Legal PA in London

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) is a sector-focused international law firm with extensive expertise and industry insight across its core sectors of energy, infrastructure and transport. Through its network of 19 offices, the firm advises clients on complex, high-value transactions and disputes – matters requiring precise legal execution and a nuanced understanding of global market dynamics.

The firm’s success is driven by its people. It fosters a collaborative, inclusive and supportive environment where everyone can grow, share ideas and make an impact. Guided by its values –We are experts, We are united and We care – the firm delivers exceptional service through strong relationships and teamwork. The firm is committed to clear career paths, championing diversity and investing in its people so they can thrive.

Including but not limited to:

• Proactively manage and maintain diary planning and coordination for allocated fee earners, making appointments and co-ordinating internal and external client meetings, identifying, and resolving potential challenges and clashes. Ensure arrangements are made for equipment, venue and resources and that fee earners have all necessary paperwork.
• Travel management, booking transport, hotels, client meetings and producing detailed itineraries.
• Coordinating business development and client liaison initiatives for fee earners, including updating database information, and assisting with marketing initiatives and events (including occasional support at event e.g. registration desk).
• Proactively dealing with all aspects of claiming expenses, including InterAction entries.
• Liaising with the Firm's clients in a confident and professional manner, building strong working relationships with clients and internal contacts.
• Dealing professionally and promptly with client (internal and external) telephone calls and communications, including calls diverted to the team.
• Creation, uploading and general maintenance of client sites and extranets.
• Monitoring fee earners' mailbox when they are out of the office or attending a long meeting, responding to emails as necessary and prioritising correspondence to enable fee earners to focus on urgent matters.
• Using initiative to route emails to the appropriate individuals for swift response and action; wherever possible, responding to and filing emails in Filesite on behalf of partners and fee earners to reduce volume.
• Preparing bills, including resolving queries and dealing with outstanding fees, maintaining accurate billing/contact details, preparation of narratives and drafting first bills with covering correspondence for partner approval. Assisting fee earners by liaising with the billing team and following up with debt recovery as requested.
• Proactively ensuring Carpe Diem is updated for all allocated fee earners, particularly for holiday or sickness absence. Informing team co-ordinator if fee earner is working from home or absent due to holiday or sickness.
• Providing secretarial assistance to assigned fee-earners, which includes audio typing, copy typing, formatting documents, creating correspondence, pitches, and presentations. Delegating complex and lengthy documents to the Document Production Team, ensuring requirements and timescales are clearly set out.
• Coordinating the opening of new client matters and assisting with Anti-Money Laundering processes. Undertaking as much research as possible before passing over to the Partner for approval.
• Organising client documents (delegating scanning, formatting, photocopying, and collating of information where necessary) for client meetings or hearings and carrying out research as required.
• Management and delegation of client filing and regular updating of client relationship management systems (Interaction), archiving historic files or closed matters.
• Working with a LPA Buddy or within the LPA team to provide assistance to lawyers in the group, prioritising own workload as required.
• Working closely within the team to provide general support to the Group across rotas or core hours, including assisting during periods of high demand or helping other practice areas when required.
• Liaising with team, stakeholders and clients in a professional and courteous manner, building and maintaining effective working relationships.
• Attending and participating in LPA team meetings.
• Pro-active and flexible attitude for any other ad-hoc tasks.

• Several years’ previous experience in a legal secretarial role.
• Excellent knowledge of Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Clear and professional in both written and verbal communication.
• Highly organised, skilled in prioritising multiple tasks and able to remain calm under pressure.
• Accurate, with high level of attention to detail.
• Professional and articulate: able to build positive relationships with stakeholders.
• Enthusiastic, can-do, positive approach to tasks and situations, as well as requests for action outside normal scope of duties.
• Takes ownership, maintains tact and diplomacy, is confidential and inspires trust.

We offer a competitive benefits and wellbeing package for all employees.

The Firm promotes a culture of agility and flexibility and is fully supportive of flexible working arrangements where these can be accommodated.

Diversity and inclusion are integral to the firm’s strategy and underpin its efforts to attract and retain top talent. All employment decisions are made objectively, based on merit and ability and the firm is committed to inclusive and barrier-free recruitment. As a Disability Confident employer, WFW welcomes adjustments for candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions and participates in the Disability Confident interview scheme. If you would like to apply through this scheme or require adjustments during any stage of the process, please contact London_Recruitment@wfw.com.