the Team Leader.
- Ensuring that chambers always remain strictly within the requirements of the BSB Handbook.
Specific Responsibilities
A. General clerking function
- Ensuring at all times, via your own personal conduct, that chambers' clerking function remains within the requirements of the BSB Handbook.
- Answering the telephone in a timely and professional manner as per established quality standard procedures (including the telephones of colleagues on other teams when required).
- Dealing with or where suitable referring onwards to the relevant barrister or member of staff, any queries or enquiries that might generally arise – either verbally, via the telephone, by email or in writing - and ensuring clear and comprehensive notes are always kept on the BarBooks system.
- Entering instructions/case related papers and any other notes as may be necessary on the BarBooks system, in respect of your team members, and ensuring they are passed immediately to the relevant member of chambers or other clerking members of your team for action/information.
- Ensuring your team always complies with its established best practice procedures in respect of money laundering, complaints, conflict searches and fair distribution of work requirements.
- Professional management of the diaries of all members of your team as and when required.
- Ensuring that a high quality level of support is received by members of chambers at all times in relation to their attendances at court and at conferences: for example, but not limited to, ensuring the time and location of hearings/conferences is communicated well in advance; ensuring where necessary the prompt delivery to and collection from court of papers; the copying of authorities; allocating/agreeing in advance which clerk will attend court with the barrister if assistance is required; and any other reasonable barrister requests and requirements in relation to the above.
- Ensuring, as and when required, the prompt exchange and lodging of Skeleton Arguments and lodging of Orders and associated record keeping in line with the Code of Conduct.
- Ensuring full details of any requests for fee quotes for members of your team are passed on to another member of the clerking team as soon as is practicable and recording full details of any quotes given on the BarBooks system when it has been agreed that you should give the quote yourself.
- Taking full details of any fee disputes as and when they arise and promptly referring matters onto the other clerks in your team or to the fees team for consideration.
B. Junior clerking/support function
- Taking the lead in dealing with printing requests on behalf of team members – e.g. emailed instructions and other paperwork etc.
- Collecting/receiving and distributing general post each morning.
- Organising and taking the general outgoing post to the post box each evening and ensuring requests for special/recorded deliveries are dealt with efficiently as and when they arise.
- Ensuring the timely collection of deliveries from reception throughout the day as and when informed.
- Assisting in the process of the regular and timely return of completed paperwork back to solicitors and other clients (or confidential shredding if agreed with the barrister/client) and ensuring the build-up of boxes and papers in corridors is kept to a minimum at all times.
- Assisting with the regular distribution of papers around the building(s) and the daily locking up of chambers.
- Assisting with the day-to-day management and administration of HMRC work, including but not limited to diary management, entering times and fee note production.
C. Other/General
- Deputising for the Deputy Team Leader in their absence as and when agreed with the Director of Clerking or the Team Leader.
- Ensuring that inter-team co-operation and good working relationships /maintained with the other teams and ensuring that support is both provided and requested from the other teams as and when necessary, in order to ensure that the practice management function performs effectively and efficiently at all times.
- Supporting members of chambers, where required, in seminars/talks given by chambers generally, interest groups and individual members of your team.
- Generally supporting and assisting chambers in the marketing of chambers and its members and ensuring, on such occasions, that a professional image is presented at all times.
- Any other tasks that may be required from time to time by the senior staff team, members of chambers and chambers' clients in order to properly and fully fulfil the role required by Chambers as a member of the practice management team.
Benefits
- Health and Life Insurance (upon successful completion of probation)
- 25 days holiday (3 of which are required to be taken over Christmas period)
- Annual Travel Loan (upon successful completion of probation)
Closing Date for Applications – 5pm Friday 11th September
All applicants are requested to complete an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion form, available here.
For all enquiries please contact:
ABC Partnership - 0203 890 8190 – enquiries@abcllp.com
To apply for this role please email a comprehensive CV and covering letter to Sam Biggerstaff – sam@abcllp.com & Sarah Willshee - sarah@abcllp.com
All third-party applications will be forwarded to ABC Partnership Ltd.
ABC are committed to equality and to fostering diversity in our profession.
We will treat everyone equally and irrespective of their age, background, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity status, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Please advise us in advance of the interview if you have any access needs (including those arising from neurodiversity) and/or require reasonable adjustments for the interview so that we can make appropriate arrangements.
