Legal Secretary - Agriculture in Bristol

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

The Agriculture team sits within the wider Private Client Division. The team is one of the best qualified and largest agricultural teams in the UK market, providing a comprehensive range of legal services to farmers, landed estates, landowners and agri‑business specialists. Across Birketts, our award‑winning agriculture and estates team includes almost 50 specialist lawyers across seven offices, and is consistently recognised in the legal directories, giving Bristol‑based lawyers the support of a deep national bench and a genuinely full‑service offering. Based in Bristol, the team comprises a Partner, a Legal Director, two Senior Associates, two Associates and dedicated secretarial support. We are a team of rural specialists with deep sector knowledge.

The team advises clients on all aspects of rural real estate and rural disputes. On the transactional side that includes farm acquisitions and disposals, refinancing, renewable energy projects, natural capital, equestrian, and landed estate property management. On the dispute side of the team the work includes partnership disputes, landlord and tenant issues, judicial reviews and general advice on rural property issues.

As the team is both transactional and litigation, responsibilities will include:

• Formatting, paginating, numbering, bundling, and finalising legal documents, including Court claims, witness statements, settlement agreements, correspondence and emails.
• Proactively managing diaries, ensuring fee earners are alerted to deadlines, hearings, and urgent appointments.
• Accurately maintaining and updating client, court, counsel, and third‑party contact details within the firm’s client and case management systems.
• Use the HMRC and HMLR portals for submitting Stamp Duty Land Tax returns and HM Land Registry applications.
• Communicate with a wide variety of different people from first time buyers to multi‑million pound investor clients, buying and selling agents and mortgage brokers.
• Produce and amend documents with speed and accuracy.
• Process all forms including new client form, new matter form, money laundering form, training course booking forms etc.
• Ensure that all electronic filing and paper‑based filing is up to date and maintained at regular intervals.
• Respond to internal and external telephone enquiries.
• Manage diaries in Outlook and make all necessary travel arrangements.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

What we are looking for:

• Demonstrates strong organisational and administrative skills, managing tasks and priorities efficiently.
• Self‑motivated, ability to use initiative and provide pro‑active support to fee‑earners.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail to produce work documentation which is consistently of a high standard.
• Professional integrity and a commitment to providing excellent client service.
• To be competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, time recording software, case management, Outlook and digital dictation.

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. This role attracts a split of 60% office days and 40% working from home days per week. We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part‑time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

• Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service.
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed).
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme.
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share).
• Life Assurance – 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance.
• Paid CSR Day.
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave.
• Subsidised gym membership.
• Electric car scheme.
• Dress for your Day Policy.

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.

If you require this advert in an accessible format, please visit https://diversityjobsgroup.com/company/birketts/

At Birketts, we recognise the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal profession and recruitment. We welcome innovation and understand that candidates may use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we expect all applicants to use AI responsibly and ethically. Our expectations regarding AI use in applications:

• Your application should reflect your own voice, experiences, and insights. AI may assist in structuring or refining your responses, but it must not replace your personal input.
• Do not use AI to misrepresent your qualifications, experiences, or skills. Any form of exaggeration or fabrication may result in rejection from the process.
• If you have used AI tools to assist with your application, be prepared to discuss how and why you used them during the interview process.
• Do not submit content generated by AI tools that may include personal or sensitive data not intended for public disclosure.
• AI-generated content should be reviewed and edited by you to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the role and our firm’s values.

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment practices. The use of AI should enhance, not compromise, your application. We encourage candidates to demonstrate critical thinking, commercial awareness, and a genuine interest in our firm. If you have any questions about our expectations or the use of AI in your application, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team via talent@birketts.co.uk