Practice Assistant - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies, which matter most to them.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

For internal candidates if you would like to apply for this vacancy please note that it is for an initial fixed period of 12 months. If your application is successful the Firm would be under no obligation to keep your current job open for you to return to. However, the role may also be considered on a secondment basis, in which case you would be able to return to your substantive role at the end of the secondment. Before applying, please discuss your application with your Line Manager or Career Development Partner in order to make them aware of your intentions and to discuss whether it is possible to accommodate your application at this time.

The role

The Practice Assistant is accountable for providing professional core business support to the firm's fee earners. The support provided will be as part of a team with shared responsibilities and collective accountability, working with the firm's other Business Professionals teams. The Practice Assistant is expected to create positive working relationships with fee earners and their colleagues in order to provide excellent business support. The Practice Assistant is accountable for ensuring that all activities are carried out in compliance with the firm's policies and regulatory requirements.

The Practice Assistant must be flexible and adaptable, with the ability to adjust to different practice areas and teams, as required.

Key responsibilities

This role sits within the London office and includes responsibility for delegating and steering work to the appropriate specialist CC team, which may include the Service Centre, DPU, Design and other Business Professionals teams. The Practice Assistant is accountable for providing clear direction and taking full ownership and management of their work to ensure that tasks are prioritised by business need and completed in a timely manner. When working agilely, the Practice Assistant is expected to provide a consistently excellent level of support without disruption to the business and stakeholders.

Practice Management

Acting as a key point of contact and taking full responsibility for incoming queries, both internally and externally, via phone or email: full inbox management, pre-empting requirements, sending holding emails, drafting or providing responses, filing and archiving, prioritising and actioning, as well as screening calls, answering queries, taking messages and directing enquiries to the appropriate CC teams, as necessary

Managing diaries: organising meetings across different time zones, coordinating meeting requirements, including room bookings, managing diary conflicts, preparation for meetings, including necessary documentation, liaising with internal and external attendees on availability, and organising catering

Providing full support on video conferencing using CC supported applications: setting up appropriate file management systems, filing emails and documents, archiving and other document management activities such as filing, photocopying, scanning, printing and storing, and arranging couriers

Arranging domestic and international travel: visas, vaccinations, currency, flights, hotels, maps, client information, itineraries and liaising with our in-house travel provider, as required

Preparing and drafting: letters, email correspondence, pitch and presentation documentation with direction and input from the people you support

Owning and coordinating the set-up of remote and physical data rooms

Assisting Partners with trainee and lawyer administration: scheduling meetings for trainee mid/end of seat and lawyer appraisals, preparing relevant paperwork, reminding Partners to complete paperwork within time frames, assisting with paperwork completion on the appraisal system

Managing beginning-to-end document management processes: amending, collating PDFs and renaming, proofreading, generic blacklining and liaising with specialist CC teams, including DPU, Service Centre, Legal Support Centre, Newcastle, as appropriate

Assisting with the integration of new joiners into the team, general guidance on firm processes, arranging any equipment and ensuring full workstation set-up, scheduling introduction meetings with key personnel outside HR induction, providing general advice on queries and acting as a buddy

Encouraging and proactively following up with fee earners on completion of their mandatory training requirements, other course requirements and ensuring that they are adhering to risk and compliance policies, such as Matter Team Manager (MTM) compliance and engagement letter compliance

Participating in the delivery of ad hoc responsibilities, projects and tasks; for example, but not limited to, room moves, absence and holiday coordination and IT initiatives

Providing guidance to Team Assistants and Junior Practice Assistants in support of their ongoing development.

Client Focus and Support

Progressing and assisting with client relationship initiatives: arranging and attending meetings, calls or other associated actions, as required

Reminding and assisting fee earners with the updating of CVs

Creating or amending PowerPoint presentations, Excel documents or fee quote documentation to an intermediate level. This will include involving specialist CC teams, as necessary, and ensuring that presentations/ documents/pitches are delivered to both fee earners and Business Professionals (including the Client and Market Development team) as per their initial brief

Building relationships with internal and external clients and key stakeholders, as appropriate, and maintaining knowledge of matters from inception to completion for allocated fee earners

Collating and capturing the correct client and matter-related information in the core systems: Intapp and the Matter Capture System (MIS); for example, sector information in Intapp and deal description information in MIS

Organising and attending events: internal and external client and team events, socials, O2 events, retreats and deal-closing lunches and dinners, together with any associated tasks such as researching venues, invitations, collating RSVPs, drafting communications and event management, as required

Carrying out research tasks to support fee earners and Business Professionals: researching venues for events and gathering client intelligence for marketing (including working with the GSSC team to produce taxi briefings prior to client meetings and events and adding client activities, as requested), capability statements and pitch materials, as directed

Supporting client and market development teams with client relationship activities: cross-practice client events, maintaining and updating client contact information on Interaction, including mailing lists, RSVPs and registration.

Financial and Matter Management

Providing financial management support from inception through to billing: supporting the firm's commercial discipline initiatives such as conflict checking, drafting engagement letters, using Intapp and ensuring that fee estimates and phases are included, setting up MTM and ensuring that the relevant team members are added, setting up and maintaining project email distribution lists, setting up Document Management System workspaces with appropriate folder structure, including creating a legal project management (LPM) folder with relevant project templates, if required, setting up matter balance reports and ensuring that all relevant information is included, creating and informing the deal team of any time recording rules, taking account of specific client e-billing rules and sending regular reminders to the deal team, amending narratives as required, including sharing further guidance with the team to reduce errors, and drafting bill letters

Processing and managing all expenses and invoices in a timely manner, including for third parties, and liaising with Accounts Payable, when required

Keeping track of updates to pre-bills, and ensuring smooth running and preparation of bills

Attending work in progress (WIP) and debtor meetings, as required, and following up on action points with the Billing team

Supporting fee earners with Time Sheet entries: proactively inputting holidays and absences, resolving unposted time and managing held time

Providing support and guidance on Expert Time

Drafting emails and taking responsibility for sending client matter updates on WIP and debts

Assisting with good housekeeping of documentation, including post-closing administration.

Best Delivery

Providing guidance on the firm's processes and best practices, including changes to policies and procedures, and guidance on the firm's systems and Best Delivery tools

Encouraging use of the firm's Best Delivery hubs and having knowledge of the Best Delivery tools to provide efficient support to the fee-earning community.

Your experience

Skills

Exceptional organisational skills with excellent attention to detail

Understands the importance of the role and how this contributes to the practice area and wider firm strategy

Client orientated with proven experience of building strong relationships both internally and externally

Ability to manage work activity, ensuring work is distributed and delegated as appropriate (whilst maintaining oversight and ownership) and utilising support functions efficiently, taking the initiative and making decisive decisions autonomously

Excellent communication skills, both written and oral

Aware of confidentiality and the use of discretion, when required

Experience

Previous experience of working within a professional services firm an advantage

Experience of complex diary management, international travel, email management and assisting with the preparation of correspondence on behalf of stakeholder

Supporting new business, client or business development teams with pitches, events, marketing materials and client research

Proven experience of supporting on financial matters, i.e. knowledge of recording time sheets, e-billing, expenses and invoices.

Knowledge

Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint

Experience of setting up data rooms would be an advantage

Knowledge of legal processes and matter management is desirable

Knowledge of any of the following would be an advantage, but not essential: Intapp, Expert Time and time reporting systems, Interaction, Kira and Transact.

Qualifications

5 (A*-C/9-4) GCSEs, including English and Mathematics

Cilex or BTEC Administration qualifications are desirable, but not essential.

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and develop your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.

Hybrid working

This role follows our 'balanced' hybrid working approach and as long as business needs allow, you will be supported to work in a hybrid way in line with the hybrid working policy.

What we offer including our broad range of benefits and working environment

When you join Clifford Chance, you will have access to a broad range of benefits to support you across many aspects of your personal and professional life including financial, wellbeing, lifestyle, and family friendly benefits. For more information on what we offer specifically in the UK, please visit our What We Offer page on our career site.

Equal opportunities

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm.

Find out more about our inclusive culture here .