Practice Support Assistant

This job is with Travers Smith, an inclusive employer and a member of myGwork – the largest global platform for the LGBTQ+ business community. Please do not contact the recruiter directly.
Travers Smith is a leading full-service law firm, with a wealth of experience in its areas of specialisation. The firm has a market-leading reputation for its international expertise in Asset Management, M&A and Dispute Resolution & Investigations. Clients include asset managers across the alternative asset classes (private equity, venture, credit, infrastructure and real estate), publicly listed and private companies, financial institutions, and other business enterprises involved in large and complex UK and cross-border matters, transactions and disputes. Our purpose is to provide the highest quality of service to our clients whilst enabling our people to achieve professional fulfilment in a supportive, inclusive and enjoyable working environment.
The Role
Business Service Assistants provide agile, responsive and effective administrative and coordination support for a designated business service area, supporting their department in events, projects, and day-to-day administration while upholding firmwide standards.

As a Practice Assistant, your responsibilities include managing and executing your designated workflow, utilising resources such as Practice Support Assistants and Document Production to ensure task completion with high accountability. This role is crucial in supporting legal teams effectively, facilitating smooth operations and client interactions.

Practice Assistants are integral to the Firm\’s support function. In this role, Proactivity, Teamwork, Effective Communication, Inspiring Confidence, Strategic Thinking, and Problem Solving are crucial. They ensure you effectively support legal teams and contribute positively to the Firm\’s operations.

• Proactivity: Practice Assistants report to the Service Lead and keep the Lawyers updated, ensuring transparency and collaboration. They proactively address the legal team\’s needs to facilitate smooth operations and pre-emptive problem-solving.
• Teamwork: You operate as part of a seamless Practice Support unit, leveraging colleagues\’ capacity, offering support, and covering absences to meet deadlines and deliver quality results. You collaborate to improve processes, streamline workflows, and contribute to team initiatives, providing essential support to the Service Leader in managing the team\’s administrative tasks and resources.
• Effective Communication: Clear, consistent communication with legal and support teams is essential for managing expectations and maintaining effective relationships. Demonstrate constructive working relationships through effective communication, providing clear updates on task progress. Recognise when colleagues need support and communicate your own needs effectively, fostering trust and teamwork.
• Inspiring Confidence: Deliver accurate, professionally presented work promptly to meet task specific deadlines, scenarios and client demands, reinforcing the Firm\’s reputation for high-quality legal support.
• Strategic Thinking: Collaborate closely with the Service Leader to support the Firm\’s long-term organisational goals. Align your tasks and initiatives with strategic priorities, ensuring they contribute to the Firm\’s overarching vision.
• Problem Solving: Apply critical thinking skills to solve complex issues and suggest organisational processes. Proactively identify areas for improvement and suggest solutions to drive efficiency and effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• Client Service Delivery: Act as a gatekeeper to the Lawyers, organising time and tasks for effective management of resources and priorities.
• Proactive Diary Management: Ensure diaries are updated in real time, anticipating travel and accommodation bookings and meeting room requirements.
• Travel Coordination: Coordinate travel arrangements, plan and execute detailed itineraries for international trips, handle associated logistics, prepare bios and agendas, and circulate papers.
• Communication Management: Handle client-related and internal calls and manage message taking as appropriate.
• Document Management: Manage work returned by Document Production/Speech Recognition Teams for accuracy and formatting before passing to the relevant Lawyer.
• Business Development and Marketing: Liaise with Business Development to support marketing activities, including scheduling meetings, organising client events, assisting with pitches, managing directory submissions, and creating LinkedIn posts.
• CRM Database Management: Manage the CRM database, ensuring new prospects, contacts and business development activities are added and shared.
• Training and Guidance: Maintain up-to-date information on client protocols, provide guidance and training, and monitor compliance.
• File Management: Responsible for hard copy and electronic filing, including opening and closing files, monitoring and managing key dates for clients, supervising general filing requirements (including folder mapping), and ensuring compliance procedures are up to date on all files and matters.
• Administrative Support: Serve as the point of contact for administrative requests and manage internal and external communication, including drafting timely responses on behalf of Lawyers.
• Financial Administration: Assist the Central Finance team with various financial tasks, including client and event billing, credit control,