Doughty Street Chambers (London) – Personal Assistant & Legal Researcher

Hours: 9:00am–6:00pm, Monday–Friday (40 hours) (occasional flexibility required)

Based at: Doughty Street Chambers, London

Reporting to: Edward Fitzgerald KC

Contract type: Permanent – Self Employed

Doughty Street Chambers is a multi-disciplinary set of barristers with a truly national and international reputation for excellence, particularly for work involving issues of human rights and civil liberties. Our team comprises over 160 barristers, many of whom are recognised by the industry directories as leaders in their fields, supported by around 40 staff. We have offices in London and Manchester, but our barristers work internationally, undertaking cases on behalf of individuals and companies in proceedings before the UK Courts, the European Court of Human Rights, almost all the international tribunals, overseas courts, and arbitration tribunals. As well as litigation work our members train judges, prosecutors, and investigative agencies around the world, as well as advising on policy work.

Edward Fitzgerald KC has a busy practice, with particular specialisms in Extradition, Criminal Law, Public Law, and International Human Rights Law. He has acted in many of the leading human rights cases and is ranked 1st in Extradition in Chambers and Partners 2020, as a ‘starred individual’ in the area of Crime in 2020 and in Band 1 in Administrative and Public law.

Role Overview

The primary focus of this role is to provide excellent Personal Assistant support with elements of Legal Research duties for a busy Human Rights KC (Edward Fitzgerald KC) based at Doughty Street Chambers, London.

Key Responsibilities

• CASEWORK AND ADMINISTRATION
  • File minutes and reports
  • Keep a record of the activities
  • Keep a diary of future activities
  • Filing, both electronic and paper-based systems
  • Conducting legal research as required
  • Typing up submissions for court
  • Archiving, keeping a log of files to be organised and ensuring their safe archiving and removal
• MEETINGS, DIARY MANAGEMENT AND TRAVEL
  • Ensure meetings are effectively organised and, where necessary, minuted
  • Manage diaries and schedule meetings and appointments
• INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL LIAISON
  • Act as the point of contact between Edward and internal/external clients and barristers
  • Manage email inbox and respond to telephone calls, emails and letters as required
  • Handle requests and queries appropriately.
• TIME RECORDING AND BILLING
  • Ensure that all chargeable time spent is recorded daily
  • Liaise between clients, clerks and the barristers to ensure that bills are prepared and rendered promptly
  • Work with the Aged Debt team where required to ensure speedy collection of payment.
• LEGAL RESEARCH
  • You will be required to undertake legal research work from time to time, including (but not limited to) researching caselaw and conducting desk-based open-source research on identified issues. There is scope for research tasks to increase as the role progresses.
• AD HOC PROJECTS
  • You will assist in carrying out relevant ad hoc tasks as and when they arise.

Person Specification

Qualifications: Degree in Law

Experience: Prior experience within a law firm or chambers would be an advantage.

Skills and Competencies:

• Self-motivated with an ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Starter/finisher – sees a task through to completion
• Excellent organisational skills, with an ability to manage and prioritise workloads, and multi-task under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with an ability to influence and communicate (both verbal and written) effectively with a range of stakeholders at a senior level.
• Awareness of and commitment to principles of Equality and Diversity.
• Calm, professional, and unflappable!

Note: This appointment is made privately by Edward Fitzgerald KC and is not a position with Doughty Street Chambers. The appointment does not create an employment relationship with Doughty Street Chambers, and any contractual relationship will be directly with Edward Fitzgerald KC. Accordingly, the role does not include the employee benefits typically associated with employment at the Chambers. Doughty Street Chambers provides recruitment support solely for administrative purposes.

To apply, please send your CV along with a covering letter to Freya Quarshie at f.quarshie@doughtystreet.co.uk highlighting how your skills and experience match our requirements to by 13 April 2026.